Strange Blue Bubble things
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EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Oh, but the bubbles are filled with oxygen according to one genius on this thread!
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cherith
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Ok, so where do you find proven facts about these creatures, how to nurture them or how to extinguish them. Is there a manual, a textbook? I think I may have introduced the bubbles myself! I saw some cool red macro bubble algae a month or so ago that I loved and tried to keep in my tank. No way: turned white and died. I’m done with macronalgae, or I thought I was. That’s the last exotic addition to my tank I’ll try without thorough research beforehand—but where?
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EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Since this question was already answered quie eloquently by someone else, I'll let you read his comment/watch the video.
Thread 'Bubble algae spreads if you pop them. Yes or No?' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bubble-algae-spreads-if-you-pop-them-yes-or-no.962333/
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EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
And a post in that same thread elaborates on valonia reproduction:
Post in thread 'Bubble algae spreads if you pop them. Yes or No?' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/b...f-you-pop-them-yes-or-no.962333/post-10998241
Post in thread 'Bubble algae spreads if you pop them. Yes or No?' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/b...f-you-pop-them-yes-or-no.962333/post-10998241
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EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Interestingly, Derbesia (gha) can also form bubbles... I found this referenced in many places but this seems to be the most straightforward description (from https://jaljeev.com/species/derbesia/):
"What Do the Two Forms of Derbesia Look Like?
The sporophyte form of Derbesia is a branched structure that can grow up to 3 to 5 cm tall. It has a brush-like appearance and grows from rhizoidal siphons.
The gametophyte form, previously thought to be a separate genus called Halicystis, looks like a round or pear-shaped vesicle.
It can grow to over 3 cm in diameter and has a short, thin stalk that anchors it."
So, what some of us have may not in fact be Ventricaria ventricosa (formerly known as Valonia ventricosa), but a stage of GHA! Still, neither the Derbesia vesicles nor Ventricaria cells release spores
But it may help explain why inverts work on some "bubble algae" and not on others...
"What Do the Two Forms of Derbesia Look Like?
The sporophyte form of Derbesia is a branched structure that can grow up to 3 to 5 cm tall. It has a brush-like appearance and grows from rhizoidal siphons.
The gametophyte form, previously thought to be a separate genus called Halicystis, looks like a round or pear-shaped vesicle.
It can grow to over 3 cm in diameter and has a short, thin stalk that anchors it."
So, what some of us have may not in fact be Ventricaria ventricosa (formerly known as Valonia ventricosa), but a stage of GHA! Still, neither the Derbesia vesicles nor Ventricaria cells release spores
But it may help explain why inverts work on some "bubble algae" and not on others...
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cherith
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So is there nothing simple in aquarium husbandry? Nothing at all? How about that ammonia is bad for tank inhabitants?Interestingly, Derbesia (gha) can also form bubbles... I found this referenced in many places but this seems to be the most straightforward description (from https://jaljeev.com/species/derbesia/):
"What Do the Two Forms of Derbesia Look Like?
The sporophyte form of Derbesia is a branched structure that can grow up to 3 to 5 cm tall. It has a brush-like appearance and grows from rhizoidal siphons.
The gametophyte form, previously thought to be a separate genus called Halicystis, looks like a round or pear-shaped vesicle.
It can grow to over 3 cm in diameter and has a short, thin stalk that anchors it."
So, what some of us have may not in fact be Ventricaria ventricosa (formerly known as Valonia ventricosa), but a stage of GHA! Still, neither the Derbesia vesicles nor Ventricaria cells release spores
But it may help explain why inverts work on some "bubble algae" and not on others...
Thanks guys. You have been helpful to open my eyes to the vast volume of information I need to master,
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themcnertney
Valuable Member
Didnt think I'd cause such a stir by suggesting not to pop these guys. Had no clue that this theory of them spreading has nothing to do with popping and has been debunked.
As always a rule of thumb for as long as I can remember. If you see bubbles, carefully remove or pull them off the rock, dont pop them.
Its confusing. Quick google search...
Still if it were me, I'd remove them as best you can with out them popping
As always a rule of thumb for as long as I can remember. If you see bubbles, carefully remove or pull them off the rock, dont pop them.
Its confusing. Quick google search...
Still if it were me, I'd remove them as best you can with out them popping
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Welcome to the internet, home of lies and misconception with just enough fact thrown in to make it interesting.
What I do, at least here which is my only form of social media is click on members names and look through their post and maybe build thread or tank pics. I then try to use that information to decide if they are someone who seems knowledgeable and experienced and worthy of listening to. It's not perfect but can help weed out some of the people who are just repeating what they heard or read on the ever so trust worthy web and have no actual experience.
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SteveMM62Reef
Valuable Member
I taped a Table Knife onto Lee’s 3/8” Rigid Tubing, fitted onto my Sypon hose, sucked them up when I did water changes. Added Emerald Crabs to eat the Buds, and small Bubble Algae. From observation, they can’t eat the large Bubble Algae. Also I took some of the Rock over to the sink and picked off the Bubble Algae, a quick fresh water rinse and back into the tank.
