New to reef tanks

[bluetang]

I dont think it a myth....... I believe by popping them it would somewhat equates to spawning. The liquid inside is not clear but is thick and some what green.

[muck]

Originally Posted by bluetang

I dont think it a myth....... I believe by popping them it would somewhat equate to spawning

How do you think an Emerald Crab eats them... they don't swallow them whole thats for sure.

[bluetang]

No... but they do pop them and eat the skin, therefore releasing the liquid into the water colum

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by bluetang

No... but they do pop them and eat the skin, therefore releasing the liquid into the water colum

Really, it is a myth.....

[muck]

I have had a few before (2 or 3) and I popped them and removed what I could. I have never seen any since.

[Gringos]

It started as a couple on a single rock and next thing you know bam, the tank was full of them. I don't have a tds meter to take a reading, will look into buying one soon. I myself never poped any inside the tank, but they pop when thay get big and they do get big. The crabs don't pop or eat any of the big ones, it seams they just like the ones starting out. Would it be a good idea to get another half dozen crabs to bost my total count to 12.

[danny zubot]

Not as mythical as you'd think.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/hcj/feature/

Much has been said about the danger of liberating spores when popping the vesicles of bubble algae. This is particularly true for members of Order Valoniaceae, but even then, the vesicles are said to be a sporulant risk only when having reached at least a third of their full size. Even if spores escape when you botch the job of vesicle-removal ('vesectomy', anyone?), those escapee spores have to run the gauntlet of herbivorous filter feeders, filtration equipment, and the wild lottery of hitting a good, unoccupied spot to settle and grow. Those spores will eventually be released anyway if you don't remove the vesicles

Do you have a good skimmer Gringos?

[bluetang]

Thanks Danny. I was starting to think I was making it up Nice try boys

[Tarolisol]

Wholy bubbles batman, i think theres only a few solutions for tha depending on how much time you have. You could take out all the rock scrub and do a dip in really hot water to take care of any spores or you could shut down the lights compleatly on the main tank for a long time and leave the lights on the fuge. This will stop the bubble algea but it will take a while.

[Chad]

or just nuke the rocks.. boil and burn lol

that'll get rid of em.. nasty.. Never seen it so bad before.