Help! Mexican Turbo Gets to the Algae sheet before LMB

[tirtza]

I'm trying to feed my Lawn Mower Blenny a piece of an algae sheet. I placed it on a large rock and placed another small rock on the corner of the algae sheet to hold it in place. I just now noticed that my Mexican Turbo snail devoured the entire thing!
So I placed another piece of an algae sheet on a small rock and attached it with two small rubber bands. I then placed the small rock in the middle of the substrate...hoping that my Mexican Turbo will be reluctant to cross the substrate and get to the algae sheet. My Mexican Turbo is never on the substrate, so I'm hoping his aversion to it will keep him away so my LMB can eat the algae sheet.
Has anyone else had any problems like this before? I've read that some people have use rubber bands to attach the algae sheet to a rock, is this really a good idea...it seems like rubber bands wouldn't really be a good idea in an aquarium.

 

[flower]

The rubberband won't hurt anything, it's a plastic kind of thing, metal is a problem.
Don't worry about your LMB, he will find the sheet all in good time, the turbo needs algae to live too, and while the turbo eats that sheet, it is allowing algae to go uneaten elsewhere. You could add a capful of kent's microvert to stimulate algae to grow.

 

[beth]

If you use an algae sheet clip and attach it to the tank glass, letting the algae hang loose in the water column, that should solve your problem.
Turbos do need a steady supply of algae as well, otherwise they will die. So make arrangements to feed both.

 

[tirtza]

I checked the rock with the algae sheet/rubber band a little while after I put it in there....and of course yet another critter decided to mess with it..lol One of my Scarlett hermit crabs was sitting on top of it shredding it to pieces.
This morning I'm trying two different tactics....I used a rubber band to attach a 1" square sheet to to a spare suction cup and stuck it on the glass (hopefully out of reach of any crabs), then I used my first method and just put a 1" square sheet on a rock and anchored it down with another small rock (I won't be terribly surprised if my Turbo goes after this like he did the 1st one).
I'm nervous that putting all of these algae sheets (two 1" squares last night, and two 1" squares today) in the tank is going to harm the water and cause my ammonia level to rise (it's at 0 right now). Do you think it's a possibility?
I've read good things about Kent's microvert, but it also sounds like it's kind of risky and could damage the water quality (my zoa polyps and a couple of feather dusters could probably benefit from it though). Is it to much of a risk using it?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by tirtza http:///t/388387/help-mexican-turbo-gets-to-the-algae-sheet-before-lmb#post_3425064
I checked the rock with the algae sheet/rubber band a little while after I put it in there....and of course yet another critter decided to mess with it..lol One of my Scarlett hermit crabs was sitting on top of it shredding it to pieces.
This morning I'm trying two different tactics....I used a rubber band to attach a 1" square sheet to to a spare suction cup and stuck it on the glass (hopefully out of reach of any crabs), then I used my first method and just put a 1" square sheet on a rock and anchored it down with another small rock (I won't be terribly surprised if my Turbo goes after this like he did the 1st one).
I'm nervous that putting all of these algae sheets (two 1" squares last night, and two 1" squares today) in the tank is going to harm the water and cause my ammonia level to rise (it's at 0 right now). Do you think it's a possibility?
I've read good things about Kent's microvert, but it also sounds like it's kind of risky and could damage the water quality (my zoa polyps and a couple of feather dusters could probably benefit from it though). Is it to much of a risk using it?
The microvert is not the best coral food, that's for sure. It will produce algae, usually an unwanted thing. Each tank is different and you must handle the things that crop up. If you need algae, the sheets will not do anything except what the microvert will do.... cause algae to grow because of nutrients in the water. As long as something is eating it...it won't hurt the tank.
If your tank is so clean of algae that even the poor old hermits need some food, don't hide it away from them...the LMB will get his fair share.
Your LMB will eventually eat the nori sheets...but don't try hiding from other critters put it in the same spot all the time.

 

[tirtza]

Thank you so much! I hung the algae sheet in the algae sheet in a bottom corner of the aquarium, the LMB will find it, I'm sure it'll take a couple days as you had suggested. There's definitely algae on the back wall and on about 40% of the rock as well. I had a big problem with hair algae about 7 weeks ago, and my Mexican Turbo snail made cleaned it up super fast! I plucked the rest from the sand bed and since then I haven't had a problem with it all......on the contrary, now I'm hoping to have enough algae for the Mexican Turbo Snail and LMB.
I have actinic blue lights on from 3 pm - 10 pm and white fluorescent on from 4 pm - 9 pm (a total of 7 hours of light). Could I help with the algae by keeping them on a little longer or am I asking for trouble if I do that?? (I also have LED moonlights on at night)
I'd love for the Zoa polyps and feather dusters that hitch hiked on my live rock to flourish and grow too...

 

[tirtza]

More info on my lights (they are the ones that come standard with an Oceanic BioCube 29 Gallon
1 - 36 Watt
True Actinic 03 Blue Straight Pin
1 - 36 Watt
10,000K Daylight Staight Pin
3 - .75 Watt
Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow LED