rock issues

[Amy]

I have some algae thin spikes showing up on my live rock. It looks like thin hair and I just hate it. I bought a piece of rock a while back and it had some bubble algae on it that I was removing by hand till I tossed it out, now I have his. I don't have much just the odd piece showing up but how can I get rid of it or will it become a pain?

 

Tank is only a 2 gal pico

[tierarzt]

Try a scarlet hermit or 1 snail.

[Amy]

have a snail but will not put any hermits in the tank again.

 

Looks like its going away don't see it anymore in there it was such a tiny bit so maybe the snail did his job.

[Mariaface]

If the problem persists, look into hydrogen peroxide as a way to burn the algae. Make sure you're careful with it, though, especially in such a small volume.

 

And of course, make sure your tank's environment doesn't fuel algae growth so it doesn't become a real issue. A bit of algae's fine, though.

[printerdown01]

Hey Amy,

 

This is the recommended clean up crew from Reefcleaners.org... I have never been steered wrong by their cleanup crews.

 

2 dwarf ceriths (these guys are *super* mini)

1 nassarius (this guy is simply to eat dead stuff before it rots)

2 florida ceriths

3 nerites

 

I am in the process of setting up my next tank and will be taking one of the ceriths off and one of the nerites off and bumping up the number of dwarfs -as the rockwork I have is extremely porous and they will be the only ones capable of getting in there.

 

Always remember that diversity is key when setting up a cleanup crew. I will also be stocking the tank with worms (spaghetti and bristle), mini brittle stars, astrea stars, and a few type of copepods to help clean up detritus in the tank as well. This also helps with algae management by cutting it off at the pass. Another major algae management solution is to use live foods. I actually have a saltwater pond in my yard that grows T. Californicus that I can feed my reef (currently I just give them away by the jar full to local reefers).

 

While I love scarlet hermits (and loath most other hermits) I still wouldn't even trust a scarlet in a 2 gallon... They will still take a snail down for it's shell... and when you only have 4 larger snails in your dean up crew it is a good chuck of your crew.... plus they do poop a lot.

[Mariaface]

I wouldn't feed a live food grown outside, since live food is one of the quickest ways to introduce harmful bacteria/parasites into a tank, but it's true that worms, brittle stars, copepods, and other organisms that seek out decaying organic matter are great additions to a tank!

 

I recently added one blue-legged hermit to my 16g tank, and the only reason I'm trusting it is the amount of food I've got and the few empty shells lying around. That way there isn't competition and it doesn't see a reason to become violent. Hopefully.

 

That said, the entire rest of my clean up crew is snails, mainly from Reefcleaners. If you get them there, I strongly advise that you pick the right size crew, because John has a tendency to pack extras (read: I was meant to get 5 dwarf ceriths and counted out 275).

 

And make sure that you're getting snails to solve a specific problem, not just to put into a tank with inappropriate food. I think hair algae and bubble algae might be better solved with an emerald crab, if not physical removal and good filtration. If you've got other stuff (diatoms, cyano, film algae, leftover food, etc), then the snails mentioned are great.

 

Good luck!

[printerdown01]

I have a very different view on outdoor monocultures. Although I do respect your opinion and your desire to keep your tank parasite free (and applaud it, as prevention is the best measure). Most fish breeders, rearers, and those who keep delicates raise monoculture of zooplankton in their yards. These guys above anyone else are paranoid about parasites and their delicate species. Live foods pulled from the ocean have a *very high* likelihood of transporting a parasite. The likelihood of a parasite coming down in a rain drop that happens to thrive with the monoculture you are growing is very low -especially within its 3 month cycle. As for bacteria blowing in, it is just as likely to blow into my open container in the yard as it is my open container in the house (commonly referred to as the reef tank) as my windows are open daily.

 

Most frozen and pellet foods out there are packed with things I don't want in my tank. Plus these add to my water pollution much faster than live foods. A concern much higher for me than the water droplet scenario.

 

I am a total reef tank control freak. After setting up countless tanks, I am one of those rare individuals who has moved away from live rock because of the chances of adding something I don't want to the tank. I have known countless people to add aptasia and mantis shrimp to their tank accidentally with LR. If a huge shrimp can sneak in the likelihood of a parasitic zooplankton is VERY high. People have no idea if the bugs they added to their tank are good or bad. Most of the time they are good -but I have known many over the years to add things that were not. Not saying to avoid live rock or adding anything new to the tank, just saying the likelihood of damage from this is much higher than a 3-4 month cycle monoculture. Sorry this is my attempt to put the "risk" into perspective.

[Mariaface]

Oh, if you can do it yourself I'd say go for it! Live food does carry risk, but it still does a great job at enticing fish to eat and you can control the population, the environment they grow in, etc. I just prefer frozen and pellet foods for applications where to get live food, I'd need to purchase it from someone else. And would need to do so regularly, carrying the risk of introducing something new each time without knowing what's happening in the original container(s) the food came from.