Myka vs Valonia Round 672

Myka · #1 11-25-2008, 02:48 AM

I found a teeny tiny Kole tang today (for an outrageous price), so I bought him. I have been looking for a tiny Tang for my tank. I have tried everything else, and Tangs seem pretty fool-proof in regards to algae eating. He is picking at the rocks A LOT. So I have my hopes up! As you can tell he has a lot of work to do!

See what the tang police think of this one... *snicker* Tang police aren't bad on here, but I sure wouldn't post this on Reef Central!

PoonTang · #2 11-25-2008, 02:52 AM

OMG thats a serious Valonia problem

Myka · #3 11-25-2008, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PoonTang

OMG thats a serious Valonia problem

Two years of battle too!! I must admit I haven't "pruned" it for 6 weeks.

I'm going to do a big waterchange, and major pruning tomorrow. Just prepping the saltwater now.

PoonTang · #4 11-25-2008, 03:05 AM

Do you syphon them out making sure that the contents dont escape into the tank? I have a few in my tank but i am very careful with them and dont let them get too big. So far i seem to be winning the battle.

banditpowdercoat · #5 11-25-2008, 03:39 AM

nice tang. I dont have much valonia problem. I find one every once in a while tho. Im seeing what I think is Calurpa?

How do you think one of them tangs would fare with a Longnose butterfly???

moldrik · #6 11-25-2008, 04:19 AM

How big is your tank? I was really hoping to get a tang in mine ( it's only a 40 gal ) at least for a while since they take so long to grow up, I figured in the future I'd have to give him away......or upgrade!
________
ipad games

Keri · #7 11-25-2008, 04:36 AM

That right there is some SPECTACULAR bubble algae!! I'm starting to get a lot of it too but I keep putting off dealing with it till I move the rock to the new tank and the urchin from my 27g has a look-see ....hopefully he'll take a liking to it. Nice tang, super cute at that size!

Drock169 · #8 11-25-2008, 04:43 AM

Kole tangs are film algae eaters/detrivores and probably wont touch the valonia, dont mean to burst your bubble.

marie · #9 11-25-2008, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drock169

Kole tangs are film algae eaters/detrivores and probably wont touch the valonia, dont mean to burst your bubble.

I was going to say the same thing but I know how long Myka's been fighting valonia and I hate disappointing people so I clicked the back button instead of submit

Myka · #10 11-25-2008, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moldrik

How big is your tank? I was really hoping to get a tang in mine ( it's only a 40 gal ) at least for a while since they take so long to grow up, I figured in the future I'd have to give him away......or upgrade!

My tank is a 33g. Tangs can grow real fast. I'm one of the last people in the freakin world that would suggest someone buy a "temporary" fish for their tank. I just don't believe in it. BUT, I have been battling this Valonia for a VERY long time, and I have tried pretty much everything else. So I bought this fish not because I wanted a pretty little cute Tang, but because I need him to do a specific job after which I will find him a permanent home somewhere suitable. If he eats all my Valonia he will grow like a bad weed, so I don't expect to have him very long.

Quote:

Originally Posted by banditpowdercoat

Im seeing what I think is Calurpa?

How do you think one of them tangs would fare with a Longnose butterfly???

There is no Caulerpa in the tank. It's almost all Valonia. I have very little algae otherwise. I have no idea about their compatibility with Butterflies. Never had a Butterfly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drock169

Kole tangs are film algae eaters/detrivores and probably wont touch the valonia, dont mean to burst your bubble.

If he doesn't eat the Valonia he better decide on carpet surfing suicide! He's the only teeny little tang i've seen in a long time. Other than Hippo Tangs, but they are ich magnets. They had a teeny Yellow Tang, but he was in their LPS tank, and wasn't for sale (couldn't catch him). I don't know much about Tangs, but I was told to just "get a Tang, it will eat the algae". So I picked exactly the wrong specie or what???

Doing a quick Google I see Kole Tang listed as a Bubble algae eater often though...?

Seriously though, none of the other "tried and true" battle methods have worked yet. I even cooked the rock for a few months, and the Valonia came back. I prune it on every waterchange, which I actually did religiously for quite awhile. I haven't been able to find any Emerald Crabs, but apparently they are very hit or miss as to whether they will touch the Valonia or not. The tank is stable as heck, it's 2 years old now. I run 2 cups of HC GFO in a PhosBan reactor, which I change every 6-8 weeks. Phosphate and nitrate are undetectable on Salifert test kits (been this way for over a year). The fish get rinsed Mysis 2-3x a week. My RO/DI is 0 ppm tds (it's at 1ppm today actually, so time to replace some filters).

My only remaining idea is to up the Kelvin of my bulbs. I currently run Giesemann Midday (6000K) and Giesemann True Actinic 1:1. I'm going to try bluing the tank out, and see if that does anything. It's really just an experimental idea as I know algaes thrive from the red in the light spectrum, so if I up the Kelvin I will lower the red, hence it should make a difference. New bulbs will be in this week I think...