Bubble Algae starting to explode...

[Onthefly]

So, with the vibrant option off the table....what's the "go to" that most people are using to deal with BA?

I added 2 emeralds crabs 2 weeks ago and they went straight for my birds nest colonies....started picking at polyps......never once looked at the bubble algae or ulva. Took about a week of midnight ambushes before I was able to sump'em.

Manual removal is fine, but there are spots that I can't reach....so, that's a battle that can't be won.

Any advice is appreciated!

Tank is 90ga (1.5yr old)
70% SPS, 20% LPS, 10% zoa
Bristletooth tang
2 clones
1 dotty
1 flamehawk

NO3: 5ppm
PO4: 0.05ppm
Alk: 9
CA:420
Mg: 1400
SG: 34ppt
Temp: 77-78

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

You could try pitho crabs or a foxface.

 

[Williamson’s Reef]

Another vote foxface. They are a great utility fish.

 

[Onthefly]

You could try pitho crabs or a foxface.

Another vote foxface. They are a great utility fish.

Thanks....was looking at FF. Every site throws the "caution" disclaimer for "reef safe"....they might nip at SPS & LPS.

Anyone had a negative experience?

 

[CoralB]

Fox face rabbit !!! Tried the rest the foxface was the best !!! . And he cleared it out in a week. Just be careful as they have poisonous spines for protection !!!

 

[Waters]

Thanks....was looking at FF. Every site throws the "caution" disclaimer for "reef safe"....they might nip at SPS & LPS.

Anyone had a negative experience?

Yeah they can be a gamble. I have had to remove one in the past due to coral picking.....I have also had a few that are completely fine (including my current one).

 

[HB AL]

When I had a gold spot rabbit fish and blonde naso they would eat every bubble they could get to, then I would hold corals or rocks I could get to turning them upside down and they would eat the bubbles they couldn't access. Now my Clown trigger and Assasi trigger would do the same thing and I havnt seen a bubble in over a year.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Use vibrant, it works good for bubble algae.

 

[Williamson’s Reef]

When I had a gold spot rabbit fish and blonde naso they would eat every bubble they could get to, then I would hold corals or rocks I could get to turning them upside down and they would eat the bubbles they couldn't access. Now my Clown trigger and Assasi trigger would do the same thing and I havnt seen a bubble in over a year.

That’s how my tangs are. They fight over it.. lol.

 

[Gtinnel]

I have a foxface and he is a model citizen never even looking at corals, unfortunately he also doesn’t eat bubble algae.

I don’t know how true it is but I’ve always heard foxface are more likely to nip at corals when they get older.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

Use vibrant, it works good for bubble algae.

No. Do not support underwater creations for lying to the public that vibrant is bacteria. It is chemically identical to AlgaeFix by API and they charge 4x the cost for it.

There is a case to me made for using AlgaeFix if other removal options fail since both have a pretty decent track record of removing bubble without damaging corals.

 

[Onixom]

I used a foxface to start with and he slowly picked at it to begin with.
I then wanted a "Display" fish something to pop when you walk past, went to rhe LFS and walked out with a small/medium Sailfin Tang and he just went ape **** with the BA with the foxface it took 2-3 months but it was very visible when he started but on that note i did have alot of BA (the whole rock work and gravel was covered).

 

[Onthefly]

Use vibrant, it works good for bubble algae.

Not worth the risk......

 

[Onthefly]

I used a foxface to start with and he slowly picked at it to begin with.
I then wanted a "Display" fish something to pop when you walk past, went to rhe LFS and walked out with a small/medium Sailfin Tang and he just went ape **** with the BA with the foxface it took 2-3 months but it was very visible when he started but on that note i did have alot of BA (the whole rock work and gravel was covered).

Sailfin eh....Tanks a bit small for an adult, but maybe a juvenile.

 

[areefer01]

Foxface can get sort of large - so you need to factor that in if you want a large fish.
Foxface are hit or miss for bubble algae - mine didn't touch it but a model citizen for corals /shrug
Pithos crabs - never owned them but know a few reefers who swear by them. Would be worth a try
Emeralds - I always keep in the display and have great luck but understand you didn't - so won't recommend those.

TL; DR - pithos seem like a safe bet. Also what you are already doing by manual removal. Don't worry about popping them off and releasing spores - that is nonsense. Manual remove what you can.

All the best!

 

[Joe31415]

Foxface can get sort of large - so you need to factor that in if you want a large fish.

That's the problem I have. Any time I've had algae issues (currently also dealing with bubble algae) people always suggest foxfaces or tangs. My 40g breeder can't support anything that large.
The only other (livestock) solution that I read about is emerald crabs and I'd prefer, at least at this point, not to risk the corals on the chance that an emerald crab will actually eat the algae.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

I would also do more emerald crabs. You need at least two in that size tank that want to munch on bubble algae and bubble is not food crack for emeralds. If given the choice they will take hair. I would get two more.

I would also use some GFO to starve out all algae and get the emeralds hungry. This will convince them to go after the bubble until it's eradicated. This will temporarily slow coral growth, but you can let your phosphate creep back up to 0.02 as soon as it's gone and bring it back to normal.

AlgaeFix is a small risk, but does work if you hit your wits end and other methods fail. I used it in the vibrant bottle before we knew it was AlgaeFix and it did eliminate my bubble algae without harming my corals. I had euphyllia, yellow tubinaria, acros, zoas, mushrooms, and montipora at the time.

 

[BanjoBandito]

Use vibrant, it works good for bubble algae.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Not worth the risk......

No. Do not support underwater creations for lying to the public that vibrant is bacteria. It is chemically identical to AlgaeFix by API and they charge 4x the cost for it.

There is a case to me made for using AlgaeFix if other removal options fail since both have a pretty decent track record of removing bubble without damaging corals.

Lol I did it for the reaction.. but if you have bubble algae exploding, your system is making it explode, I have the occasional bubble algae pop up because it came in on the live rock, but it has such a hard time reproducing in my system, so does any algae the only algae that can start is on the glass, so bubble algae is only bad if your system makes it bad... thats my opinion, and I've used vibrant before with no issues, I didn't use it for the "bacteria " I used it because they said it gets rid of algae including bubble, but this was also 5-6 years ago with a poor system and algae everywhere. I wouldn't use it in my systems now and that was a joke @ first and what use to be the answer given out not to long ago......

 

[areefer01]

That's the problem I have. Any time I've had algae issues (currently also dealing with bubble algae) people always suggest foxfaces or tangs. My 40g breeder can't support anything that large.
The only other (livestock) solution that I read about is emerald crabs and I'd prefer, at least at this point, not to risk the corals on the chance that an emerald crab will actually eat the algae.

Yeah - I hear you with the fish. I wasn't going down any road of size, limits, etc. I was just noting that it can be a larger fish in case you are not aware or want one. Some like smaller fish, some larger, etc. Hope you didn't take it that way and sorry if it seemed like that was my direction.

Here is the details on the pitho crab in case you have not seen it.

Pitho Crab

Resides : Rocks and horizontal surfaces Consumes : Hair Algae, Complex Macroalgae and Turf Algae Max Size (Carapace): Males 1.25 or 30mm - Females 1.5 or 40mm Origin :...

www.reefcleaners.org