Bubble Algae

Hallowhead · Oct 27, 2019

flsalty said:
Correct. There are no spores in bubble algae. It's a one celled organism that reproduces by cell division. A quick google search will confirm this (ignoring the incorrect posts in all the forums).

So how does it pop up all over the tank ?

Saltycrew · Nov 2, 2019

rvlcf said:
i can't find it, but I put Vibrant in the search and there are a lot of posts.

If you find the vibrant link please tag me as well

Thales · Nov 2, 2019

Hallowhead said:
So how does it pop up all over the tank ?

By reproducing, it is just that popping them will not release 'spores' because there are not 'spores' in the bubble.

Often if I have bubble algae, I just scrape em off and let them collect in a filter sock or on the intake of a powerhead, then remove them. Or I just scrape and pop making it easier for herbivores to eat the left over. I think many people are looking for a one time fix, and there really isn't such a thing

Hallowhead · Nov 3, 2019

Thales said:
By reproducing, it is just that popping them will not release 'spores' because there are not 'spores' in the bubble.

Often if I have bubble algae, I just scrape em off and let them collect in a filter sock or on the intake of a powerhead, then remove them. Or I just scrape and pop making it easier for herbivores to eat the left over. I think many people are looking for a one time fix, and there really isn't such a thing

I did this and now they're EVERYWHERE

Thales · Nov 3, 2019

Hallowhead said:
I did this and now they're EVERYWHERE

Bummer - what exactly did you do and how often and what herbivores do you have? Thanks!

hyprc · Nov 3, 2019

Another vote for vibrant. It takes months and months to work but it WORKS. Be consistent about dosing and ramp up to 2x a week over the course of a few months. Took my tank about 8 months of dosing but it wiped out every invasive algae I had, not just bubble. No negatives either other than keep an eye on your nutrients as they will drop.

Hallowhead · Nov 3, 2019

hyprc said:
Another vote for vibrant. It takes months and months to work but it WORKS. Be consistent about dosing and ramp up to 2x a week over the course of a few months. Took my tank about 8 months of dosing but it wiped out every invasive algae I had, not just bubble. No negatives either other than keep an eye on your nutrients as they will drop.

I have a low nutrient problem to begin so it's gonna be tough. I'm trying an emerald crab rn and I'm gonna try to pick at them less aggressively - I was picking with a knife and shiskabon stick and having direct siphon on top

hyprc · Nov 3, 2019

Hallowhead said:
I have a low nutrient problem to begin so it's gonna be tough. I'm trying an emerald crab rn and I'm gonna try to pick at them less aggressively - I was picking with a knife and shiskabon stick and having direct siphon on top

Dose what you lack (I'm assuming your tank is at least a year+ old). I have to dose nitrate daily to keep nutrients balanced. I was dosing nitrate and carbon dosing before, during, and after Vibrant treatment. It's just how I maintain my tank's balance. More common to see po4 dosing due to lack of po4 (I had the opposite problem). I wouldn't use some of the questionable products out there when companies like Brightwell and LoudWolf make products tested for impurities.

Hallowhead · Nov 3, 2019

hyprc said:
Dose what you lack (I'm assuming your tank is at least a year+ old). I have to dose nitrate daily to keep nutrients balanced. I was dosing nitrate and carbon dosing before, during, and after Vibrant treatment. It's just how I maintain my tank's balance. More common to see po4 dosing due to lack of po4 (I had the opposite problem). I wouldn't use some of the questionable products out there when companies like Brightwell and LoudWolf make products tested for impurities.

I heard it's ineffective to dose nitrate.. there are better ways to increase nitrates - dosing doesn't necessarily help out the ecosystem just registers on the scale

Thales · Nov 3, 2019

What herbivores do you have?
How big is the tank?

Thales · Nov 3, 2019

During the water changes are you removing the bubbles?

hyprc · Nov 3, 2019

Hallowhead said:
I heard it's ineffective to dose nitrate.. there are better ways to increase nitrates - dosing doesn't necessarily help out the ecosystem just registers on the scale

Lol. It's VERY effective if you have a deficiency. Follow me on insta if you don't believe me... or check the SPS forums.... I use LoudWolf Sodium Nitrate for over two years now, daily dose. You should feed often in small amounts as well but in my case, feeding small amounts 5 to 7 times a DAY wasn't enough to get detectable no3, so I started dosing and EVERYTHING was happier, acros stopped browning out and dying and actually started growing... never stopped.

Hallowhead · Nov 3, 2019

Thales said:
What herbivores do you have?
How big is the tank?

It's a 30 AIO I have nass snails / emerald crab / Mexican turbo / astrea

Hallowhead · Nov 3, 2019

Thales said:
During the water changes are you removing the bubbles?

I remove them - I'll be removing some today with my change

Hallowhead · Nov 3, 2019

hyprc said:
Lol. It's VERY effective if you have a deficiency. Follow me on insta if you don't believe me... or check the SPS forums.... I use LoudWolf Sodium Nitrate for over two years now, daily dose. You should feed often in small amounts as well but in my case, feeding small amounts 5 to 7 times a DAY wasn't enough to get detectable no3, so I started dosing and EVERYTHING was happier, acros stopped browning out and dying and actually started growing... never stopped.

I've considered it however less often water changes and going skimmer less have helped increase them naturally

hyprc · Nov 3, 2019

Hallowhead said:
I've considered it however less often water changes and going skimmer less have helped increase them naturally

Yea haven't done a water change in about 7 months. I tried the skimmer less thing for about 3 but the drop in pH was too significant.

Hallowhead · Nov 3, 2019

hyprc said:
Yea haven't done a water change in about 7 months. I tried the skimmer less thing for about 3 but the drop in pH was too significant.

I'm monitoring all parameters.. what do you think a good ph is?

Thales · Nov 3, 2019

Hallowhead said:
It's a 30 AIO I have nass snails / emerald crab / Mexican turbo / astrea

Gotcha. I would get a rabbit fish and do manual removal more often until you get ahead of it. Trying to control through nutrient manipulation seems to often not work.

Hallowhead · Nov 3, 2019

Thales said:
Gotcha. I would get a rabbit fish and do manual removal more often until you get ahead of it. Trying to control through nutrient manipulation seems to often not work.

That's why I got an emerald crab - gonna probably get another and than just manual remove with water changes

Sold4jc7 · Nov 3, 2019

Vibrant thread link

Vibrant Liquid Aquarium Cleaner * Discussion Thread

Hello Everyone, We had been asked to come on this forum and answer a few questions about Vibrant for a few users here in different threads. We thought it would be a good idea to start a discussion thread about Vibrant, how it was created, what is it, how it works, etc. Then there will be a...

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