Are they coralline algae or nasty diatoms?

[RayWhisperer]

This is a typical astrea snail. Some call them astrea turbo snails. I don’t think it’s correct to use two common names of snail types to describe one snail. That’s just me, though.

 

[MK1623]

2 minutes ago, RayWhisperer said:

This is a typical astrea snail. Some call them astrea turbo snails. I don’t think it’s correct to use two common names of snail types to describe one snail. That’s just me, though.

 

These look like what I got!!!!  So, I think that I got astrea snail!!  How big would they become?  

[RayWhisperer]

Yes, turbos get over 3” across, so 10 cm sounds about right.

[RayWhisperer]

Astrea snails get about 1.5” across, so about 3 to 4 cm. Some types get bigger,but that’s about average.

[Nocturnal]

7 minutes ago, 1891Bro said:

Wait. What? Since when? 

I could see that being the case if it’s all covered and encrusted with coral but, bare rocks? What’s it gonna hurt? Take them out during a water change and scrub em off with whatever old toothbrush in the old water and put them back. No harm there at all. 

Seems drastic to me to take out rocks and scrub off some surface algae. 

[MK1623]

2 minutes ago, RayWhisperer said:

Astrea snails get about 1.5” across, so about 3 to 4 cm. Some types get bigger,but that’s about average.

I hope I have an astrea snail but the shop assistant said this one is a turbo snail and it could become 10cm!  That was why I only got one because 10cm is far too big for my fish tank.  But she only gave me two choices of this turbo snail and nassarius snail which does not eat algae!!  

[RayWhisperer]

IMO, trochus snails are the best for algae. They get bigger than astrea, but stay smaller than turbos. Unlike astrea, they can flip themselves if they fall over. They move faster than astrea, but slower than turbos.plus, they look better, IMO.

[Nocturnal]

Just now, RayWhisperer said:

IMO, trochus snails are the best for algae. They get bigger than astrea, but stay smaller than turbos. Unlike astrea, they can flip themselves if they fall over. They move faster than astrea, but slower than turbos.plus, they look better, IMO.

Plus 1 for Trochus. Cooler, don't die as easy etc.

[RayWhisperer]

6 minutes ago, Nocturnal said:

Seems drastic to me to take out rocks and scrub off some surface algae. 

I’d agree. No need to scrub rocks unless you have an algae forest. Obviously, she just has some typical new tank algae growth. Keeping water quality in check is a far better option, IMO.

[MK1623]

28 minutes ago, RayWhisperer said:

IMO, trochus snails are the best for algae. They get bigger than astrea, but stay smaller than turbos. Unlike astrea, they can flip themselves if they fall over. They move faster than astrea, but slower than turbos.plus, they look better, IMO.

4

4

Trochus snails sounds nice but my local fish shop does not have them. :-( How big would they become?  How many do you think I should get for my 60l tank?  I may try online shops.  Thank you.  

Can't mine flip themselves?  

[RayWhisperer]

That image I pulled was from a UK based site. You’ll be able to order some, or the LFS can order some for you. I’m sure their supplier carries them.

 

no, astrea cannot flip themselves if they fall on their back. You’ll have to reach in and do it with your hand. It’s not common that they fall over, though. It usually only happens when you drop them in the tank the first time.

[RayWhisperer]

Here you go

https://www.marinefarm.co.uk/banded-trochus-snail

 

edit. Sorry I just saw your other questions. 

They gat about 4 to 5 cm. 

I would suggest 1 trochus for every 1 to 2 gallons of tank. So, not remembering your tank size, I can’t tell you how many to buy.

[Segalplayer]

32 minutes ago, RayWhisperer said:

IMO, trochus snails are the best for algae. They get bigger than astrea, but stay smaller than turbos. Unlike astrea, they can flip themselves if they fall over. They move faster than astrea, but slower than turbos.plus, they look better, IMO.

Exactly! Had to keep flipping non trochus snails back over or they’d die...

[MK1623]

23 minutes ago, RayWhisperer said:

Here you go

https://www.marinefarm.co.uk/banded-trochus-snail

 

edit. Sorry I just saw your other questions. 

They gat about 4 to 5 cm. 

I would suggest 1 trochus for every 1 to 2 gallons of tank. So, not remembering your tank size, I can’t tell you how many to buy.

Thank you very much mine is a 60-litre tank which is just under 16 gallons, I need be 8-16  of them!  Thank you!  

 

I think I may ask the local fish shop whether I could order them!  Thank you!  

[RayWhisperer]

Stick with 6 to 8. You don’t have much forage for them. 

[1891Bro]

1 hour ago, Nocturnal said:

Seems drastic to me to take out rocks and scrub off some surface algae. 

Drastic easy, potato potatoe. With bare rock it’s easy. Very easy. 

[1891Bro]

1 hour ago, Nocturnal said:

Seems drastic to me to take out rocks and scrub off some surface algae. 

Why?

[xthunt]

12 hours ago, 1891Bro said:

Why? 

You weren’t asking me, but...When I was scrubbing mine trying to rid my rock of the fuzzies, I’d have a perpetual bloom of brown algae, making me want to scrub again. Same thing if I scrubbed my rear chambers and equipment back there. People say that scrubbing your rock shouldn’t mess with your biofilter, but it was certainly messing up something in my experience (bio competition?). I think there’s something to be said of trying to sterilize a tank by scrubbing everything. There is a layer of bacteria on everything in the tank (like that gooey layer on your heater). After getting a proper cuc (more than just the ceriths I had), I don’t see anymore need than to blow the rock off. If I need to clean the rear chamber, it’ll be just blowing the loose stuff around, or only scrubbing the critical parts of equipment like the impeller. 

