Macro in the display:)

[gmubeach]

I have a 24 gallon nano that has an invasion of macro... its the bubbly stuff that sends out long runners I keep changing up my feeding lights nitrate removel and its not working I've tried to add a algee blenny and new cleaners... slowed it down, but its still there ... manuel removal every other day:) The runners hide in the rock my only hope is that the algee bleny is going to take it over.... things I've tried 8 diffrent types of snails algee cowrie, narussius snails, fighting conch, zebra hermits, algee blenny .... least I don't have hair or cyano bacteria... recently I've tried to let regular green aglee grow in hopes it will out compete the macro... fat chance... now I have green walls and macro, least I've curved its growth alot... water changes help, but literally I pull out like a coffie cup daily.. Next stop doubling the inverts in the tank in hope that their deaths will curve it.... Has anyone tried a algee hare? I'm worried that since it is the winter it won't last as long.... any thoughts anyone???? oh and on a side note remeber the size of my tank 24 gallons plus a 10 gallon refugium doesn't leave alot of room for a tang...or a rabbit fish... I don't want to kill a fish or crash a tank to get rid of it, but it needs to go!

[gmubeach]

KILL KILL KILL I need a weed eater:) anyone got any advice I could really use some out of the box thinking

[zygote2k]

I had caulerpa in my tank and thought that I removed it but still see a runner here and there. I suggest that you aggressively remove as much as possible by hand and with a toothbrush, dental pick, hammer, whatever even if it means removing the rock from the tank. You can replace it with chaeto or dragons breath- both will grow rapidly and should out-compete the other stuff for the nitrate source. If you want any macroalgae, I have plenty. The stuff you have is probably not a macroalgae, it is most likely a single-celled algae.

[Origami]

Given the runners, it sounds like you may have a species of caulerpa in your tank. It is not, as zygote2k, says a traditional macroalgae, but is a single-celled algae.

 

Using a dental pick and aggressively removing caulerpa from my rock was the approach that I took when I first set up my tank using some gulf rock that had the algae growing on it. At first, it was actually attractive but it spread and spread quickly. So I decided that it had to go. To get rid of it, I had to "harvest" the stuff several times over the course of 3 or 4 weeks. Each time, in addition to what I removed, some would die back. In the end, I guess that I removed enough that, when it died back afterward, there was none left.

 

Good luck with your eradication efforts.

[ReeferMan]

Put a small scopas tang in there

[six-line]

One word Foxface- I got a very small one for my 18 gallon and he/she has cleaned almost every bit of macro alage out of my tank. The alage was so bad it was chocking out my GSP.

[gmubeach]

Thanks guys, yes it is probably culpera thats what I thought it was:) Unfortanlty for me I have a ton of rock and no way to get in the cracks I'm going to try and find a fox face or scopa tang today:) when he gets too big its going right back on wamas... I'm sure someone will want him...algee blenny is making a dent, but slowly.... and hes lost alot of the battle... anyway I've seen many tanks with a similar problem its invasive in california and I hope it stays where its from!

 

One more thing I didn't put this in and I have cheato in my refugium.. it came in on some live rock I think.... from another wamas memeber and without a tang or such to eat it its taken over... anyway thanks for the good advice!

[ReeferMan]

i would be interested in the scopas if you decide to go that route

[gmubeach]

I got a scopas today from herdon hes eating it the little bugger is eating it, but yea he seems to just pick spots and move on I want it all gone.... anyway I run uv so I hope hes ick free hes about 1 1/2" and eating! I'm very excited to see him eating he eats both hair, green, and culerupa... while there I also got a deressas and crocea clam and 3 astreas snails and a strombolus conch anyway I hope they mangle the stuff... my six line hates the new fish hes hiding and I havn't seen my algee blenny either weird? anyway I am excited that someone finally eats the green stuff yeyeyyey!

[chucelli]

It will never stop growing unless you figure out what's feeding it and limit that.

Everything else including tangs are only temporary solutions..

[ReeferMan]

if there is light it will grow

[sen5241b]

I've read that the Royal Urchin will eat any algae --even bryopsis.

