reefdude

I have a two part question for anyone who may have an answer for me:
1) What is the best SW invert or SW fish to help control the growth of green algae on live rock?
2) does the green algae on live rock inhibit the coralline algae from growing?

Thanks!!!

One at a time please.....


I merged your threads! Thanks
Ken

au01st

There are several tangs that are good at keeping algae short if your tank is big enough for one, like a Kole or Yellow. You should address the root of the problem, though. Hair algae is an indication of excess nitrates and/or phosphates. Try running Grannular Ferric Oxide or something similar in your sump.

Algaes will compete with each other, so yes, it could be taking up valuable real estate that could be covered in coraline.

reefdude

I did a partial change 2 days ago because the nitrates were at 12.5, it was on it's first cycle. I think it's ready to go now though. I tested the nitrates this am and it was at 0 along with ammonia and nitrites. Unfortunately, I only have a 34 gal so too small for a tang. Thanks for the tip!

au01st

Lawnmower Blennies can also be useful in controlling algae. It's thought they eat small pods in the algae, and tear up the algae in the process.

Hypnox

GHA lives off more than just nitrates. Watch your phosphates as well and also your total disolved solids in your water. All 3 are culprits of GHA growth. However, a tank that has a little of each is actually healthier as many aquarists note that corals do not seem as vibrant or healthy in an environment with absolutely 0 nitrates, phosphates and TDS.

ATP

-Reduce your feeding to once a day or once every few days.

-Make sure your filtration is good - make sure you have an algae something to fight the GHA for example cheatos are really good.

-Reduce your lighting time. Algae requires light to grow. (Only reduce it by 2 hours)

-Good clean up crew (Emerald crabs usually eats the algae that's starting to grow.

-make sure your nitrates phosphates is low. (0)

-Find the source and eliminate it.

-Weekly water changes

-Remove them with your hand or with and airline tube (siphon) once a week.

-yellow tang eats them, but foxface rabbitfish eats them every minute non stop (mine does). My yellow tang only eats nori. One time it was so thin, you could see it's stomach outlines (when purchased) and it still refuses to eat GHA.

_____________________________________

I recommend you get rid of it fast. I've been fighting this algae for about a year now in my 125 and I removed %70 of it already. The algae was dying until one night my skimmer disconnected from the pump overnight so my water didn't get skimmed for about 10 hrs.

Oil_Fan

My yellow tang rarely touches the hair algae in my tank. That's not a real option for reefdude since his tank is 34 gallons. The last green emerald that I had was not reef safe though that's more hit and miss with them.

I agree with ATP on only feeding once a day. I tend to feed 5 or 6 days a week myself.

Mexican turbo snails will also sometime eat the stuff but they are total tanks and knock stuff over.

The only problem with water testing is that you could find you have 0 phosphates and nitrates as they're being totally consumed by the algae. It's a common problem.

Au01st is right about using GFO. Basically if you remove one of 3 things needed for algae, it can't survive. That being nitrates, phosphates and light.

ATP

ohh. it's a nano.

Don't get tangs or rabbit fish.

I had emerald crabs and the're fine in my 125 just make sure you don't put to much (probably just one or may two in your tank), but don't rely on animals to remove them. Fine the source.

I've read turbo snails usually causes rocks to collapse though, but I've never had actual experience with them personally.

bradisfun

make or get a algae scruber it will get rid of your algae probs also will greatley lower ignorant nitrate and ignorant phosate hear is a link to the thread Mega Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover - DIY!

mstevens

I agree with bradisfun with the algaescrubber. those things WORK. Before I built my scrubber, i took out all my rocks and scrubbed them with RO/di water and a clean brush. Then put some chaeto algae in my tank to prevent the hair algae from growing. chaeto is a cheap and easy solution.

ATP

I disagree with both of you.

You will need to fine the solution and remove it. Scrubbing it is temporary. I've also read scrubbing GHA on rocks will cause the algae to release all it's spores. Also, don't let it die. It will release nutrients and spores into rocks and waters. You will need to remove it by hand (not scrubbing) after you eliminate the problem.

Cheato and other macro algae will help, but it's meant to prevent GHA not stop it.

mstevens

I have tried eliminating nutrients from my tank, to no avail. Sure if I only feed 3 times a week my readings will be 0, but not very healthy for the fish or corals. I have tried everything under the sun and absorbing nutrients through a scrubber is the only way aside from water changes to eliminate excess nutrients. Heck, I dont even have mechanical filtration in my tank at all. I have a completely open sump to eliminate food getting trapped and rotting. If you can have 0 readings, and clean rocks without a fuge and limited water changes, I would like to know your secret.

On a side note, when i said scrubbing the rocks I meant taking them out of the tank and cleaning them with a brush in a seperate container, not in the tank. This is different from the algae scrubbing device that i mentioned earlier also.

Here is a link to some very helpfull info. give it a read.

http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/

ATP

Scrubbing it outside of the tank doesn't make much difference. It will release spore inside the rocks not in the water. My 125 gallon has been fighting this dumb algae for almost a year now. I have spent over 2,000 trying to remove it so it wouldn't grow back EVER.

Filtration:
70 gal Sump:
ETSS 800 Skimmer, Big Refugim with live sand, Live Rock, Cheato, Power heads. phosphate/ Nitrate Remover

Waterflow:
Vortech Mp40, Koralia 4

Live Rock:
Over 180 lb. of Live Rock

Filtrateion, Waterflow, Rocks are vital part to keep your water clean. A protein skimmer is a must (don't be cheap on skimmers). It removes nitrate and phosphates from your tank and a few other things. (basically it removes all the bad parameters that your corals and tank doesn't want, but it leaves the good ones alone.

Water flow has to be strong in a tank to prevent/ remove algae. It is very important to get very high water flow around your tank.

Live Rocks are one of the best filtration (IMO) before the skimmer.

Checking your nitrate phosphates when you have algae is useless. When you tested the water, all the nutrients are allready gone because the algae already took all of them.

Check out my 125 gal thread under saltwater pics. You could see some algae left, but that use to be filled with algae. A few corals died because of the algae.