Ideas for ridding tank of bubble algae?

[Surfandturf]

So I am having a problem. Its not severe yet, but I certainly do not want it to become that way. About 1 month ago I noticed that I had 3 little bubble aglaes growing in a clump. I used a scalpel and a siphon and removed them. Well, I guess that didn't stop all of the spores. I went to one of the lfs and got some of the phosguard and tossed it in with the carbon. The guy there said that the algae would eventually detach and be sucked up into my mechanical filtration.

Flash forward to now, there are a lot more patches of bubble algae and now some hair algae. The hair algae grew on one of my zoa frags and started to kill 2 polyps.

Here is what i am changing. I am doing an additional 10% water change per week. One on Wednesday and one on Sunday. Wednesday is new. I am totally cutting out frozen food for corals. I will just use coral frenzy and direct feed. My clown refuses to eat pellet food, I know this sounds bad but I will cut his feedings down until he accepts the small pellets. He is just a little guy, but i know he can swallow the pellets.

2 issues: I feed my nem frozen mysis. This could dirty my tank and add unnecessary nutrients. My yank is exposed to natural sunlight. Not directly, but its there for 3 hours per day.

Is there an additive that I can put into the tank chemical wise? I hate to add it but dont want this algae to overrun my system. I use distilled water in my auto topoff system currently. Could that be an issue?

Its hard to see the algae growth but if you look at the pinkish orangish zoas, you can see the clsed polyp and discoloration on the frag.

 

[brandon429]

the rasping method cannot be beaten for valonia treatment.

 

[brandon429]

http://reef2reef.com/threads/5-new-...be-cured-using-a-rasp-and-a-test-rock.257862/

replace the word bry or bryopsis with valonia all applies just the same in that thread.

If you treat the water, or add an animal, or do everything shy of the only known cure then action X might or might not work, easiest way to see valonia. Depends on if you want it gone or want to try least work mode, but both options exist. It is among the top three invaders that can irreversibly wreck your tank, per searchable threads. In many cases id rather have a hefty invasion of dinos vs a small invasion of valonia set into rocks

if you want it gone ive already cured my tank twice of it within one hour using the method above at two different times (adding frags or substrates wo quarantine is the cause of valonia issues)

the most common and indirect/variable outcome methods are:
using crabs to eat it
using an ats scrubber to hopefully starve it out, they're claimed to beat every known invader in reefing that one could encounter.
using GFO and or nutrient starving to try and oust them
water dosing with peroxide or Kent has worked for some.
certain fish w eat them, tangs do

 

[Surfandturf]

Brandon, you always come through for me! I will keep you updated!

 

[brandon429]

thanks tons we all have our fav approaches and that scraping dental move is my latest bandwagon that has been saving my tiny old pico reef from dooom

 

[mcarroll]

I would cease feeding everything but your fish and the problem will almost certainly go away.

I would wager that your anemone will be able to get by with either no feedings or very minimal feedings compared to what you were doing now. Remember they are not dependent on eating chunky foods – they merely can eat chunky foods. They can get by very well off of photosynthesis and dissolved nutrients and poop in the water just like your corals can.

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

Yup. as long as anemones have a healthy supply of zoox, they don't need to be fed any additional food.

 

[brandon429]

http://reef2reef.com/threads/bubble-algae-invading-my-tank-very-discouraging.205096/page-3


the variability of this invader is amazing. for the lucky ones that come and go a full loss sounds like someone was just leaving out the easiest possible option, but the real trick about this and any other invader in reefing is how much can you see into one tiny, single vacuole hanging off the side of a plug? if you look deep, then step back and look at your tank non invaded, then read above, then look at the vacuole again, you should see a tiny reflection of doom trying to warn ya heh in the bubbles green tiny reflection. Without thorough immediate and verified action, results vary~

by insanely scraping my rock as the whole reef is sitting on the counter in the wind getting cold, I likely was only dealing with the casual types of invasions going off stats only that would have subsided on its own over time. ill never know if it was that type which would have saved me all the work <-----every problem algae invasion tank on the internet didn't get that joke. literally every one of them, self farmed on purpose via hesitation...ouch...all that $$ and time
le attack~

 

[Surfandturf]

So the algae that was present on the stoma is gone, but one of the polyps is still partially closed with a blackish discoloration. Another head that is close to the problem head is also developing the discoloration.
I feel like dipping the frag but am unsure because there are 8 heads that are doing great. I am worried that whatever this is, is spreading though. Any advise?

 

[brandon429]

id like to see pics before a dip, ive never had to dip a coral in all my time of internal tank algae wars. what if they are just irritated due to our works, curious to see pics of that coral

 

[Surfandturf]

 

[Surfandturf]

 

[DLuce510]

How old is your tank?

 

[Surfandturf]

About 1 year

 

[Surfandturf]

Full tank pic if that helps to see overall health.

 

[Surfandturf]

I moved some stuff around a little since this pic. The anemone was ticking everything off

 

[DLuce510]

Some times systems just go through periods where certain things are more dominate than others. I think about a year into my system some bubble already came up. It's definitely not the end of the world. I've had nutrient starved tanks and it has done nothing but starve corals. You can do what ever you want but my experience has been carbon, GFO, feeding less, more water changes, never solved my problem.
I never let it get out of hand and I'll physically take it out by but really it's natural. Saltwater + light + any kind of nutrients will equal some kind of natural algae.

 

[Surfandturf]

Good point

 

[brandon429]

I would not dip those. any incidental losses that cannot withstand surface picking/cleaning of the holdfast valonia didn't make it via darwins description. that's not an infection, no dips imo. ive never personally seen a coral that couldn't withstand some poking around, but my feeding and nutrients are 10 years set in the same vase as well and that consistency matters. I do not need any form of filtration or GFO or any nutrient tests of any kind, don't even know what my nitrate and po4 are, because they have nothing to do with being algae free. The amount of time I spend working on algae is fifteen total minutes every five years.

my corals are fed well, the tank is exported massively w big water changes often, not seldom, and any coral is growing and having to be cut out with pliars they are not just neutral biomass. that condition alone prevents all dip needs given good quarantine for new additions.

your tank has massive potential. target feed every one of those, don't just broadcast feed into the water. always take time to shoot food galore over one lucky coral, moving on to the next, every feeding time and let the wastes spill out into the tank. that's bare bottom, so use that style in your favor. you'd be able to feed better than I do, my sandbed is a stinky waste trap I just change the water before things have time to settle.

 

[tankstudy]

Some times systems just go through periods where certain things are more dominate than others. I think about a year into my system some bubble already came up. It's definitely not the end of the world. I've had nutrient starved tanks and it has done nothing but starve corals. You can do what ever you want but my experience has been carbon, GFO, feeding less, more water changes, never solved my problem.
I never let it get out of hand and I'll physically take it out by but really it's natural. Saltwater + light + any kind of nutrients will equal some kind of natural algae.

After a few years, I am also experiencing the same thing. Carbon, GFO, feeding less and more water changes never make the algae go away. I've learned to accept that some algae is going to exist in my tank at all times. I just do some lawn work on the algae once in a while to keep it from getting too crazy.