Need a good algea grazer?

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

I am starting to notice alot of green hair and dark red/maroon hair looking algea forming on my LR. There also is some brownish slime/snotty looking stuff on some of the LR too. The LFS told me it wasn't algea. Can't remember what Glen called it. He said that it was due to left over waste. So I have cut back on feeding and droped my photo period from 12 hrs to 9. Do any of yall know of any livestock I could add to graze on this stuff? My current live stock consists of the following. Coral beauty, Blue Devil, Convict Damsel, Mandrian, Diadema Dotty. 2 serpent stars and 1 tiger tail cuke. Various easy to keep corals.
Thanks!
SHOG

[scubadude]

Sounds like a combination of diatoms and cyanobacteria....Snails bro!

any of these should work

Queen Conch (Strombus gigas) Size of them can definately be a hinderance

Trochus Snails

Margarita Snails

Baha Snails

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

WAZUP Scuba!!!
I new I could count on you to reply. I don't think it is Cyano though. I will try and post a few pics tonight for better identification. I see you get to goto Hawaii! Thats great, hope you have a blast and can't wait to see the pics!
SHOG

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

ALGEA#1

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

ALGEA#2

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

ALGEA#3
crap forgot to add the pic!!!

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

ALGEA#3
This is the brown slime/snot looking stuff. Its the stuff with all the bubbles. Sorry the pic isnt clearer the bow front of my tank gives the focus on my cam hell!!!!
Thanks!
SHOG

[scubadude]

The first 2 pics I definately see hair algae...I have had good luck with astreas...but sometimes you will have to help them...they wonder off a patch and you have to pick them up and tell them where to eat...hehe...If you are overwhelmed by this hairalgae (it looks like a lawn grown over) then you might want to consider a lawnmower blenny



The first picture looks like some slime red algae aka cyano next to the patch of hair algae, but its hard to say...it does look different then cyano maybe red turf algae?..... and the last pic brown w/bubbles looks like diatoms....buddy you have it all...do your fish have gonnarhea too? hahaha....dont worry bro im fighting a bad diatom bloom right now too.

Here is what I have experienced.

Hair algae...this was the first bloom in my tank...fairly easy to get rid of it if you get the right animals

Cyano algae...this flat out sucked, Nobody will touch this crap w/a 10' pole....I literally had to manually remove this and do w/c's and increase current in dead spots.

Diatoms algae...this is wat im going through now, and hopefully the last stage of my algae blooms...it accumulates gas bubbles trapped in it (which seems good to me because the bubbles will eventually lift it up and go into overflow, wich my floss pads catch it) there are some snails such as the ones I mentioned that will eat it.

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

Thanks Scuba! That read patch next to the hair algea has definantly got to "turf" algea. Could not describe it better. We I get my face right up to the glass I can almost see every piece sticking up like a tiny tree twig or something. Will the lawn mower blenny eat that stuff to? You gosh darn right I am over whelmed by this stuff! There seems to be some of this on almost every piece of LR. A well fertilized lawn at the least!
SHOG

[scubadude]

LOL....Im not sure if a lawnmower blenny will eat red turf...Maybe someone else can chime in on what eats red turf....if not make another thread "What eats red turf algae"....If the green hair algae is kiking your but get the lawnmower though dude!! Trust me he will think he has died and gone to Shoney's all you can eat buffet

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

LMAO! Shoney' s Actually the red turf looks kinda neat. The hair on the other hand is getting bad. I'm starting to get worried that it will get long enough and my LR will have dred locks!!! Thanks Rock!
SHOG

Dred locks...that was real funny Chris.

[newreefman1]

Shoneys..I havent seen one of them in 10 years. LOL.


As for hair and turf...turbos all be it bulldozers....are great.. I added like 20 and I see rows and rows of clean rocks. I have naser to thank for the tidbit..i always stay away from turbos. Not anymore

[scubadude]

Hehe...NP Chris!

You will love the lawnmower blenny if you get one....that fish has more character than any other fish in my tank....not much on color (as a matter of fact hes almost camoflauged) but he does more than make up for color in character.

Newreef,

I have some turbos too...and they did eat some hair now that you mention it....just seemed like the trochus believe it or not did a better job...proly cuz the fish store I bought them from where starving them....had them all crammed into a 10gal tank.

[karun]

shog,
I had exactly the same problem. Hair algae and red cyno. Atleast thats what I thought it was. I added a lawnmower blenny but that did not help. I added a yellow tang and the hair algae was gone in less than a week. I still have the red stuff. I remove it bu hand every few days but I don't have a permanent cure. I have also reduced feeding but that hasn't made a difference.

Let me know if you have any success with you tank.

Karun

[mrok12]

I just got a tuxeco urchin a week ago. He seems to graze all the time. Had cleaned all the algea off of one large piece of lr and the back wall of my tank.

MROK12

[WannaBeAReefer]

I highly recommend red leg hermits for the cyano. They completely cleaned it off of every nook and cranny...

If anyone can tell me what to use on the brown that would be appreciated...

[hinescom]

Just think of the cyano as a protective coating for your liverock.
I did better controlling the cyano when I started putting only purified water in my tanks. Also, the use of some macro algaes help too.:eek3:
Have fun!