WHAT IS THIS, growing in my tank????

T

tailgate1979

Guest
Ok found something growing I have never seen befor, maybe yall can help me out. It's the size of a green pea, it's the color of a green pea, I touched it and its hard like a glass marbel fells like one. It's attaced to a rock sorry for the crappy pics.
 
hawkfish203

hawkfish203

Member
Looks like green bubble algae to me! Something may be out of wack with your water. Check your nitrate lvls and your phosphates. Don't break the bubble or your release spores into you tank.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
+1 to the bubble algae.
either try to use tweezers and pluck them at the base or get a emerald crab to eat them.
i had alot of red ones and bought 3 emeralds .they eat them up in a month.
 
geoj

geoj

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by HAWKFISH203 http:///forum/thread/385115/what-is-this-growing-in-my-tank#post_3376247
Looks like green bubble algae to me! Something may be out of wack with your water. Check your nitrate lvls and your phosphates. Don't break the bubble or your release spores into you tank.

Where have you heard that breaking bubble algae releases spores? To my knowledge the only time the spores are released is when the bubble algae becomes ripe with spores...
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
pluck CAREFULLY and dont pop it. You dont want to take a chance at releasing the spores.
I had a few of these in my tank and I got them out no problems. I did take them to the sink and pop them to see what it took. Its not much.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

Yes it is bubble algae and it can grow fast in some tanks. It is a beautiful algae. Back in the day we wanted this algae in our tanks, I still do because it looks like marbles. Emerald crabs eat them. They are very easy to remove in the areas you don't want it to and allow it to grow where you do. It is not a plague like hair algae or aiptasia. Nor is it a sign of bad water, in fact it's time to worry if algae can't grow in your tank.
 
hawkfish203

hawkfish203

Member
Manual Removal - very carefully grab the bubble algae towards the base and use a gentle pulling and twisting motion to free it from the rock without breaking the bubble. Ventricaria ventricosa feels like large rubber marbles and they can burst thereby releasing thousands of new bubble algae cells into your tank. If they've already burst remove the bubble sack anyway. Don't let them get too big or you run the risk of them releasing the spores before you can remove them. Keep the upper hand here.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
they are not as fragile as people think. take a piece of tubing and start a siphon place the tubing over the bubble and remove. you may have to nudge the bubble a little with the tube to release it from the rock
 
T

tailgate1979

Guest
Well I worked a 17hr day so I don't think I will be plucking much tonight. I will try to pluck it in the morning, I will go get a few emerald crabs for the tank.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/385115/what-is-this-growing-in-my-tank#post_3376360
You want bubble algae?????

Back in the day..everyone liked it. It's macroalgae and does the same thing caulerpa does and it won't go sexual and cloud up the tank either. I had some that lasted for months and never got off the rock it grew on. I popped some of the bubbles trying to get it to spread...it never grew back.

So in a tank with regular water changes it sure if far from invasive. Some folks swear Xenia is a weed and wants to know how to kill it. I paid $60.00 for a single stalk of Xenia and some folks are tossing it in the trash.
So yes I want some bubble algae, it's beautiful and looks like marbles in the tank. All clustered together on a rock it looks like coral.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Flower you should have told me when I got all that rock...Didn't you see ALL the green bubble on it...heck I could have sent you a piece....BUT I got it all cleaned now
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/385115/what-is-this-growing-in-my-tank#post_3376562
Flower you should have told me when I got all that rock...Didn't you see ALL the green bubble on it...heck I could have sent you a piece....BUT I got it all cleaned now
I don't remember even seeing it. The new person only has two tiny bubbles and it isn't worth the money to ship it. So many insist it's bad stuff, but I think its really pretty, in clusters on a rock it looks like coral, and like all macroalgae it eats up phosphates and nitrates. It's easy to harvest, pops right off the rock and since I have my hands in the tank every water change anyway it isn't a big deal.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
i wish i knew you wanted the bubbles .i had a huge break out and took an hour to puul as much out as i could then bought 3 emeralds.i must have pulled 2-3 cups of them .i have to look but my sump was loaded with them .the scrubber light is offf but i will look later.some were nickel sized.
 
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