AHH, bubble alge infestation!

#1
Hello so I picked up a saltwater nano reef from somebody on Craigslist all the live rock was ready to go, and it was cycled and all, but the live rocks are covered in bubble alge. How do i contain the spread :argue:and eliminate it as much as possible?
Any info is appreciated thanks.
 

SkyDiv3r17

Butterfly Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#4
If you want to manually do it, I would stick a needle on the end of a turkey baster. Then pop it and suck up everything immediately.

I haven't tried that, but that's probably what I would do if I had that problem.
 
#8
The tank was not taken care of very well, how would i tell if they have phosphate problems, would that explain the explosive alge growth and the established coral on the rocks dying?
 
#9
ClownGuy;331605 said:
The tank was not taken care of very well, how would i tell if they have phosphate problems, would that explain the explosive alge growth and the established coral on the rocks dying?
Bubble algae is a sign of high phosphates. Snatch up a red sea phosphate test kit and check ya params
 
#14
ClownGuy;331622 said:
Would it be a good idea to just boil the LR and start frfrom stacrah that way?
I suggest never boiling LR, you never know what you are vaporizing in your house (the worst palytoxin poisoning happens like this). Plus once its boiled you cant effectively get all the dead critters out, they are laced throughout the rock. You can "cook", a term meaning to put the rock in a container with a heater and pump and no lights for a few months. But if your doing all that maybe just get some new dry rock and cure it.

You can lower the levels by slowly changing your sand a small part at a time and water changes. I am going through the same thing and I have 70 corals on my rocks, so I don't want to start over. 10-15% water change a week and once a month I add a couple cups of new sand when removing a couple cups of old sand with a 20-40% water change. It is working really well, 98% of the algae is gone and the stubborn stuff is shrinking. All this with a lot of skimming and carbon/resin bags and reduced feeding.


Do you have a tank build or rap sheet some where we can look at to see whats going on?
 
#15
I have not profiled this build yet, and my smaller tanks(a6 gallon nano reef, an the 14tank i upgraded to were fish only tanks. This tank was a full setup with some leathers and green stars attache. To the rocks. But i think The previous owner let it sit without water changes and alge started growing
 
#16
I knew that getting a tank off CL, it was goin to have issues, but this one is in chaos. Already put alot of work into it. So hopefully i can turn it around on a positive track. I am going to stay optimistic.:peaceful:
 

Munch

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#20
Oh ok, I thought it was a nano, and you were talking a couple pounds.

I've had luck drying in the sun, and doing a mini power wash, then soak in RO.
 
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