What eats these algaes?

[Myka]

What eats Lobophora, Dictyota, Padina, Sargassum, and Halimenia? Urchins? These algaes are a pain in the butt. If I can't find something to eat them I'm gonna rip my tank apart and scrub all the rocks.

[teejay]

Try a sea hare or a lawnmower blenny

[mark]

Had Lobopharo so tried both the Black Long Spined and Tuxedo urchins and neither touched it. Dealt with it by tweezers and a dental pick.

Halimenia? See referances for Halymenia (red) and Halimeda (green).

For Halimeda, nothing I have touched it either (Purple and Regal Tangs, Foxface or the urchins) but not really a problem algae and easily controlled by manually pruning. Found pinching with my finger nails between segments stopped the weeping.

[Myka]

Thanks guys! I guess I'll pull the rocks and scrub them... errrg!

[Myka]

Sunday chore - remove rocks. So excited!! NOT!! lol

I'm going to take most of my rocks out and shove them into a dark bucket of saltwater for a few weeks. Feed some amino acids, and the odd mysis feeding, and hope for the best. My corals and fish are gonna be ****ed at me. :D

[Snappy]

My Naso tang eats these: Lobophora, Dictyota & Padina

[untamed]

Tank seems small to suggest a Naso Tang.

It is my experience that algae will grow if the conditions are right for it to grow. IF...IF...you found a particular critter/fish that ate the algae you happen to have...then it will eat that algae and you'll have a different kind of algae in no time.

My advice: Put in a refugium and grow algae there where you can harvest it easily. (if you don't already have one) Weed/pluck/tweeze out any fast growing algae from the display, but let any slow growing algae grow large.

I think it is very difficult to create a system that grows NO algae. If you accept that, start planning what algae you want to grow and where.

That's my experience, FWIW.

[Myka]

My Naso tang eats these: Lobophora, Dictyota & Padina

Ok, thanks. :)

Tank seems small to suggest a Naso Tang.

It is my experience that algae will grow if the conditions are right for it to grow. IF...IF...you found a particular critter/fish that ate the algae you happen to have...then it will eat that algae and you'll have a different kind of algae in no time.

My advice: Put in a refugium and grow algae there where you can harvest it easily. (if you don't already have one) Weed/pluck/tweeze out any fast growing algae from the display, but let any slow growing algae grow large.

I think it is very difficult to create a system that grows NO algae. If you accept that, start planning what algae you want to grow and where.

That's my experience, FWIW.

I have RowaPhos running in an AquaClear, and a ball of chaeto in my display. The chaeto has been in there for about 8 months. I have never pruned it, and it has only grown from about 4" to about 7". It's a dense ball and is very dark green. The Lobophora is the biggest pain in the butt since it is hard to get off the rocks. I have a couple other algaes that I have yet to identify as well.

[Dale]

Hi Myka,
I know it's boring but the best way to combat nuisance algae is to eliminate the causes. Generally speaking these can fall into four categories:
Excessive lighting,
Lack of nuitrient uptake competition,
Excessive food,
Poor nutrient export.
If you are familiar with planted FW tanks a lot of the same strategies apply.
Finding a consumer can be helpful but even if you find an animal that eats the algae it will just excrete the waste and thus continue the cycle. For long term success you need to either export the excess nutrients effectively or not add them in the first place. (ie:not adding amino acids and mysis to the rock if you give it a blackout period, it won't need it).
If you get a large enough nutrient consuming coral base you will find the algae decreasing as well.

[Myka]

I am pretty sure the cause is lack of nutrient export as the skimmer is only a Remora, I don't have a refugium, and I am merely running PhosBan in an AquaClear.

I'm testing 0 on Phosphates and Nitrates using Salifert test kits, but that doesn't mean anything... LOL!

I have been buying my RO water from the grocery store. They have an inline TDS meter that always reads <5 ppm. I just bought an RO/DI unit for myself though, so hopefully my improved water will help a bit. :)