Best way to get rid of Bubble Algae?

[Bobtail1075]

I have had a few spots of green Bubble Algae but now it seems to be popping up all over the tank. What can I get to get rid of it? I have 1 Emerald crab in there as of now but he does not touch it at all. What else can I get to get rid of it?

Thanks in Advance.
Jeremy

 

[drbronx]

Bubble algae is pesky stuff. As with all algaes, the best approach is to minimize the nutrients that fuel it via sufficient nutrient export (skimming, water changes, refugiums etc). Having said that, once started, it seems to persevere even in well managed systems with low nitrate and phosphate levels. Biologic control can be mildly to very effective. Mitnhrax crabs in my experience has provided very limited contro,l and many aquarists have noted them to occasionally predate on desireable corals. Foxface (depending on the individual fish) can be quite effective. However, sometimes there is no option but to physically remove it from the rockwork. I have done that in one of my displays and it has not (yet) returned. Its a bugger to be sure.

 

[St.james of reefdom]

I agree with the Dr. mithrax crabs are for the most part worthless. I did have a foxface which absolutely loved the stuff, but for the most part I was always removing the stuff manually.
I would always grab a net and net the ones that dropped into the tank or broke off when I was removing them.

 

[jacksonpt]

I have had excellent luck with emerald (mithrax) crabs. I think a contributing factor to my success with them is the fact that they don't have anything else to eat. I feed my tank rather infrequently (once a week or so), so there isn't any scraps for them to pick up. I've never seen one pick at any of my corals.

 

[Piazzon12]

just don't clean them in tank. If the bubbles pop, it releases spores from which many new bubble algaes will grow

 

[POSEIDOMORS]

i just suck them of the rocks with a siphon hose. then if you do pop them most(if not all of the spores ) are sucked into a bucket rather than be distributed throught the tank

 

[Lanceafer]

The only way I get them under control was remove each rock with them and scrub really well in a bucket then rinse in another bucket and then put them back in. They then seemed to move to my sump were I just let them stay because it seems that they might be using all the nutrients there and I have not really seen them in the display for a few months now. Of course I have now cursed myself to a new outbreak.

 

[Bobtail1075]

Thank you all for the comments.. Looks like I may be rescaping my rockwork.. LOL Thanks for all the info.

Jeremy

 

[fordguy1992]

i haxe blue bubble algae is that the same?