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fishlovr
Guest
What type of algae is this and what type of clean-up crew will get rid of it?
Thanks,
fishlovr
Thanks,
fishlovr
devildog01
Member
Umm...can u post a pic? Or at least give us a description of it?
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fishlovr
Guest
Sorry, I did post a pic but it was too large the first time......hope you can see this one
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thomas712
Guest
Is it like the bristles of a toothbrush? does it feel that way?
devildog01
Member
Oh, sure....its good algae. I had some until my tang apple cored it. It is a type of caulerpa. Yes, a cleaner crew will eat it-but it IS benficial algae. I cant remember the exact name but it is good stuff. Hope this helps. Let me know if u have any further questions!!
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fishlovr
Guest
I don't think it's beneficial It is somewhat softer than the bristles of a toothbrush.....but similar. Here's another pic.......it shows how it spreads before it thickens up. Looks like a bunch of veins if you ask me!
It is somewhat softer than the bristles of a toothbrush.....but similar. Here's another pic.......it shows how it spreads before it thickens up. Looks like a bunch of veins if you ask me!
devildog01
Member
I had some at one point, and I found it in a library book about saltwater fish and it said it was beneficial.
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thomas712
Guest
If this is the same thing I have then you may never get rid of it. I've had a rock with a green version of what I see yours is. I've never identified it, nothing will eat it, chipping it off the rock never killed it, scrubbing it never killed it.....I just can't kill it. This rock resides in my fuge so it will never spread to anything in the main tank. I'm thinking about getting the blow torch out.
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thomas712
Guest
Here is my green version
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fishlovr
Guest
GREAT I have tried to chisel it off the rock work too, with no success. In fact I think it ultimately made things worse. Without the coraline to cover it came back quicker. Plus it has roots that go way down deep into the rock.......My tank is a 55 gallon that is full of corals. There isn't a lot of uncovered rockwork for it to grow on.....will it start to grow on top of the corals? I've heard that diadem urchins may tackle it but there's not enough room between my corals and rock work for them to travel. Hope I'm making sense. I don't have a very good clean up crew as I've never needed one until now. I had PC lighting and switched to T5 which is much brighter and that's when the trouble began. The corals love it but I think the algae does too. I have lots of flow so that's not a problem and I use Phosban so phosphates should be low. I allso have chaeto growing in the back of the 55......I have no sump. Are there any snails or hermit type crabs that would help? How about a Sally Lightfoot? Any helpful suggestions are much appreciated! Here's a full tank shot.........
fishlovr
I have tried to chisel it off the rock work too, with no success. In fact I think it ultimately made things worse. Without the coraline to cover it came back quicker. Plus it has roots that go way down deep into the rock.......My tank is a 55 gallon that is full of corals. There isn't a lot of uncovered rockwork for it to grow on.....will it start to grow on top of the corals? I've heard that diadem urchins may tackle it but there's not enough room between my corals and rock work for them to travel. Hope I'm making sense. I don't have a very good clean up crew as I've never needed one until now. I had PC lighting and switched to T5 which is much brighter and that's when the trouble began. The corals love it but I think the algae does too. I have lots of flow so that's not a problem and I use Phosban so phosphates should be low. I allso have chaeto growing in the back of the 55......I have no sump. Are there any snails or hermit type crabs that would help? How about a Sally Lightfoot? Any helpful suggestions are much appreciated! Here's a full tank shot.........fishlovr
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thomas712
Guest
Like I said, nothing in 6 years or so has ever eaten this stuff, not even a lawnmower blenny, no snails, no hermit crabs, no emerald crab and the list goes on and on. I've used toothbrushes, screwdrivers, knives and all sorts of other tools to try to kill it... nothing.
I would suggest simply getting that rock out of there. Put it back in next year if the stuff ever dies.
I would suggest simply getting that rock out of there. Put it back in next year if the stuff ever dies.
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thomas712
Guest
kind of small, mind if I blow it up a bit, It might get blurry though.
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fishlovr
Guest
Getting it out is not possible as I have corals growing on the rockwork too.......wonder if it will grow up to but not over the corals........what a mess!
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thomas712
Guest
Perhaps we should come up with some ideas!. One that I have thought of is to get the aquarium puddy and totally smother it, after scraping off what I could. Another was getting the propane torch out. Perhaps taking the rock out and drilling like a dentist is in order, and then filling it with puddy. I'm open to suggestions and I'm willing to experiment with my specimen
I had a leather coral on that rock as well, you can see where I finally cut it off last week, its right next to the edge of where this stuff is growing. The rock is much longer than you see, but manageable to remove. Finally the leather is in the main tank, glued to a new rock.
I admit that in those 6 years or more this has not grown very much, but it is creeping slowly and I didn't want it to grow onto other rocks.
Thomas
I had a leather coral on that rock as well, you can see where I finally cut it off last week, its right next to the edge of where this stuff is growing. The rock is much longer than you see, but manageable to remove. Finally the leather is in the main tank, glued to a new rock.
I admit that in those 6 years or more this has not grown very much, but it is creeping slowly and I didn't want it to grow onto other rocks.
Thomas
stuckinfla
Active Member
Thomas, I had a tank of the green stuff for 3yrs. I broke the tank down about 6mo ago. I put the rock in a bucket, added fresh water & bleach...let soak over night. Next day drained & filled with fresh water (3 times) let soak for two weeks. Took rock out and let dry for 2 months. Added rock back to bucket with fresh water for 2 weeks. Drained & put back in bucket with salt water where it has been for 2 months & ready to ge into my 180. Like you I tries everything, and this has worked for me. I will add one piece at a time to see how it goes....I'll let ya know. Heres before & after.
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thomas712
Guest
I am narrowing it down to a turf algea. Beard or Brush, they say the beard algea is impossible to manually remove, but that it also spread pretty fast. Mine never did. But it is impossible to manually remove.
stuckinfla
Active Member
Mine could not be manually removed. If I pulled a chunk off, rock came with it. I bougth one rock with it on it (not seen till it really started to grow) and it spread within months. I tried & tried and finally gave up. I read the torch method on another site that had worked for someone, but I think my case was a little more severe.
stuckinfla
Active Member
ps....Black spiney urchins will eat it but only if its in its early growth stage. - one little piece made it to my 180 attached to a coral. I picked up a black urchin and put the piece with the urchin in a seperate tank, and he made quick work of it.
stuckinfla
Active Member
ps...ps.....I came up with Turtle Grass.