algae problem

[seastarUSC]

Is there something I can do to GET MORE algae to grow on the walls of my tank? I have a lot of algae eaters (urchins, starfish, serpent stars, limpets) and I want to make sure they don't starve.

The tank has 25lbs of TBS rock and is now fully cycled but I never really got a big algae bloom, just a little brown algae on the side and not even that much now.

Help please!

 

[Fountainhead]

Well, I'm just a dumb newbie, but how long are you running your lights? Maybe try keeping them on longer?

 

[PRC]

The stars will eat most anything you feed. The urchins should be fine though you can feed them dry sheet seaweed if you want. I wouldn't worry about the limpets.
If you really want more algae then leave your lights on longer and feed more, but you probably don't really want this. More yellow light will generally help algal growth as well, though most people don't like the way it looks. Bluer light will typically inhibit algal growth.

 

[8~LiQuiD~8]

Find a grocery store with a sushi area. Buy a bag of "Sushi Seaweed" (around $1.50). Tear off small pieces and get a tank clip to clip it to the glass. I got it to feed my Tang but always seem to see it being devoured by the urchins, snails, and crabs. If it is algae you want, you can add it that way, as well as non-floating algae pellets.

 

[kp1917]

Let sunlight hit your tank and BAM! My fresh water has sun hit it for about a half an hour and the parts of the tank that are lit get instant algea growth.