Tank Temps and Bubble Algae

[Beverly]

I'm wondering if tank temps have anything to do with how much, if any, bubble algae a tank will have. If you have bubble algae in your tank, what is your normal temp range? Also, if you do not have bubble algae, what what is your normal temp range?

TIA for sharing your info :smile:

[bulletsworld]

I had bubble algae only at the start of my diatom bloom. My temp stays at 79 deg.

I got a green emerald crab & he ate it all up. They are great for eating bubble algae! :mrgreen:

[Beverly]

Thanks, Leeanne. Unfortunately, I've had a few emerald crabs that always found something more tasty than bubble algae to eat :evil:

Anybody else willing to share their tank temps with or without bubble algae?

[fortheloveofcrabs]

Hi,

I had a huge bubble algae problem that just 'bubbled' up about 4 months after I started my tank. Temp stayed the same the whole time. My tank usually stays pretty constant at 77.9... but varries a little to 77.6 and 78.4. An emerald crab is finally what saved me. I got one emerald (named 'Bubbles') and he started eating away at it, but then just stopped eating one day and died in about 2 weeks. I got a new one (named 'Peti') because in the process of the last crab eating much of the bubble algae, many 'spors' (I guess) were released, and my problem was worse than ever! The new one took care of that and did start eating away at my coraline. He has since been living on and off in my sump. I take him out because he a blast to watch... Anyhoo, enough rambling...

[marie]

I have bubble algae in my tank, the large kind that looks like marbles bouncing around tank. The temp. in the winter sits pretty steady at 78 and in the summer it goes from 82 at night up to 85 during the day.

[Richer]

I got a little bit of bubble algae that hitchhicked on some rock I bought... its pretty much stayed pretty constant ever since I stuck the rocks in my tank, never got more or less of it. I even accidently popped one awhile back, but haven't noticed anything. My tank temp stays at a constant 77 degrees in the summer and winter times.

-Richer

[christyf5]

I've got them as well. They seem to be most abundant on a zoo rock I got from a store here in Nanaimo. They just go crazy on that rock, hardly any room for the zoos so I pick them off of that rock more often. They're all over the tank though and are the first thing people get excited about in the tank "ooh is that a marble?" :rolleyes: I just pick them out when they get really large and covered in coralline.

Summer tank temp: 79@night, 84@day

Non-summer tank temp: 79@ night 82@ day

I secretly like them

Christy :)

[Beverly]

Thanks, all. I thought higher temps might deter this scourge, but it appears they grow at any temp :frown:

A couple of months ago, I got my three new tanks and stands. The 28g in particular had quite a bit of the stuff, so before adding the rock to the new 37g, I scraped it all off the rock, rinsed the rock in old tank water, then set the new tank up.

Last week, the bubble algae had gotten so bad again in the 37g, I tore down the tank for more scraping and rinsing. Then I realized that I had done that before with dubious results. There had to be thousands of bubbles all over the rock, I kid you not :frown: So, to REALLY get rid of this evil stuff, I soaked the rock in tapwater overnight after all the scraping, then placed the rock in boiling tapwater the next morning. When the rock cooled a bit, I scraped and brushed the rock clean in a sink full of more hot tapwater. This totally killed the rock, needless to say, but I was totally desparate to rid my tank of this tenacious algae :eek: :evil: :frown:

The dead rock is in a 20g with NSW, and is curing. I expect the stench to take at least a couple of months before it goes away so it can be used in the 37g again. Corals, mostly lps, are in the 37g also with NSW. Oh, yeah, I super cleaned the heaters, powerheads and tank in tapwater too to kill the spores before using again in the 37g and in the 20g.

The most horrible part of all this is that I've noticed MORE bubble algae in my beloved 67g zoo/lps tank. Not much is there yet, but I can foresee this becoming another huge problem over the long term.

I think I am going to wait until the dead rock has had a chance to cure and be used in a reef to see how effective the extreme treatment was before doing anything in the zoo tank. I'm almost sure there should be no more bubble algae in the 37g, but this stuff might be so tough that nothing will kill it :eek: :confused: :frown: At this point, all I can do is hope, I guess.