Crabs not the answer to Bubble Algae

[one lunger]

Well, I tried them again- Mithrax Crabs as a clean up solution to my bubble algae problem, which had gotten out of hand. So what did I lose this time to the voracious appetites of the crabs? My beautiful Green Pocillopora Damicornis Coral got a rather severe "haircut," sacrificing many months of new growth. My last go-around with these incorrectly advertised crabs cost me a big chunk of my prized Leather Coral. My setup is a 29 gallon reef that I feed about 3 times a week, so excess food being left available to the Mithrax thus preventing them from consuming the algae is not the issue; my phosphates are zero, in spite of that I am using a phosphate sponge and the algae is receding. If you like the way the Mithrax look, fine- but in my experience they are not reef-safe and do not eat any perceptible amount of algae.

 

[geoj]

Before Algaefix

After 11 doses Algaefix

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by one lunger http:///t/392566/crabs-not-the-answer-to-bubble-algae#post_3486714
Well, I tried them again- Mithrax Crabs as a clean up solution to my bubble algae problem, which had gotten out of hand. So what did I lose this time to the voracious appetites of the crabs? My beautiful Green Pocillopora Damicornis Coral got a rather severe "haircut," sacrificing many months of new growth. My last go-around with these incorrectly advertised crabs cost me a big chunk of my prized Leather Coral. My setup is a 29 gallon reef that I feed about 3 times a week, so excess food being left available to the Mithrax thus preventing them from consuming the algae is not the issue; my phosphates are zero, in spite of that I am using a phosphate sponge and the algae is receding. If you like the way the Mithrax look, fine- but in my experience they are not reef-safe and do not eat any perceptible amount of algae.
Got a picture of these Mithrax Crabs? Do they have a red dot on the inside of their claw arms?

 

[one lunger]

Any noteworthy "side effects?"

 

[one lunger]

Not off hand, they go by Emerald Crabs as well. Most that I have seen are a pale green.

 

[meowzer]

I have never had an Emerald eat any of my corals, and I have them in all my tanks.....
I will say tho, that if your tank is well-fed they will go for the food rather then the bubble algae.....and in my experience, they only go after the smaller bubbles.
I had no clue algae fix worked on BA....hmmmm.....I have BA in my 28G cube, but don't bother with it anymore....

 

[geoj]

Any noteworthy "side effects?"
 
Not much from my experience. Some corals react by retracting, other then that its slow to work.
Google this and read the thread. " What I have seen is it looks like the AF does not kill the adult bubble algae once it is anchored to the rock. "