Bubble algae STILL

Briguy350 · May 6, 2013

Ive been fighting this bubble algae all winter and can't get rid of it. I think it came in on frag that I must of missed. Bought a bunch at once inspected a few real good but it must have slipped through. So, tank is 75g with 20L sump with skimmer and live rock only. I have 6 fish total and only feed them about a cube a day. Trying not to over feed. I run 5 T5 10 hours a day. I vodka dose around 2ml a day and have been for months. Nitrates are pretty much none existent. Phosphates don't know don't have Hanna checker to measure. I have no other algae problems (hair, cayno, etc.) ive tried a few emerald crabs and the won't touch it. I can not take rock out and scrub because to many corals are encrusted on the rocks. I don't know why it keeps spreading and I don't know what to do. Thinking rabbit fish or sailfin tang but heard it can be a hit or miss. It's just getting worse and really ruining my tank. Help!

mainereefer · May 6, 2013

foxface will eat it so will mathrix crabs but if a bubble gets poped it will spread millions of spores just making the problem worse

do you have a uv filter?

Briguy350 · May 6, 2013

No UV, no carbon or gfo. Can't run gfo while vodka dosing is what I've heard. Water has never been clearer since vodka dosing and sps are all very happy. I just can't find the source of what's feeding my tank the nutrients for it to continue to grow.

mike007 · May 6, 2013

They grow well under various lighting intensities and even do exceptionally well in aquariums with very low bulk water nutrients. You will have to try and maually remove them being carefull not to break them. Also you can run carbon while dosing.

Briguy350 · May 6, 2013

But will carbon help with phosphates? I thought that's why people run GFO. I can only manually remove some which I do during water changes but corals are to encrusted to take rocks out.

kindler19 · May 6, 2013

Emerald crabs will eat it. If you can have them depending on your tank inhabitants.

bct15 · May 6, 2013

My yellow tang eats anything and eveything green...

What are your nitrates and phosphates?

What kind of food do you feed and how often?

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Briguy350 · May 6, 2013

API test kits reading 0 Nitrates. Just did one real quick. I don't have an accurate Phosphate test. I feed frozen cubes of mysis and brine 1-2 cubes a day. Usually just 1. Like I said my emarelds aren't touching the stuff, rock ain't coming out to scrub so looking for other options.

Briguy350 · May 6, 2013

Sailfin? Rabbit fish? Anybody have any experience with either of these two. I'd prefer a sailfin a lot prettier IMO.

jcdeng · May 6, 2013

my emerald, purple tang eats them, but they would spread the the spores. Best is to remove them or try dosing H202.

amppdx · May 6, 2013

I'm in a similar boat. No measured nitrates or phosphates and no other algae issues. I dont dose vodka or run GFO/carbon, but I do have an algae turf scrubber. The tank is a 29 with a 10g sump. I feed pretty heavy though and have lots of mushroom corals and Z/P's to eat up nutrients. I have good luck with my emerald, it will actually eat the bubble that forms on the baserock, but he doesnt venture up to the frag racks (I have a double decker on the back wall and a small one high on each side) and it will build up on the egg crate and around the overflow box.

I stick with manual extraction...very gently rock it around with fingers or tweezers and 95% will break off pretty easily. Not sure I buy the "loaded with sopores" arguement, because whatever inverts would eat it will be popping the bubbles too and wouldnt that cause a "massive outbreak"? I do avoid breaking it though because the clusters come off easier when they are whole.

Briguy350 · May 6, 2013

I'd add a bunch more emeralds but I caught one eating my flower pot coral. Thing is I couldn't tell if he was eating the coral or cleaning the skeleton. I moved the frag away from the crab and today it was open but I couldnt tell if any of the coral was actually missing. I also have a favia that somebody was picking at. I don't know if it was the crabs or a pep shrimp that I've seen pulling polys right out of my pocci coral in the past. Sneaking little S.O.B.