Algae bloom just after cycling-Algae - Page 3-3reef Forums

hottielover14 · 04-11-2004, 11:15 AM

yes they all do. theres green,pink,red,purple,and orange.

reef_novice · 01-26-2005, 08:13 AM

Can you tell me if it's normal to have all that green on my LR... *TAKE A LOOK AT MY TANK

Yves

dx7fd2 · 01-26-2005, 09:55 AM

Coralline does need to be on the LR to begin with. The algae blooms should pretty much go in this order:

Diatom (brownish red mushy looking stuff, snails and crabs should take care of this)

Green turf algae (again snails, crabs and some fish will eat this)

Start of green coralline that will look kind of lime colored all over the rock that has no other growth. You should also see the start of some purple and pink coralline that will eventually takeover the green except in the highest light areas.

All of this can take from 6-8 months to a year and a half. Coralline grows slower in high light so you will see it growing faster near the bottom of the rock structures. There are some very good articles about coralline at GARF.org, but don't take everything they say as the only way to do things. Every situation is different.

As you know, undesirable algae is the result of nutrients and phosphates *in the water. *Controlling these two items will control the algae blooms fairly well along with help from our friends the snails and crabs.

Remember when the food source is gone you will need to supplement something for your snails and crabs, especially if you went overboard on stocking the tank with them. I only have about 12 crabs and maybe 20 snails and they eat other stuff when there is no algae.

Drew

hottielover14 · 01-26-2005, 01:45 PM

what can u supplement for the crabs and snails. I have like 45 snails and some have died because i think i've gone too low on algae for them.

dx7fd2 · 01-26-2005, 02:28 PM

Most of my crabs like those algae tabs that are for algae eaters (plecostomus and things like that) the snails seem to go for whatever is left by the crabs. You could try breaking up the algae tabs into smaller pieces. I also have fed the nassarius snails with sinking wafers. It's the same as the flake food but sinks where they can get to them. Most of the other snails will eat just about anything but prefer fresh algae. I know that my Turbo is going through a little dry spell I'll let you know what he goes after.

A lot of people, IMHO, just put too many snails and crabs in as a result of panicking about algae growth and then when they are finished the critters have nothing left to eat.

Drew

hottielover14 · 01-26-2005, 02:32 PM

what kind is best. How long do u leave them in for.

allaboutfish37 · 06-25-2005, 03:59 AM

reff novice ,that's sure alot of green stuff no purple??????????Coralline

SJR · 06-25-2005, 06:36 PM

why is coralline so desireable? Does it have a specific benefit to a tank?

allaboutfish37 · 06-26-2005, 07:06 AM

These “algae” take up carbon for photosynthesis, and calcification where calcium is stored as calcium carbonate within the cell walls. It is also these cell walls that grow across the rock, structuring and holding together the reef set up. Corallines produce a form of magnesium that is beneficial for the invertebrates and the reef environment.

In summary the advantages of coralline algae are that it outgrows the nuisance algae. The healthier the coralline algae growth, the less likely the nuisance algae will grow. Corallines also add lots of color to the aquarium and help to build up a reef tank. It is not the coral that form the reef, it is the coralline algae that cements the particles together thus building the reef.

Last but not least, growing coralline algae is a sign of a healthy environment with good water values. And of course the display of a healthy reef tank is simply stunning

Monacle · 08-02-2006, 08:02 PM

well put all about fish. Couldn't have said it better.