 

The benign green on the rock isn’t an algae that’s going to come off with a toothbrush. It’s stained/embedded on there and doesn’t bother anything. The best I’ve seen that gets it off is astraea snails (which I got rid of in favor of keeping trochus) if that’s the goal.

 

After tossing in the astraea/trochus/hermit crew, they do a better job at cleaning the rock than I could with a brush, and made my job a heck of a lot easier. Now I just baste it to get the loose stuff off and out off crannies. 

 

Just my noob experience. 

[1891Bro]

5 minutes ago, xthunt said:

You weren’t asking me, but...When I was scrubbing mine trying to rid my rock of the fuzzies, I’d have a perpetual bloom of brown algae, making me want to scrub again. Same thing if I scrubbed my rear chambers and equipment back there. People say that scrubbing your rock shouldn’t mess with your biofilter, but it was certainly messing up something in my experience (bio competition?). I think there’s something to be said of trying to sterilize a tank by scrubbing everything. After getting a proper cuc (more than just the ceriths I had), I don’t see anymore need than to blow the rock off. If I need to clean the rear chamber, it’ll be just blowing the loose stuff around, or only scrubbing the critical parts of equipment like the impeller. 

 

The benign green on the rock isn’t an algae that’s going to come off with a toothbrush. It’s stained/embedded on there and doesn’t bother anything. The best I’ve seen that gets it off is astraea snails (which I got rid of in favor of keeping astraea).

 

After tossing in the astraea/trochus/hermit crew, they do a better job at cleaning the rock than I could with a brush, and made my job a heck of a lot easier. Now I just baste it to get the loose stuff off. 

 

Just my noob experience. 

I’ve started a few different times. The easiest I’ve ever had I basically just said #### it and followed a r2r cycle thread by @brandon429 that I’m too lazy to search and link. Basic jist, whatever sand you start with rinse the #### out of it. Dose ammonia to 2ppm and dose bacteria then wait 14 days. Repeat doses of both and wait another 14 days. Change 100% water and boom you’re done. New tank uglies are not a necessary step just because it’s “what’s supposed to happen.” All that stuff happened early on because of the initial start up. It’s easilt avoided. I’ve dealt with it before and didn’t have to this most recent tank start. 

 

 

[xthunt]

1 minute ago, 1891Bro said:

I’ve started a few different times. The easiest I’ve ever had I basically just said #### it and followed a r2r cycle thread by @brandon429 that I’m too lazy to search and link. Basic jist, whatever sand you start with rinse the #### out of it. Dose ammonia to 2ppm and dose bacteria then wait 14 days. Repeat doses of both and wait another 14 days. Change 100% water and boom you’re done. New tank uglies are not a necessary step just because it’s “what’s supposed to happen.” All that stuff happened early on because of the initial start up. It’s easilt avoided. I’ve dealt with it before and didn’t have to this most recent tank start. 

 

 

Did you reply in the wrong thread?

[Nocturnal]

3 hours ago, 1891Bro said:

Drastic easy, potato potatoe. With bare rock it’s easy. Very easy. 

If anything it seems like a pain in the ass. 

[MK1623]

Hi,

I just want to update my aquarium briefly. 

 

Thanks for your wonderful help and support, my aquarium has been developing nicely.  I added two tiny (2cm) clownfish and some more clean up crews (2 Banded Trochus Snails, 1 Cerith Snail and 1 Astrea Snail).  The cleanup crew is helping me to get rid of diatom and the boom of diatom has gone.  But I still have green algae a lot which seems snails are not eating them.  So, I am trying not to use light for a long period.  

 

I also bought a red grape ( Botryocladia - Red Grape).  

 

So, hopefully, I can reduce the green algae soon. 

 

[MK1623]

 

Now diatom has decreased a lot and it seems that the boom of diatom has passed.  However,  I still have quite a lot of green algae and it seems that it has not decreased at all. 

 

What would you recommend something I could do to control these green algae, apart from what I have been doing?  

 

What I have been doing are:

• limiting the duration of the lighting
• using RO water

• got a mixture of 5 snails which eat algae (1 Turbo grazer, 2 Banded Trochus, 1 Cerith, 1 Astrea)

• got a Macroalgae (small red grape)

• water changes

 

Now I also have a pair of baby clownfish (2cm) as well.  They seem very happy.  

[MK1623]

On 4/15/2018 at 11:19 PM, xthunt said:

Because I have the same stuff that covered my dry rock within 2 weeks of start up, and it’s not calcified. I think it’s the same algae that dusts the glass. Also, astraea snails can clean it up good. It hasn’t been a nuisance for me, it just colors the rock green, nothing more. It won’t come off with a toothbrush because it sort of etches itself in. You’re not going to have coralline growing in a week old tank. 

Hi,

Now my fish tank is over a month.  Then, I would like to ask you a question.   How long does it take for coralline algae to start to grow?  I have noticed some darker colour algae.    

[Tamberav]

I see nothing wrong with that green algae. Micro algae is a normal part of a reef tank and healthy imo. 

 

Some tanks coraline grows fast and other tanks are beautiful but for what ever reason never grow much coralline. I am just seeing large spots on the back wall at almost a year old. 

 

Interesting enough, I did notice my LED light that is for growing macro algae (red/blue/white)... it grew coralline really well... to the point I had very little in the display and covering almost every spot in the fuge, even growing on the cheato.

 

When a light died and used it over a display temperarly and had an explosion again. 

 

Lights built to grow algae certainly grow coralline algae too but obviously not something we would use for corals.