Algea control in a small tank

[milhouse74]

Hey all, I have a 7.6 gallon nano in my cube at work. It has a 70 Watt 13k Bulb over it. It has a mixture of LPS SPS and Softies. It has a few Emerald crabs, 3 blue legs, 2 nassarius, 2 Cerith and an Astrea.

I am pushing water with a cheap hang on that I run purigen in and a maxi 400. I am having Algea problems that I guess would be hair algea, but seems more brownish then green. It also isnt long like I have experianced in the past, but more just coats things with a "stringy" type algea. I have cut off the source of the polutents as soon as I noticed it coming, so maybe this is a hair algea bloom that never really got a chance to bloom and is dying? Or does it sound like something else?

What will eat it?

Thanks!!!

David

[Jessezm]

It's cyanobacteria--not actually a true algae, but a real pain in the arse... How long has your tank been setup? many tanks go through a cycle of this as they're maturing, but it's also a sign of excess pollutants. Cutting down feeding is a good idea, but you also want to be diligent about vacuuming the stuff out with a small syphon (it comes up easily) and weekly water changes with RO/DI water (I hope you're not using anything less!)

I had pretty much the same setup--same tank, lights, inhabitants, etc--and never had cyano, even though I fed the tank like crazy.

[milhouse74]

Nah, not cyano, I know that one well. I really think it is a hair algea bloom. Cyano is a b!tch, and I have battled it before, thankfully this isnt that. I think it is hair that is dying and thats why it is browning, I have cut off its food source and started doing more frequent water changes.

Want something that will eat this though to get rid of it quicker, and keep it from the dead algea from rotting away in the tank.

[Melissa]

I have a 2.5 nano which is the cleanest tank I've ever seen. I think the reason it is so clean is because I have several large hermit crabs and a big unknown crab that looks like it could be very similar to an emerald crab. The tank is mainly to house these large hermits that pick on my tiny hermits in the main tank. They devour algae - I actually add rocks with algae on them from my main tank for them to clean off. Overnight, the algae is gone.

The tank has only an aqua clear mini for filtration in addition to the LR.

One of the hermits is a blue leg that lives in a large cerith shell and another hermit is in a turbo shell. I don't know what kind of hermit it is, but it is not carnivorous. He is large enough that he knocks over frags in my big tank, so I moved him to the little tank where he can knock over all the stuff he wants to.

Try adding some crabs. After they clean up the tank, you can keep them happy by feeding sinking pellets. Also, add some carbon.

Melissa

**edit

I looked up the other hermit in Calfo's Reef Invertebrates. It is a Clibanarius seurati. They are the same genus as blue leg hermits that are very common. This crab was a hitchhiker on my LR.

[milhouse74]

I had a 12 gallon nano cube, and that had a hair outbreak, I got 2 snails and literally over night it was gone!!!!

Wish I could remember the type. Think I got them at CBA.

[Loverotties]

If you usr ro/di water and do your water changes that's all you need to do.It keeps it from getting food to survive.

[Loverotties]

Good lighting too!

[milhouse74]

I have been, I use ro/di for changes and top offs. There was a reason this started (feeding something that was in there on a temp basis) Now it is dying off, but still in the tank. I would rather have it eaten.

[milhouse74]

The lighting is a 70 MH 13K bulb. I had to retro it into a desk lamp. I got it locally from aquabuys.