Coraline algea takeover!!!

B

bdgenz

I know it's a good sign.

The tank is 6 or so months old.

The back of the tank looks like its been painted 6 times over - OK, fine.

The sides are nearly the same.

I have to clean the front glass w/a razor blade to keep it in check at least weekly.

Now it's growing in my sump and Bak-Pac!

Can't scrape the Bak-Pac w/a razor and before to long I won't be able to see the cup depth.

Where it's growing in the sump is a PIA to scrape.

Rocks, pumps, tank, snails, hermits - jeesh!!! I like purple but this is getting rediculous.

I must have too much of something and it's not helping the splitting/shrinking anemones - but that's another post.

How can I get rid of this stuff???

TIA
 
Also, for just light clean up as opposed to the vinegar soak, you can scrape coraline pretty well off acrylic by using a credit card... (Man, those cards get a FULL workout in this hobby! :) )

I've bought most of the doo-dads and gadgets for scraping coraline off acrylic, and none of 'em can touch the ability of a credit card...
 
Too much coralline? Get more calcifying corals or clams if you have enough light to take up the excess alk and calcium.

I think you're just bragging. :lol:
 
I'll try the vinegar.

Are urchins compatable with:

zoanthids
star polyps
frogspawn
pulsing zenia
leather coral
green serpent
sally lightfoot
cleaner shrimp
sand sifting star
cucumber
bristle worm
lazy sand sifting goby
various snail types
clown
damsel
me

?

I'll assume hermits could care less about urchins.

How big should I buy? Seems like anything larger than a couple inches will be to big to clean up the coraline in those hard to get places.

One per ten gallons or what?

Thanks again
 
I have a lawnmower blenny that keeps mine in check. He does not eat it but he will break it off as a by product of his nipping and then it just floats off to substrate land. Sorry won't do much good in the skimmer, but a cool fish that for me keeps it in check in the display. And trust me, if I did not have something aggravating the coralline I would just have a big purple box in the room after a few months.
 
@Matt wrote:
Most non-long spine urchins are reef-safe. The longer spine urchins can pose an obvious problem as they can stick pretty much anything by moving around the tank. I would look for the Blue Tux. Do a quick search on google and you should get an idea of what they look like. Urchins move slow so don't expect them to knock your problem out in a hurry. I would so it is reef-safe. Just be aware that their spines are like velcro and they are known to walk off w/small frags attached to them from time to time. How big is your tank? I would start w/one in your display and see how it goes. said:
Makes more sense now.

30G
Click to expand...
 
man coraline algae as a nuisance algae?
It is amazing how all the things that grow in our tanks can become a problem . Those lovely greenstars , button, and xenia that were once our favorites but grow wild and take over are another good example.

Coraline is one of those love hate things. Our rocks are so purple that it is insane, and I like it on the rocks but hate it on the glass, and engage it in full warfare as I must have a nice clean back and sides.

Seems like the older the tank gets it becomes a harder task.
 
If you have the inclination, you can scrape some of that off into a small container in the tank, and then give it to someone else in the area that needs to seed their tank. Each time you scrape it off, you scatter coralline specs into the water to land elsewhere and grow.

Btw, I wish my tank had more of it. You are suffering from luckyitus. :D
 
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