How do you handle bubble algae!

[Mark75]

My rock is being covered with bubble algae. It is small right now and difficult to pick off. I need a wide spread removal idea. It is not a spot of bubble algae,..75% coverage of all rock with BB sized bubble algae.

 

[hawkinsrgk]

Following would like to know as well

 

[MPH2]

Emerald crabs supposedly do a good job getting rid of it

 

[millertyler22]

Emerald crabs work but they also pop the bubbles which helps it spread even more. If it were my tank I would remove Rick over time and dip in h2o2

 

[Pete polyp]

Throw some female emerald crabs in there. They will eventually rid the tank.

 

[CastAway]

Just my two cents as a relatively new reefer.

Because of its nature to apparently release gamates when broken, and it's very firm grip on rock which cause it to remain and grow back, I really wonder if the only way to deal with it is to starve it.

The only success I be seen myself is when I started dosing vodka, and really began to reduce my nutrients. I'm not saying use vodka, but, like any plant, they eat.

I don't think it's possible to ever eliminate it altogether. My hippo will eat dislodged pieces. My emeralds must have more and better things to eat, cause I've never seen them touch it.

We'll see what the experts say....

(Awesome to meet you and yours btw!)

 

[haninja]

Any fish from the foxface family will nibble on them. I don't think you can completely remove bubble algae unless you remove the rock and nuke it. But the foxface will at least be able to control it from spreading.

 

[cee]

I've also had luck with a foxface but think they are hit-and-miss (like most fish for a particular job). I think if you find the correct emerald crabs they will work as well. In your situation you're likely going to have to remove it mechanically, preferably outside the tank, and then use a herbivore to keep it in check.

 

[markak]

I have a wooden dowel with a small nail at the end. I try to dislodge it without popping it, then it will float, then catch it in a net. As soon as I see one I take care of it right away, So it doesn't get out of control. I use to see a quite a lot here and there, now there are a few once in a while. I had no luck with emerald crabs.

 

[hejjo]

I'm a bubble algae farmer these days. [emoji28]

 

[Mark75]

This is the worst I have had or even seen! I have had it in the past in different tanks and it would be a couple of spots with 4-5 bubbles the size of a small grape, I would just "pluck" them out and sometime they would even go away with time. This case is weird, very small bubbles covering most of the rock surface in a mat like structure that did not appear in a small spot, it appear everywhere at once. I would estimate, before my wife and I spent the better part of the morning scraping it off, there where more than 200,000 small bubbles covering the rock. Most bubbles less than 1.0mm with some as big as 3.0mm. We removed a sandwich baggie full of these micro bubbles digging them off the rock with our finger nails and I would guess there is another sandwich baggie full to be removed.

Many people claim nutrient control and light reduction does nothing to control bubble algae, I agree with it growing with out light because it grows fastest on the underside of rocks. I also have undetectable Nitrate levels and my Phosphate is .009, so maybe it does grow without a food source?

 

[CastAway]

I believe bubble algae might rely to some extent on bound phosphates on the rock surface, i.e., not measurable. Not sure though.

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

Well what I have done in the past is add in emerald crabs. Remove the rocks that can be removed and scrub them real good. Put them back in. After a rinse on course. I would have to look it up but I believe a concentrated lugols dip would kill it.off .

 

[BlueDevil]

I had dealt with a bubble algae problem several years back and honestly, the only thing that really got rid of them completely was me taking all the affected rocks out of the tank, and scrubbing them with thoroughly with a metal bristled brush. I did this in a tub of salt water so as to not 'kill' the rock. I them rinsed several times (once again in SW) and then put the rocks back in tank. This is certainly a very time/labor intensive task. I tried emerald crabs and they did nothing for me.

If you only had a few bubbles, there is another way you go take those out. This is a two-person task though. One person holds and directs the water draining hose while the other person with tweezers picks off the bubbles. You need to, as far as possible, pull them off from their base stalk. This method obviously won't work for you due to sheer number of bubbles you have.

Honestly, the only sure fire way I can suggest would be to take the rocks out and scrub them down real good.

Whatever you do, do not try to scrape them off in the tank unless you have a hose sucks everything up in the immediate vicinity. Letting the bubbles (and their goo) swim around will only spread the spores and exacerbate your problem.

Good luck!

 

[Mark75]

We removed a lot of them yesterday in the tank. I considered removing the rock and scrubbing but wasn't sure I could keep them from coming back. I am going to manually remove them for a while and hope they "burn" out on there own. There is obviously something feeding them that can't last forever.

 

[KingTriton]

There is no way to eradicate bubble algae imo.

 

[millertyler22]

If u can remover ur rock piece by piece sock them in hydrogen peroxide... 3% the kind u can buy at dollar store or wear ever it worked for me

 

[BradB]

They are easier to remove and better looking than most algae. Would you rather have more of the hard-to-scrape green film? You will have the same amount algae no matter what (determined by nitrates and phosphates), only the form varies. I am glad I have bubbles.

 

[twilliard]

As stated.. peroxide

 

[ermartin]

Emerald crabs have always done the job for me. I had a major outbreak and they were all but gone in a matter of days