Cleaner shrimp help?

[jhenson]

Actually Beth I'm new to these boards and am amazed at how many other "crazy fish nuts" are out there like me. I showed my wife to prove that I wasn't so weird after all.
I have approximately a 2.5 inch medium coarse coral live sand bed. It's from Nature's Ocean.
If you could also give me any suggestions you have for removing film algae. I have 5 astrea's in my 11 gallon tank and they are doing only an adequate job. I could stock more BUT wondering if ther is a critter out there that might to a better job and be a bit more colorful?

 

[beth]

Crazy fish nuts abound here and we're proud of it!
How do you have your tank set up? And how old is your tank? What type of film algae are you talking about? Is is brown on the glass? What type lighting do you have. Provide some details about your tank.

 

[howieumd]

Beth, I posted the below in the New Hobbyist forum and haven't got a reply. You seem to know so I hope I can catch your attention here, since you were just talking about algae. Sorry for changing the subject further, but I need some help :-(
"I have algae in my tank and I have no idea how to get rid of it!! It's red algae, and it mainly covers the live rock. There is some in the sand, but it's not brown, or diatoms. My tank has been free of that for about a month now. It's hairy algae and it clumps up and floats to the top of the tank if it comes off the live rock, but as far as I've heard, the hair algae is green, so it's not that. My tank is in it's 3rd month. It's a 72 gallon with 88-90 lbs of live rock. Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates are all at 0 and PH is right at 8.3-8.4. I have a cleaning crew of about 25 blugleg hermit crabs, 10 nassuarius snails, 3 turbo snails, 2 scarlet hermit crabs, 4 peppermint shrimp, and 2 brittle starfish. I have a yellow tang also, which I would expect to clean some of this, but I don't think it does. I have 4X96 PC's and I leave the 2 daylight ligts on for 10 hours a day and the 2 acitinic lights on for 14 hours a day, going on 2 hours before and staying on 2 hours after the daylights go on. I have a protein skimmer and 1 power head, which I think may be too small. I have another one on order that I should have in about 2-3 days. Does anybody have any idea of what this algae is that I am describing and how I would get rid of it? Thanks!"

 

[neoreef]

I would be delighted if a mod or someone would start this as a new thread. I am having the same pink hair algae in my 10 month old tank, same size and PC lights also.
Someone suggested Mexican Margarita snails, but the LFS does not have them, and I don't want $75 worth to order online. That's a lot of snails.

Anyone have experience with Mexican Margarita snails?

 

[beth]

What you are talking about is crynobacteria. which is not an algae at all but bacteria colonies. There have been many topics posted here on this subject if you will do a search.
I have used chemiclean with success. Others claim to have tank problems following treatment, so use caution. This would be the only chemical treatment that I would recommend. Alternatively, simply limit the lights in your tank for 5-7 days to just what is needed [lights on so fish can eat]. Cryno is photosynthetic meaning that it requires light to grow/thrive. Deprive it of light, and it will die off. Likewise, cryno is a an oxygen producing bacteria. Boyd's Enterprise won't say what the chemical is in their ChemiClean but by using it, it clearly performs an oxidization process in the tank.
Try the simple method, lights off. Then do a search on this topic here so you can get some tips on tank setup that could help control this or eliminate it from reoccurring.

 

[howieumd]

Thank you Beth. I actually found a good post last night after I posted my message. I think I was definitely leaving my lights on too long. I turned them off for a day and than I'm going to start 6 hours a day with the daylights and 8 with the acitinics, so lighting is on for 8 hours total. If it doesn't clear up, I'll try that cleaner you were talking about. I also did a water change and am going to feed the fish every 2-3 days instead of every day, as I was doing. I already noticed today that a lot has cleared up, and hoping by tomorrow morning most of it will be gone. Thanks.

 

[beth]

I disagree that you should starve your fish to resolve this problem. If you will turn the lights off for 5 days, and only leave them on for a couple hrs as necessary for feeding, I feel the problem will resolve.
Cryno is a bacteria that requires LIGHT. That is what it feeds off of. Straving fish will only stress your animals possibly causing illness. Cryno is a natural fauna that gets introduced into your tank via LR, etc. Its occurs in the ocean as well. In fact, it is believed that our little planet earth has its O2 atmosphere because of this bacteria, so its not exactly the worst thing in the world, though you don't want it reaching plague proportions in your tank.
Do as I said with the lights mostly off for a few days. I think you will be pleased with the results.

 

[howieumd]

Ok, thanks for the help. I'll just not use the lights for a few days. I read that over feeding was one reason that could cause it too, and I was feeding once a day, that's why I was changing feeding to 2-3 days, but I'll go back to once a day if you think that is best. What is your recommendation on how often I should feed them?