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They are going to spread pretty quickly if you pop them, or not. Siphon them out if you can get something to eat them. In larger tanks, this is one algae that many tangs will eat, IME, but they cannot get to all of the hard-to-reach places, or even the medium-to-reach places. Emerald crabs from the Florida Keys crush them for me, but they cannot overcome a huge infestation. Emerald crabs are quite reef safe if you keep them fed and will eat a variety of algae - once the algae wanes, then some extra food floating around is a good idea since they cannot live on detritus.
There are actual scholarly articles on what is inside of a bubble algae bubble if you want to find them. Apparently, AI, which is just a search engine, cannot find them... but they are more reliable than whatever source that AI request used.
There are actual scholarly articles on what is inside of a bubble algae bubble if you want to find them. Apparently, AI, which is just a search engine, cannot find them... but they are more reliable than whatever source that AI request used.
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cherith
Community Member
Im thinking I’ll pop them with a siphon right on them—then I like your tooth brushing idea. There is no way they can be pulled off without popping. They are buried in the crevices and there is no access to their base other than through them. I’ll try to lift them with manicure tools, e.g., but I would never bet on successful removal by prying that way. I found a book that describes them, Valonia, green bubble algae, as a pest. The book suggests keeping a high PH and removal as the only means of control. The book is “Natural Reef Aquariums”, by Tullock, 2001. Kinda dated. One person recommended a chemical but I’m afraid of what that might do to the other creatures.Didnt think I'd cause such a stir by suggesting not to pop these guys. Had no clue that this theory of them spreading has nothing to do with popping and has been debunked.
As always a rule of thumb for as long as I can remember. If you see bubbles, carefully remove or pull them off the rock, dont pop them.
Its confusing. Quick google search...
Still if it were me, I'd remove them as best you can with out them popping
They are growing and spreading, for sure. Thanks all.
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cherith
Community Member
My Emerald crab was one of the first creatures I put in my tank 5 months ago. I’ve seen him about four times, max, since then. This bubble infestation is on my very top rock nearest the light. I’ve never seen the crab emerge from the rocks any higher than halfway up. The tank is only 16 gallons, mostly filled with rock.
AI is a search engine? I’ll have to look into that! I’m 76 years old, retired, and spend a lot of time dealing with the physical issues of old age! The computer world is speeding by me! I only started this tank to please my autistic grandson who is fixated on You Tube Reef tanks—so I can’t let him down! I’ll have to learn to make it as beautiful as the tanks on You Tube!
I’m very thankful to have found this enthusiastic, knowledgeable, community!
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You might need another emerald crab, or for you to help it out. They can only eat so much. I doubt that it will wander too high if it does not need to.
AI is not real intelligence. It is a search engine with a pretty good language wrapper to rewrite things. I was a software engineer for many years and this has been around for a while. This will be like self-driving cars of 3-4 years ago... remember when everybody thought that cars would be speeding around the world without people in them only to have it all wane as folks figured out that they were no substitute for humans? Real AI kills off humans, takes over the world or other things that you see in movies - even droids in shows like Star Wars are not true AI, but just programmed robots.
AI is not real intelligence. It is a search engine with a pretty good language wrapper to rewrite things. I was a software engineer for many years and this has been around for a while. This will be like self-driving cars of 3-4 years ago... remember when everybody thought that cars would be speeding around the world without people in them only to have it all wane as folks figured out that they were no substitute for humans? Real AI kills off humans, takes over the world or other things that you see in movies - even droids in shows like Star Wars are not true AI, but just programmed robots.
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vetteguy53081
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Agreeing this is buble algae, there are debates on whether there are spores or not. Video shows one side while many have not experienced issues. My approach is :
Take a small needle and have 3/8 tubing ready and attach to end of tubing with rubber band and pop each one and siphon at same time- You will have removed all spores and foreign material in area.
Had to do this in the past with birdsnest coral and was gone 100%.
Other option is to add pitho crabs or emerald crabs (which I do not trust) which will eat them
Take a small needle and have 3/8 tubing ready and attach to end of tubing with rubber band and pop each one and siphon at same time- You will have removed all spores and foreign material in area.
Had to do this in the past with birdsnest coral and was gone 100%.
Other option is to add pitho crabs or emerald crabs (which I do not trust) which will eat them
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cherith
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Well, I haven’t been worried about it, I figure if I eat my spinach and do my exercise I may get another 15 years—I doubt it can take over the world before that. I can’t imagine what programming is today! I studied Basic with my little kids in Berkeley Ca in 1984 when we got our first personal computer, an Apple IIe. I still have the bag to carry it in, but I lost the ability to keep up a few years after that. Growth was exponential! It’s all pretty mind-blowing.
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cherith
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Thank you BOYERZ! A really trustworthy source, citing trustworthy sources re the reproductive qualities of the stuff inside the bubbles of bubble algae: zero reproductive qualities in it. So I feel better about the fact I scraped all of mine that I could see. I scraped them at the head of my siphon, but many pieces still got away. I wasn’t too concerned about that because if they try to grow lower in my tank my emerald crab will get them. I’ve never seen him on top of the mountain like these bubbles were growing. I’ll watch for them now and pick them off with tweezers!
TOTALLY great video!
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