brown algae up date

[Briney Dave]

I posted a few months back a thread regarding having problems with a brown algae
it grows in dime sized scallops and over grows everything in its path

few had any meaningful suggestions regarding how to solve or even control the problem.

Well, I have found one controll that actually works very well. as suggested via second hand experience I bought a blonde naso. The fish is a pretty good sized fish and very heathy

anyway the fish was hardly in the tank five minutes before he was picking at the algae
in the last two weeks the fish has consumed a huge amount of the pest algae

I was honestly at wits end before this fish and fearful that I would have to remove all the rock for sterile rock I have in storage along with breaking off every coral and cutting away any areas where algae had started

I doubt I will ever be rid of the algae: at least without doing some intensive manual removal as well but the tide has turned on this pest and I could not be happier

I hope this will be of some help to others although there is no promises that a blonde naso will work for everyone but its likely worth your time and effort to try

 

[moondoggy4]

Would you say that the brown algae was a slime type? I have that kind in my 120, very difficult to get rid of.

 

[Briney Dave]

no not the slime types at all (which are more likely not algae but bacteria from the sound of it)
this is a close cousin to the kelps
thick rubbery and worse than brysophysis in terms of how much it can over take corals

the algae came in on a coral plug: I did not see it in qt time but it must have been there. for a couple of years it stayed in one little place or two and looked very natural and nice; I thought it was a pleasant addition. then a stressor event in my tank from poor husbandry and it took off in a boom.
I tried taking rocks out and scrubbing which works to a point but keeps the reef from growing out too
so in reality that is not a solution

I am lucky to have such a big tank as to be able to add a half grown tang without troubles. The fish is already an eating machine

for folks with a smaller tank; maybe you could try forming a rent a tang program within your local club so the fish does not have to be stuck in a tiny tank (under 200)

 

[tektite]

You are describing a type of padina or lobophora macroalgae, nothing at all even close to kelp. Depending on the type, some urchins and crabs like mithrax and emerald may also eat the algae, though it is very hard to completely eradicate.

 

[Briney Dave]

oh you got me
I consider any algae sharing a division; in this case Phylum Phaeophyta to be relatively close to one another. I am fully aware that a division of phylum (depending on how you would like to name the group) does not equate to a close relationship

I mearly meant that the brown pest is more closely related to the kelp and similars than other common pest algae such as green hair

nice save though

 

[tektite]

Ah, gotcha. Sorry, its just one of my pet peeves when people use the terms 'kelp' or 'caulerpa' as the generic name for all macroalgaes, sounded like that's what you were doing. Didn't realize you meant their relation as members of the brown algae phylum.

 

[Briney Dave]

its my bad, I get lazy and don't write out what I mean sometimes (and grumpy before lunch too, sorry)

anyway the real point I want to make is that; and must be qualified (lazy or not) that in my case a blonde naso not only eats this pest but really loves it. I feed three food types through the day but its only the krill dice that lures him away from the constant picking on the rock.

The naso will also take bites from the sheets of dry algae I clip on the side too but not every time the algae is added

I had read two or three different threads from folks who had "heard it works" but not from anyone directly.