Best option for cleaners for LR

[Pyrocide]

From what I can tell and what the LFS told me is that the "algae" on my rocks is either diatoms (10 months after cycle finished) or a fingerish fuzzy hair like detritus that is slowly building up and growing onto other rocks despite the good flow i have in my tank. Rio 2500+, Hydor Koralia 2 and Evolution Nano in a 29H w/ 20G fuge.

 

 

The picture has a small gathering of this "algae" in the bottom right hand corner on the GSP rock.

 

Any ideas and/or cleaners for it?

 

Thanks

[johnmaloney]

i am not sure that is an algae. That looks like a picture for lakshwadeep, NR's resident weird tiny invert guy. If you post in the id section he will likely stop by, or trying pming him. Any luck matching it on chucksaddiction.com ? Great site...tons of info... especially this kind of stuff.

 

To rule out, or determine if it is an algae:

 

you can do a starch test with iodine like you did in high school on a potato to see if it is an algae, if it doesn't show starch, and doesn't leach red in boiling water, or brown in alcohol it is an animal and you should stop boiling it.

[Pyrocide]

i am not sure that is an algae. That looks like a picture for lakshwadeep, NR's resident weird tiny invert guy. If you post in the id section he will likely stop by, or trying pming him. Any luck matching it on chucksaddiction.com ? Great site...tons of info... especially this kind of stuff.

 

To rule out, or determine if it is an algae:

 

you can do a starch test with iodine like you did in high school on a potato to see if it is an algae, if it doesn't show starch, and doesn't leach red in boiling water, or brown in alcohol it is an animal and you should stop boiling it.

 

I havent been in high school chem in 6 years lol.

 

I took it my freshman year then went into physics for the next 3 years.

 

Ill see if i can get a better picture of it soon...Im also removing about 20-30 lbs of LR from my tank to make room for more corals. Giving more room for water to roam without losing energy hitting rocks and bouncing off of them.

 

Went through the algae list on chucksaddiction.com and didnt find anything there that looked what the stuff in my tank looks like. Will try to post a better pic of the stuff later tonight.

 

In the meantime do u have anything suggestions for main rock detritus grazers?

[johnmaloney]

look at the hitchhiker section of that site, it is likely to be there - some foram relation or something odd

 

for algal detrits nerites and florida ceriths are good. For leftover food nassarius snails. Even though nassarius live in the sand usually they will venture to rocks for food.

[Pyrocide]

look at the hitchhiker section of that site, it is likely to be there - some foram relation or something odd

 

for algal detrits nerites and florida ceriths are good. For leftover food nassarius snails. Even though nassarius live in the sand usually they will venture to rocks for food.

 

That is what is confusing me, I thought that as well, but I bought a brandnew CUC and in it i specified 30 nassarius. I havent see a single nassarius on my rocks...they are all over my sand and are cleaning it quite well in fact.

[johnmaloney]

that is a lot in a 29, how much are you feeding for that many? that thing you have on the rock is some type of live invert, nassarius won't eat it. Has to be dead. For algal detritus nerites or ceriths

 

or a turkey baster + mechanical filtration

 

check with lakshwa on that id though

[Pyrocide]

that is a lot in a 29, how much are you feeding for that many? that thing you have on the rock is some type of live invert, nassarius won't eat it. Has to be dead. For algal detritus nerites or ceriths

 

or a turkey baster + mechanical filtration

 

check with lakshwa on that id though

 

I have a 6in sand bed all the way around. Mostly came from a 125 that was set up for 2 years and then tore down and then I have about 25lbs of LS from new bags from LFS. I only need a pinch of spirulina and new life spectrum once to twice a day for my 3 firefire, 2 clowns and sixline wrasse. I target feed twice a week to my corals with squid and PEMysis.

[Pyrocide]

Some better pics of whatever this is.

 

 

[johnmaloney]

if it is algae covered in something brush it off before you take the next picture but I think it is an invert like a bryozoan or something.