Brown Bubble algae

[Swags]

Hi All,

Does anyone know of a fish/invert that will eat brown bubble algae? I have added 4 emerald crabs and the infestation is too much for them :cry: There are no fish in the tank right now (55g), just softies and zoos. I am planning a tank scrub to get rid of it (already done twice), but really am looking for something to manage it.

Thanks for the help!

Phil

[Der_Iron_Chef]

It's not cyanobacteria?

[Swags]

No its not cyno. It is bubble algae. Kinda cool stuff mind you, it glows under the moonlights like it has some phosphoressence (sp?) Reds and orange mostly. It varies in size from a couple of mm to 2 cm accross.

Phil

[Swags]

No one knows??

[Scavenger]

Sailfin tangs are reported to eat bubble algae. I've never heard of brown bubble though. With 4 emerald crabs, I assume you have a larger tank?

[Kronk]

I have a lot of red bubble algae and some brown i think its the same thing. I have a little emerald crab that i bought to eat it but i havent seen him since i put him in the tank... I found if you scrub off all your rocks it takes a long time for it to come back.

[Swags]

I have 3 reef tanks, a 55, 75 and a 90. The problem is in the 55. I bought 4 emerald crabs because of the amount of bubbles, with the intention to distribute to the other tanks once the problem was cleared up. Hmmmm sailfin tang eh, I may try that, thanks for the advice!

Phil

[Rippin]

As with other algaes, isn't an over-abundance attributed to high phospates/excess nutrients? If that is the case a change may be needed on how you may be taking care of the aquarium.

I've had hair and green bubble algae outbreaks and thought of using fish/crabs/sea hares to "fix" the problem, but I opted to reduce my lighting time and increase my regular water changes. I also had to manually remove the algae weekly. It was a chore but now the aquarium is clean and the outbreaks have subsided. Taking care of the root of the problem would likely be the best route to take....but you know all of this already :)