ONE little bubble algae - cause for concern?

[{8ry}]

I have a single bubble of bubble algae that has formed on a piece of live rock with ricordia I've had for about 4-5 weeks now.

 

Just noticed the single bubble a couple days ago. I haven't taken any action to remove it yet, I understand you shouldn't "pop" them actually in your tank?

 

Should I be concerned about this at all? I have no other algae problem at all, just a nice green encrusting algae on my dry (becoming live) rock and good purple coralline algae forming.

 

20gal tank been up and running for about 2 months now. Current-USA Orbit LED light, full strength, 12 hours a day.

 

Ammonia, nitrite & Nitrate all Zero, Alk 8. I don't have a phosphate test kit yet..need to pick one up.

 

1 Clown fish

1 Cleaner shrimp

CUC consisting of snails and hermit crabs.

 

I'm just worried that this is the beginning of something bad...or maybe I'm just paranoid. My tank has been running with no issues since setup.

 

Thanks!

Bryan

[joy13]

Yes it is cause for concern. One can turn to a big problem in no time. I have a sump full of pretty red bubble algae I am just glad it has stayed in my sump. I have a couple of emerald crabs in my display tank. My friend has an on going problem with bubble algae in his display tank, he has an emerald crab but the back is full of it. His is green so he didn't get it from me and i didn't get mine from him.

[tlombardo]

In the tank I have had running for 5-ish months I noticed one bubble like 2 months in. I pluck one or two bubbles every month maybe and they have never really grown very fast for me. For a period of that my tank was pretty dirty and algae filled but these didn't do much. Haven't had much of any algae in the last 2 months and they still appear every once in a while very slowly.

 

Tony

[clownfitch]

You definitely want to remove the bubble. Might as well get ready to continue having to do so. If one sprouted from nothing then the spores were introduced into your system and will likely remain. Just remove them as they pop up and you will be fine. Try not to pop it if you can but if you don't at least try, it will spread anyway.

[BulkRate]

Like most things when it comes to battling invasives in our tanks... if you notice it now, deal with it now.

 

Take a 10ml oral dosing syringe (no needle - free for the asking at CVS/Wallgreens/RiteAid etc) & suction it right off the rock. Takes seconds and will guarantee you get the whole bubble + spores should it rupture while so doing.

 

I have one or two pop up every now and then but it's never taken hold and become pervasive throughout the tank. Probably because I never looked at it and simply "wished" it away.

[JavaJacketOC]

I had a small outbreak of bubble algae (6-8 smalle bubbles) on a frag I got. I treated by:

1. Removing the rock with the bubble algae from the tank
2. Removing the algae from the rock manually (any method previously described would work)
3. Scrubbing the area of the rock that algae and the surrounding area with a toothbush
4. Dabbing 100% strength peroxide over the area I scrubbed with a q-tip and letting it sit out of water for about 3 min
5. Rinsed the rock in clean tank water and returned it to my display tank

It's been about 3 months and it hasn't returned.

[Mr. Microscope]

pfft. bubble algae is no big deal. Just try to remove them carefully without popping them.

 

As far as pest algaes go, I'll take bubble over GHA or Bryopsis any day.

[tlombardo]

pfft. bubble algae is no big deal. Just try to remove them carefully without popping them.

 

As far as pest algaes go, I'll take bubble over GHA or Bryopsis any day.

agreed

[FlowerMama]

I like emeralds and red mithrax for just what they are, crabs, but I don't understand buying them to eat bubble algae really because they have to bite into the bubble which releases the spores anyway.

[hey]

I like emeralds and red mithrax for just what they are, crabs, but I don't understand buying them to eat bubble algae really because they have to bite into the bubble which releases the spores anyway.

 

ya if your going to get one get it because you like crabs, they are fun to watch, you can't predict their behavior though. Mine does enjoy its GHA which is nice, I don't keep any high end polyps though but I am sure if I threw some 50$ a head polyps in she would go to town on them.

[Mr. Microscope]

I really like emeralds too which is why I'm so sad that I'll never get another as long as my focus is on corals.

I had one in my frag tub. I used to feed it chaeto by hand everyday. One day, I was target feeding some acans and while going after the food, it started noming on the acan too. Afterwards, I couldn't keep it away from eating other corals. It's a risk I'm just not wiling ot take. Perhaps, I'd give one a chance if I had a macro tank.

[th64]

I had a small outbreak of bubble algae (6-8 smalle bubbles) on a frag I got. I treated by:

1. Removing the rock with the bubble algae from the tank
2. Removing the algae from the rock manually (any method previously described would work)
3. Scrubbing the area of the rock that algae and the surrounding area with a toothbush
4. Dabbing 100% strength peroxide over the area I scrubbed with a q-tip and letting it sit out of water for about 3 min
5. Rinsed the rock in clean tank water and returned it to my display tank

It's been about 3 months and it hasn't returned.

This

[farkwar]

This

 

That

[joy13]

pfft. bubble algae is no big deal. Just try to remove them carefully without popping them.

 

As far as pest algaes go, I'll take bubble over GHA or Bryopsis any day.

Wished I had the picture of some in a tank the LFS has, Some of them looked to be the size of a baby's fist. They got the tank free with bubble algae. and they got it pretty well under control now.

[Mr. Microscope]

Wished I had the picture of some in a tank the LFS has, Some of them looked to be the size of a baby's fist. They got the tank free with bubble algae. and they got it pretty well under control now.

Cool! I'd actually like to see a bubble algae that big.