New tank algae issues - need a good algae eater

[Scottmac]

Hello,

I recently set up a new marine tank and a couple months in I experienced the double whammy of algae bloom and bacterial bloom. Yesterday I purchased a UV filter and overnight its cleared up the water, another day and it will be crystal clarity, but now I am left with the algae that covered my walls and rocks.

My clean up crew (1 tux urchin, 1 emerald crab, 4 Bumble Bee Snail, 4 Banded Trochus Turbo Snails & 4 red legged hermits) are busy doing a good job cleaning the rock and sand, but none of them are going up the sides of the glass...(its the regular green algae, not the brown or purple type.)

My background in the hobby before now has been all fresh water tropical and there are tonnes of species of catfish (suckers and plecs for example) that do the job of algae eating very well, but I am looking for a marine equivalent.

So can anyone please recommend what is the best algae eater(s) that is active on glass sides? Ideally I want something that will do the job but won't then starve without algae.

Also, do you guys tend on leaving the rear to get algae covered for vegetation food?

Thanks

Scott

 

[leepink23]

Hello,

I recently set up a new marine tank and a couple months in I experienced the double whammy of algae bloom and bacterial bloom. Yesterday I purchased a UV filter and overnight its cleared up the water, another day and it will be crystal clarity, but now I am left with the algae that covered my walls and rocks.

My clean up crew (1 tux urchin, 1 emerald crab, 4 Bumble Bee Snail, 4 Banded Trochus Turbo Snails & 4 red legged hermits) are busy doing a good job cleaning the rock and sand, but none of them are going up the sides of the glass...(its the regular green algae, not the brown or purple type.)

My background in the hobby before now has been all fresh water tropical and there are tonnes of species of catfish (suckers and plecs for example) that do the job of algae eating very well, but I am looking for a marine equivalent.

So can anyone please recommend what is the best algae eater(s) that is active on glass sides? Ideally I want something that will do the job but won't then starve without algae.

Also, do you guys tend on leaving the rear to get algae covered for vegetation food?

Thanks

Scott

My turbo and astrea snails stay on the glass, you may just need more of them. Also depending on the size of your tank, a tomini tang loves cleaning algae on the glass.

 

[Dan_P]

Hello,

I recently set up a new marine tank and a couple months in I experienced the double whammy of algae bloom and bacterial bloom. Yesterday I purchased a UV filter and overnight its cleared up the water, another day and it will be crystal clarity, but now I am left with the algae that covered my walls and rocks.

My clean up crew (1 tux urchin, 1 emerald crab, 4 Bumble Bee Snail, 4 Banded Trochus Turbo Snails & 4 red legged hermits) are busy doing a good job cleaning the rock and sand, but none of them are going up the sides of the glass...(its the regular green algae, not the brown or purple type.)

My background in the hobby before now has been all fresh water tropical and there are tonnes of species of catfish (suckers and plecs for example) that do the job of algae eating very well, but I am looking for a marine equivalent.

So can anyone please recommend what is the best algae eater(s) that is active on glass sides? Ideally I want something that will do the job but won't then starve without algae.

Also, do you guys tend on leaving the rear to get algae covered for vegetation food?

Thanks

Scott

Mexican turbos are large snails with large appetites. They can push things around that are not anchored. I bought 15 for a 75 gallon aquarium which was a bit too much. Anyway, glass and rooks are absolutely clean. Downside, I have to feed them because the aquarium surfaces are stripped bare.

 

[Scottmac]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, I will purchase a few more Turbos. Would you say they are the best algae eating snails for tank sides?

Scott

 

[leepink23]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, I will purchase a few more Turbos. Would you say they are the best algae eating snails for tank sides?

Scott

I think so, you will still have to clean your glass but they will help, I had to scrub my rocks down some because they didn’t want the y’all hair algae, but after that they did a good job cleaning.

 

[Dan_P]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, I will purchase a few more Turbos. Would you say they are the best algae eating snails for tank sides?

Scott

I never compared the abilities of all the CUC creatures that eat algae. I can only report what they did in my aquarium which was to eat every type of algae until the rocks were spotless. I have come across posts that related that their Mexican turbos were not as ravenous as I have observed.

Buy a few and see what happens.