Lettuce Nudi, Chiton, or Tux Urchin

[Reefstalker]

Which is the best option for keeping algae or maybe even cyano under control?

[lgreen]

Proper circulation, water changes, not over feeding or over stocking will be far more effective than any invert in controlling algae and cyanobacteria.

[kinetic]

the higher the flow, the easier it is for hair algae to thrive. when I say thrive, i mean they float around, seeds float around, etc.

 

So you need to address phosphate problems. Your likely either overfeeding, or your system can't handle the nutrients. Either way, you need better filtration, either more LR, bigger skimmer, etc etc.

 

animals help, but they can never get rid of the problem.

[Kogut]

$100 = CPR AquaFuge w/ some LS in the bottom, LR rubble for a couple $$ from ur LFS, and a $5 bag of cheato from anyone on any reef forum. Next.

[lgreen]

the higher the flow, the easier it is for hair algae to thrive. when I say thrive, i mean they float around, seeds float around, etc.

 

I agree partially, but on the other end of that stick, too low of flow will cause nutrients and debry to settle rather than be removed by mechanical filtration from the water column. Also too low of flow may limit contact time of water with the microbial surface of the live rock preventing adequate filtration.

 

If you have cyanobacteria, that is typically and indication that nutrients are settling in that area because there is not enough water movement to kick those nutrients up so they can be removed by the filter/skimmer.

[Samoyed]

Which is the best option for keeping algae or maybe even cyano under control?

 

 

for cyano...use red slime away (i used 2 doses and havent seen cyano since)

 

Dont get a nudi for hairalgae( and as for chiton and the urchin...i dont know)....have you considered an emrald crab?

[Reefstalker]

Didn't even think of emerald crab. Would emeralds also eat bubble algae and grape caulerpa? The grape caulerpa just started growing on my LR, and it requires constant pruning...which is a PITA.

 

Also have a goby/pistol shrimp pair (although I've only seen the pistol shrimp once...when I first bought it!!!). Would the pistol shrimp kill the emerald crab?

[KMP]

i have a tuxedo urchin and it by far has plowed through the algea. only problem...he also plows through anything that gets in its' way. considering getting rid of him - tired of putting my zoos back in there proper spots daily.

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

i have a tuxedo urchin(2 years) and i've never seen it eat hair algae. coraline, yes, hair algae no. however it probably will remove some to wear as a hat

 

i also never saw my 3" chinton eat ha either.

 

[Samoyed]

Some people say emralds are nothing but destruction....personally ive never seen them do anything bad, i think you might want to consider an emrald!

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

Some people say emralds are nothing but destruction....personally ive never seen them do anything bad, i think you might want to consider an emrald!

 

no way, no how!

emerald crabs=trouble. personally i've lost 3 critters to 2 different rouge emeralds. when they get big, thier even worse.

[reeefermadness]

i skipped to the end of this cause im in a rush, but get a sea hare, those things clean it up really really really fast! but then give it to someone else or back to the lfs so it wont starve as hair algae is its only diet. cheers!

[ChrisS]

I'd skip the lettuce nudi for HA control. I've had one for about a month now and while it has cleaned off a few patches of rock it doesn't eat enough or fast enough to keep up with a bad HA outbreak.

 

HA doesn't like high pH so if you keep your ph on the high side and keep our nutrients down it should help. Just my 2 cents

[sprite]

prodibio bioclean!!