The Ugly Stage - How to win

[Lavey29]

A tank your size needs about 25 snails of different varieties, 8 hermits, 2 tuxedo urchins to establish a consistent cleaner crew to help with ugly phases.

 

[Sdoutreefer]

A tank your size needs about 25 snails of different varieties, 8 hermits, 2 tuxedo urchins to establish a consistent cleaner crew to help with ugly phases.

Good thing I’ve got 5 trochus snails, 5 ceriths, 5 blue legs, 5 Mexican scarlets and my big white foot trochus.

 

[PharmrJohn]

When I launch my tank next year, I'm gonna dose MB7 and ghost feed. I'll manage nutrient export via the skimmer and water changes. I'll increase/decrease the amount of food I toss in there until I find my balance. After a few months, I'll start adding utilitarian fish geared towards algae eater and a good CUC. After another month or so, lights go on. By that time, the fish will take care of any new growth that the bacteria don't crowd out in the first place. Together with good flow and no dead spots I'm aiming at avoiding the ugly phase altogether.

 

[Sdoutreefer]

When I launch my tank next year, I'm gonna dose MB7 and ghost feed. I'll manage nutrient export via the skimmer and water changes. I'll increase/decrease the amount of food I toss in there until I find my balance. After a few months, I'll start adding utilitarian fish geared towards algae eater and a good CUC. After another month or so, lights go on. By that time, the fish will take care of any new growth that the bacteria don't crowd out in the first place. Together with good flow and no dead spots I'm aiming at avoiding the ugly phase altogether.

That sounds like a super good approach, actually.

 

[Lavey29]

Good thing I’ve got 5 trochus snails, 5 ceriths, 5 blue legs, 5 Mexican scarlets and my big white foot trochus.

That's a good start

 

[BrokenReefer]

Mexican turbo snails and/or tuxedo urchins. Those helped me out big time.

 

[Lavey29]

Mexican turbo snails and/or tuxedo urchins. Those helped me out big time.

And daily manual removal

 

[Sdoutreefer]

And daily manual removal

I’m interested in a tuxedo urchin. I just need to see what happens with this white foot trochus. I don’t want to have any die off of my CUC. Oh, I also have 3 nassarius snails… pretty sure they’re worthless lol.

Really hoping to be able to get another 5 blue legs soon, assuming my LFS gets a shipment in soon.

 

[Lavey29]

I’m interested in a tuxedo urchin. I just need to see what happens with this white foot trochus. I don’t want to have any die off of my CUC. Oh, I also have 3 nassarius snails… pretty sure they’re worthless lol.

Really hoping to be able to get another 5 blue legs soon, assuming my LFS gets a shipment in soon.

I've had 3 tuxedo urchins in my tank since it was new 3.5 years now. They are an integral part of the cleaner crew.

 

[bakbay]

I have 3 tuxedos, 30 large turbos, 50+ margaritas but still not enough on the 450g. Need to buy more tuxedos - works wonders!

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Manually remove what you cam and just be patient. Alternatively, Ill mix up a special batch of anti algae-bacteria infused-triple strength elexir for $99.95 just for you and if it doesn't seem to have any effect, you dosed it wrong.

(My first sentence is my honest opinion.)

 

[BrokenReefer]

And daily manual removal

FWIW - I never did manual removal, just let nature do its thing. I wasn’t, and still aren’t, concerned about algae growth in my system. Everything has a purpose and the goal is a diverse biotope.

 

[Lavey29]

FWIW - I never did manual removal, just let nature do its thing. I wasn’t, and still aren’t, concerned about algae growth in my system. Everything has a purpose and the goal is a diverse biotope.

I do agree with this concept however with stuff like GHA if it gets to long the cleaners can't attack it unless you got big tangs. Pulling the long stuff allows cleaners to get ahead of the problem and I do agree with you algae is part of an overall healthy tank ecosystem also.

 

[Sdoutreefer]

I wanted to post some photos of the algae I’ve got going on. Almost looks like I’ve got a couple different kinds growing.

Can anyone ID this?

 

[Sdoutreefer]

2 of my 4 previous tanks lasted about 10-12 months. My current system is about 2.5-3 months old, and I entered the ugly stage pretty early. I’d say around week 4 is when I got the heavy green on my rock. About 2 weeks after that, the heavy green turned a bit slimy, but at the same time I started having coralline patches pop up (super early for a tank. I was blown away). A week ago, I got back from vacation to an algae ridden tank. My coralline colonies are still growing and have developed quite a bit more, but the algae is pretty dominant. Who knows how long it will take. It seems every tank is different.

Here’s where my tank is as of this afternoon.

 

[goosemans]

I’m not an algae expert by any means, but from those pictures my first guess would be bryopsis.

Reef Cleaners

A good guide to identify most of the nuisance algae that plagues the hobby. Complete with pictures and suggested treatments

www.reefcleaners.org

 

[Sdoutreefer]

I’m not an algae expert by any means, but from those pictures my first guess would be bryopsis.

Reef Cleaners

A good guide to identify most of the nuisance algae that plagues the hobby. Complete with pictures and suggested treatments

www.reefcleaners.org

How dare you let those words leave your mouth! I really hope you’re wrong lol.

There’s definetly hair algae. But the longer, thicker ones, not too sure what it is.

 

[Sdoutreefer]

Gonna go ahead and give this a bump… can anyone ID the algae I’ve got going on? Goose has me paranoid now.

 

[vetteguy53081]

2 of my 4 previous tanks lasted about 10-12 months. My current system is about 2.5-3 months old, and I entered the ugly stage pretty early. I’d say around week 4 is when I got the heavy green on my rock. About 2 weeks after that, the heavy green turned a bit slimy, but at the same time I started having coralline patches pop up (super early for a tank. I was blown away). A week ago, I got back from vacation to an algae ridden tank. My coralline colonies are still growing and have developed quite a bit more, but the algae is pretty dominant. Who knows how long it will take. It seems every tank is different.

Here’s where my tank is as of this afternoon.

You have hair and wire algae growing. Seeing no coral on this rock, I would place it in a container of tank water and pull off as much as you can by hand and scrub the rest with a firm toothbrush and some 3% hydrogen peroxide.
Return to tank, reduce white light intensity and number of hours of white lighting and add some snails such as :
Astrea
cerith
turbo grazer
trochus

A Pencil urchin

8-10 Caribbean blue leg hermits

Are you using RODI water or tap water from the faucet ?
What is your phosphate level?
Is tank at or near a window?

 

[Dan_P]

Figured I would share some pictures of the algae, just to confirm it is GHA and not something nasty…

Healthy green algae is green. There seems to be a rather more complex collection of colors and filaments covering the rocks. Overall impression is a sickly algae growth that might not be appetizing. The pale filaments could be starving. The bright green areas might be cyanobacteria, but focus not good enough to tell.