[gmubeach]

I concure if there is light it will grow:( I've already tried feeding every other day, over skimming, and I have a refugium with another macro the stuff just won't die:( Anyway the tang has been harvesting it all day since I got him I'm very happy with him anyway I havn't seen two of my fish in a day or two so I'm wondering what happend to them over the weekend anyway I pull and pull this stuff is worse then bristal worms and apsteia combined...

 

oh and one more thing someone at the fishstore told me that he has a customer experimenting with magnuism reef builder like joes' juice for culerpula is anyone experimenting with this?

[zygote2k]

Unfortanlty for me I have a ton of rock and no way to get in the cracks

How much rock could you possibly have in a 24 gal tank?

Manual removal can't be that hard to do given the size of the job.

It would be the only way to actually remove it without jumping thru so many hoops with fish and inverts trying to do the same job.

[treesprite]

Troy, for some reason I thought you didn't have a tank up anymore.

[gmubeach]

I sold the new tank:( I took a beating on it anyway heres the story my gf and I broke up and she was supposed to set it up at my brothers and do the mantience "yes" my brother is her roomate/landlord "sucks" as we needed time and I can't see my brother like I used to.... anyway I broke up with her anyway I sold the tank she was supposed to have... she didn't want it and I wasn't going to give a 600+$ present... anyway I have a new gf and shes a great friend and its been 2 months.... Anyway I was the bad guy in the situation so yea I don't spred dirty laundry, but my new gf and I have been going out 2 months:( anyway I'm decently happy now still looking for that dream job or any job...I would take anything other then working at a clothing store or macdonals.... but yea mail room budgeting anything:) I can email resumes if anyone can help.... anyway I got roped into a toturing scam on craigslist they got 9 hours of free labor and the other turots didn't get a single oppertunity... anyway back to the tank problem:( I am almost compeltly covered in very light very porious live rock litterally I have about 6 large pieces and 3 smaller ones... the other problem I have is everytime I remove it my anemoie gets very irriated and moves:( and stings the pants off other things.... the runners are everywhere I do manuelly remove it don't get me wrong....I just have a ton of rock and even more crevices and to get rid of it all I would defenlty need to remove it... its not soo much that I'm afriad of a little hard work as I've scrubed live rock free of culerpa before I just have been battling it for over 6 months now:( I couldn't get it all and every time I get it down to resonable amount it comes back and the worst part is where you break it it sends out roots and comes back twice as strong:) grape culerpa is evil

[treesprite]

My 16g nano, which is now a refugium meant to have macros in it, had some caulerpa growing around in the display section. There wasn't a ton of rock but I had to take pieces out often to pick the caulerpa off of them. It would seem like the caulerpa was all gone, but give a couple days and there it is in the spot that seemed bare.

 

Too bad the anemone can't kill the caulerpa with its stinging.

[gmubeach]

I know, but it will shade it I notice that the calupera won't grow over my red bubble tip:)

[gmubeach]

darn I came home from along weekend and the stuff is out of control again I made sure to pull 90% of it before I left I think its time for an over haul! Tuesday or wensday I'm taking all my rock out and scrubbing it until I can't see anymore of this stuff anyway I tried pulling it agian and it just seems to come back the tang has slowed his chopping!

[lhcorals]

There is a product called Algone, It did wonders for me when i had my 75 Gal. It did work you might want to give it a try.

web site algone.com

[zygote2k]

Don't add un-necessary chemicals to your tank. My next door neighbor used Algone and many other things as well as the algae disappeared. Good animal husbandry is what you are after.

[gmubeach]

Yes I don't know I'd have to really read up on the chemicals before I added them to my tank:) Anyway I'm going scrubbing soon this rock is going to be shiny and algee encrusted!

[gmubeach]

Wow Its diffrent now its more of a leafy algee I may have had a sexual form before now its more of a leafy algee... anyway I'm planning on pulling everything out this weekend or thursday depending on when my friends can come and help me:) Anyway will keep posting I pulled out about 3 yougurt cups today its everywhere

[lhcorals]

I just gave my two cent's. Sometimes we need to look at all options. I dont use Algone anymore. I used it in my 75 Gal. when i had a hair algae outbreak and nothing else seemed to work. It's not a bad product and O.K to consider if all else fails.

[gmubeach]

Oh I know I'm using photoban and pulling it out and trying to get my fish to eat it tomorow I'm removing all the rock and scrubbing it!