Alge issue

[Coasting]

Originally Posted by gobytron

Sea Hares are, IME, the best HA eater around...especially for the stuff on the rocks that can be hard to get to and remove from the roots.

A 7 gallon tank is a challenge for anyone to keep long term.

What about perhaps an algae eating blenny of sorts?
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...3+69&pcatid=69
My guy is chomping at my rock work and glass all day long, but happily takes part during normal feedings and eats the frozen and pellet food the other fish get.

[gobytron]

Originally Posted by Coasting

What about perhaps an algae eating blenny of sorts?
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...3+69&pcatid=69
My guy is chomping at my rock work and glass all day long, but happily takes part during normal feedings and eats the frozen and pellet food the other fish get.

where blennys arent as good as a sea hare is in how messy they eat.

They graze more so than scour the surface.

So if you watch a sea hare eat through a path of HA, what you see is a pretty clean rock with most of the visible roots consumed as it's mouth is sucking right on the rock.

This means its less likely to spread and takes longer to grow back.

Blennys spread HA around a lot more as they grab the alga higher up and tear it.

[MKLKT]

Urchins can be good at scouring as well, would need more of a tuxedo type than a rock boring one though for it to be useful for algae.

[TimT]

Sea Hares are very good at eating macro algaes. They do come with a few inherent risks. They can release a dark red dye into the water if they feel threatened or get squished. I do not know whether the dye is toxic in an aquarium or not. They can be problematic for getting a good specimen that lives more than a week.

Tuxedo urchins are also good algae eaters but not as good as a Sea Hare. They come with the risk of bulldozing corals etc. They are also quite fragile.

Herbivores are a solution to a symptom of a problem which is phosphate/nitrate issues. I like to say that Phosphate is the trigger and Nitrate is the fuel for algae growth. If you can limit one then the algae problem will be greatly reduced.

The easiest and most cost effective way to eliminate Phosphate is with Foz Down. More info on Foz Down can be found on my website here. http://www.oceanfreshaquarium.com/foz-down.html

There are many people on CanReef who are successfully using Foz Down to help with Algae issues.

Foz Down is available in Calgary from Eli @ Fiji Reef Rock and also Wai's Aquarium.

Cheers,
Tim

[gobytron]

Originally Posted by TimT

Sea Hares are very good at eating macro algaes. They do come with a few inherent risks. They can release a dark red dye into the water if they feel threatened or get squished. I do not know whether the dye is toxic in an aquarium or not. They can be problematic for getting a good specimen that lives more than a week.

Tuxedo urchins are also good algae eaters but not as good as a Sea Hare. They come with the risk of bulldozing corals etc. They are also quite fragile.

Herbivores are a solution to a symptom of a problem which is phosphate/nitrate issues. I like to say that Phosphate is the trigger and Nitrate is the fuel for algae growth. If you can limit one then the algae problem will be greatly reduced.

The easiest and most cost effective way to eliminate Phosphate is with Foz Down. More info on Foz Down can be found on my website here. http://www.oceanfreshaquarium.com/foz-down.html

There are many people on CanReef who are successfully using Foz Down to help with Algae issues.

Foz Down is available in Calgary from Eli @ Fiji Reef Rock and also Wai's Aquarium.

Cheers,
Tim

Very true.

You will continue to have algae to control as long as you have significant phosphate present, regardless of how you control it once it manifests.