need more CUC?

[bob]

Hi everyone,

I have 2 minor concerns I was hoping could help me solve.

#1: grass-like algae growing in a select few spots:
http://www.trtguild.net/tank/algae1.JPG
http://www.trtguild.net/tank/algae2.JPG

My clean up crew consists of ~6 astreas, ~2 ceriths, & 1xemerald. I opted out of hermits because I didn't want them killing my snails...but I'm willing to get some dwarf hermits if they'll help clean that up.

Just as a side note: I did have a decent amount of chaeto end up in the display a while back and I lost track of it's location...does it attach to the rocks like this?


#2: sand bed looks like **** (it's dirty):
http://www.trtguild.net/tank/sand1.JPG

I have 1xqueen conch that does an amazing job at grazing and 3 nassarius that eat left over food/and poo - but the sand still has a brown/green (I'm color blind forgive me!). I went for the fine sugar grain sand when setting up my tank, is this the problem? What kind of things can I get to clean this up?

OH and the bubbles on the sand bed seem to be going away...is this problem related to that? If so then never mind, I'll just be patient and continue doing regular water changes.

Thanks for everyone's time!

[Narazbad]

What size is the tank?

[Luke]

http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_new.tpl&product_id=219&category_id=20&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=34

8 nassarius would keep your sand stirred pretty good... + free shipping.

edit: im assuming its for the 34 solana?

edit edit: you probably wont see the nassarius's once you put them in... i forgot i even had one in my tank until a week ago i saw him crusing on the glass.. it was weird.

[bob]

Yea it's my 34 solana. I have 3 currently and I barely see them. I'm just worried that if I add too many they'll starve.

Any thoughts on the grassy stuff?

[Luke]

blue leg hermit but then you're risking the snails..

[RickMartin]

running gfo?

[bob]

running gfo?

I run carbon.

my last phosphate test showed 0-0.25 (again color blind so it's hard to tell the diff shades apart), and my RO/DI water reads 0-1 tds as well.

[Narazbad]

The snails will be fine if you add more. They will go for a lot of different things. Might also try limpets and fuzzy chitons

[Narazbad]

Also you might try the bags of chemi pure. It is a mix of carbon and gfo in one bag.

[bob]

The snails will be fine if you add more. They will go for a lot of different things. Might also try limpets and fuzzy chitons

I forgot to mention my money cowrie and 3 stomatellas! I think I'll pick up some more nassarius' + ceriths and see how it goes

[iap]

If you have sps avoid the limpet snails.

[spslover]

If u have any oyster shells put them over the algea and it will die after a while from having no light. Also run po4 reactor and last emerald crabs/blenny eats algea likes it's nothing.
I have dond the empty shell trick before and the algea dies... I read this trick on r2r and it works but u have to do alot or one spot at a time.
Sent from my EVO.

[RickMartin]

unfortunately phosphates tests only test for one type of phosphate making them next to useless. The other type, ortho phosphates i believe, are readily usable by algae. If you have algae growing you have phosphates, it can't grow without out it

[bob]

unfortunately phosphates tests only test for one type of phosphate making them next to useless. The other type, ortho phosphates i believe, are readily usable by algae. If you have algae growing you have phosphates, it can't grow without out it

Good to know, guess I'll stop testing for phosphates now!

Since I have a ton of carbon should I just grab some phosban? I'm assuming carbon+phosban=chemipure? Also how big of a difference does it make running it in filter socks compared to reactors?

[kentlighting]

I've never ran gfo any where but a reactor. But my understanding is a lot better since you are forcing water threw it then running it over it. Bulk reef supply has some cheap good gfo. I'm setting up a group buy between here and reef central if you wanna jump in and get better pricing. Pm me and I'll tell you more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Narazbad]

I have sps and limpets...I've had no issues

[Troylee]

Okay your grass looking algae is actually byropsis not much for a clean up crew that will help with that... You can use kents tech m to raise your mag levels up very high and it will die off.... Honestly thou it's that small piece I would remove the rock all together and chisel that piece off with a hammer and screwdriver....

[Troylee]

But for sure get rid of that stuff in a hurry it will take over a tank and kill corals doing it!!!! That is one of the worst Algaes to have...

[tomgl]

Been there. That shtuff is nasty.

[bob]

Hrm, do you think the algae from pic1 and pic2 are the same? Upon closer inspection they look like different species. I've got the algae from pic2 growing in small quantities in multiple places, but the algae from pic1 seems to only be in one spot at the moment. If they're different which one is the bryopsis and is the other one a problem as well?

I'll snap some macro shots tomorrow to get some more detail.

EDIT: RC IDd pic1 as bryopsis. So that leaves me with the question of what is the algae in pic2 and is it worth worrying about (its the one growing in multiple places)?

[TheGreatAukSociety]

In picture one you have bryopsis algae, but in picture 2 you have a thicker version which would likely be called cladophoropsis. The first one is pretty common, most things hobbyists keep and fish stores sell won't eat it. The second is not very common, plus tangs and alot of popular fish eat it, so most people never encounter it. I once ran a tank with no herbivores at all to see what would happen, all kinds of weird algaes start to appear.

If you want to get rid of the spots of algae, take out the rock put a little peroxide on the spot, wait a few seconds and put it back.

If you want to get a herbivore, you'll need the more heavy duty kind like urchins, certain cowries, bigger hermit crabs, some of which become more contraversial like limpets and chitons.

In the end you should wonder is my tank clean enough? A few spots here and there are totally natural, but if they run rampant, maybe a technical change is in order.

[Troylee]

I don't think the peroxide works mike on byropsis I have great sucsess with hair algae and others on frag plugs when dipping in peroxide but I had a couple frag plugs with byropisis and it didn't do squat... I had to remove the frag from the disc and toss it or superglue over it if I could without damaging the coral.... Byropsis sucks!!!! It's a tough algae lol...

[bob]

I snapped some ****py macro shots today (I need practice - was in a hurry so they didn't turn out so hot):

suspected bryopsis:
back
http://trt.homelinux.com:81/tank/algae/DSC_0129.jpg
front
http://trt.homelinux.com:81/tank/algae/DSC_0130.jpg


unknown macro algae (pic2):
http://trt.homelinux.com:81/tank/algae/DSC_0132.jpg
Is this anything to worry about? Or is it much less of a nuisance than bryopsis?


My plan was to manually remove what I could, start phosban in addition to my carbon, and fix my chaeto lighting issues in hope that the chaeto could absorb nutrients faster than the bryopsis. Someone on RC also suggested a Kole tang...but I suspect my tank is too small for any tang?

[Narazbad]

Avoid tangs. You might try a starry or lawnmower blenny, though.

[TheGreatAukSociety]

I think your plan is a good plan.