 

[howieumd]

Also, how long do you recommend leaving the lights on? 3 hours per day? I have daylights and acitinics. Do I leave the daylights on for 3 hours, or both, or the daylights and acitinics for 2 and the acititincs for 1/2 hour before and after the daylights go off, to make up 3 hours? Thanks.

 

[howieumd]

Also, sorry, last question. How do I position my power heads and how many should I have? Right now, I have an Aqua Clear PH 402, which does 270 GPH, and I just got a Rio 2100 UL, which says it does 692 GPH. The problem is, I have no idea what kind of GPH I need to put out, if I need more PH
s, and which spot in the tank and direction I should have them facing. Could you give me some recommendations on that, and if I need more? It's a 72 gallon bowfront, could be the same one you have actually.

 

[beth]

Ok, we both of a 72, I have 6 Ph's and one HOT skimmer. Each PH is positioned so that all areas of tank are covered, back, front, side, etc. You want to make sure that water movement is going on throughout the tank,
Turn all your lights off except for 2 hrs for feeding. Turn lights on so fish can get used to lights being on for a bit, then feed them, then turn lights off. You can leave room lights on so that the tank is not in the dark.
Do you have a reef tank?

 

[howieumd]

I have 90 lbs of live rock. I am going to start putting corals in and stuff after another month or two, maybe longer depending on how tank is doing. It will be a reef tank. So I have 2 PH's, I obviously need more. How powerful are yours? Like I said, I have 1 that is 270 GPH, which I've had since I set the tank up, and 1 that is 692 GPH, that I just got today via UPS, so I'm adding that in tonight. Along with the lighting issue, I'd imagine that fact that I only had the one 270 GPH powerhead as another reason for this crynobacteria outbreak. You say to position them so all areas are covered in the tank. Should I face them in any certain direction though? Isn't it good to get the water going in 1 direction? At what level in the tank do I put them, half way down? Facing straight ahead? Facing down toward the sand? Do you happen to have a picture of your tank so I can see which ways you have your PH's going? Thanks!! I appreciate all the help.

 

[howieumd]

Well, after reading some posts about PH's, I am returning my Rio, seems like too much GPH coming from one unit and they seem to break down a lot. I just ordered 4 MaxiJet 1200's with a Red Sea Wavemaster Pro. I think that should be enough current. What do you think? I'll keep the Aqua Clear 402 in there if need be, to have 5 PH's, but I was thinking of just running the 4 with the Wavemaker for now. The Aqua Clear actually has a reverse flow. Should I use that, maybe in the middle of the tank, with the reverse flow, and than put the 4 PH's in the corners, two near top, two near bottom? Thanks.

 

[beth]

Sounds like a good plan. I agree the RIOS breakdown way too much. Maxiis are excellent PHs.

 

[mary]

Beth, Any adverse affects to all my corals if I turn the lights off for 6-7 days? I havent's algea on rocks but do have hair and red on back glass.

 

[beth]

Do you have excessive crynobacteria, or just green hair algae? Go a pic you can post?
Corals do need light, but if they are healhy they should be ok for 4 days at least. However, I'm not sure what algae problem you have. There might be a better way to deal with it depending on what prblem you are having.

 

[mary]

I have high phosphate count in our well water, so any rise that occurs periodically will worsen the hair algea and the slime. I do once a week brush off the slime that settles on the rock but suction it off the glass in the back every other day. A real pain. Using a phosphate sponge in the barrel of water for changes, decreased it somewhat, but the filter I was useing seemed to be less efficient than I really need. Am waiting until I can afford a larger one and then begin the technique all over again. Everything is so expensive in this hobby so it will be some time before I will get another filter for that medium. In the meantime will order more medium and just get along with the one I have. Helps a little. I think the problem is simply that the tank is almost ten years old Corals ar beautiful as are the fish and invertebrates. There is absolutely no change in the problem after each monthly water cgange. I change 34 gal's. per month in a 90, not 100 gal. tank. Have a 29 sub. tank.

 

[beth]

Sounds like you actually need a RO/DI system. It really is the best answer for a reef tank. You can get quality systems for around $200.

 

[mary]

Yes, I know I need an RO system and could have one put into a sink in our basement for about 275.00. Hauling up that much water would be whose job? Good exercise though and less algea.
The other concern is the time spent testing for the correct amount of iodine, strontium and calcium. Always have known exactly how much to put in but useing an RO system takes everything out and my system and calendar that I am used to would become defunct. My LFS has scared me off when discussing the difficulty in additives with an RO system. Feel very insecure about that situation when all other than the algea, are doing great! Must make the time to put up pics of my tank. I must have the largest "tree" coral other than what might be in the ocean. Someone could name it for me, then I would know what it is. Was told it was a finger. It is not. My Clarkii's love it.

 

[beth]

How do you get water in to your house??
I don't add additives except calcium and buffers. If you get a reef ready salt such as the new Oceanic, then you really don't need to consider that so much. The salt contains those elements.