Brown Wafer Algae

[6-line]

Or let another macro win the battle

Or let another macro win the battle

I have recently had some Valonia sp. burst through some of the Lobophora (as well as some Zonathids) I don't know if it's the sign of a weakened state of the Lobophora or stronger will of the other creatures. I also noticed my Left-handed hermit chowing down on this stuff, but didn't seem to be doing much.
For anyone with experience of seeing the Emerald Crabs consuming this, will the crabs eat the newer, flatter versions or only the sections that have wafered up on the sides, IOW, are they capable of eating the near-encrusting sections (in my tank, only the matured sections have 'wafered' up, so to speak?
As far as darkness is concerned, I have a huge clump deep inside a cave, so I'm not a firm believer in the photosynthetic requirements of this pest algae. Maybe a little light, and if the rock is inverted there doesn't seem to be any growth on the undersides. . . so lets all turn out rocks upside down for a few weeks and then flip 'em over like burgers to get the other side!

 

[Rowdy]

Day 3, after wire brushing rock free of wafer algae, no new growth except the pink coraline that was still alive underneath is bleaching a little from the lights I would imagine, no spikes to speak of either.
As far as this stuff needing light... I disagree due to my having had this stuff in some of the darker spots on my rockwork, I mean dark enough for my peppermint shrimp to hang there all day.
As far as zooanthid polyps growing through, I have 2 decent sized ones growing on some wafer, but they are brown with green tips so the really don't excite me much.
As far as things to eat this stuff, I had, at a time, about 50 or so tiny snails grazing on this stuff with no progress noticed, but these were tiny like maybe a grain of margarita salt tiny, and I haven't ID them either so don't ask, but I have a mix of adult snails in my tank troceus, turbos, whatevers, I have 1 small snail with a checkerboard shell who rode in on a decent sized trumpet coral who looks pretty cool but stays on the glass mostly and I haven't bothered to ID him either. I saw a slug on the stuff (slug looking thing?) but it wasn't there long.
I have a crab in the tank, only ever see it's claw reach up and grab algae from rocks, not the brown stuff, and if I can, I'll prob. remove him, he seems to have grown since the last time I saw him several months back. I think he will prob. eat something other than algae given enough time. Well, keep the input coming folks, we might get somewhere if we keep trying.
Hey 6-line, how's the algae scrub coming along? Any noticeable improvements?
Thanks for everyone's input, sorry I haven't answered each individual post.

 

[6-line]

Rowdy,
If I had to guess without being absolutely positive, I'd say yes, the caulerpa in my sump has helped to export some nutrients which would have otherwise been used by the lobophora. It's hard to discern, but i believe the spreading of the plague has decreased somewhat, although it is still there and as i mentioned before, things are beginning to poke out from their algae encrusted homes where i though all hope was lost.
Hope it continues; I've ordered an Emerald Crab from an ordering pool from FFE, so it should be in the tank by Thursday--hopefully munching on lobo and not corals.
Todd

 

[6-line]

Emerald Crab

Emerald Crab

Well,
A week after adding the small emerald to my reef and his lack of appearence since, I found it today hanging on the side of a rock ripping off tiny shreds of--you guessed it--coral tissue--no, just kidding. Lobophora! It grips it in those tiny little claws and pulls it off the rock. I had sections where he's been pulling on the attached sheets. excellent. Now i wish I would have ordered more than one. I also have a sudden re-birth of Valonia, so there's more than his share of algae to consume. I'll keep a watch on the crustie to ensure he behaves and eats all of his browns. . .

 

[Phillstone]

Signu, I am liking the idea of starving them of light. A most cunning observation on your part. That way i won't have to try to get out a polyp (or coraline) starved emerald later.

Phill

 

[RFK]

<b>VIVA MITHRAX SCULPTUS!!</b>

 

[Purple Tang]

I to have this wafer algea and 3 emerald crabs. They are not even making a dent in it. I am using RO/DI water now but didn't at the start 6 months ago. This stuff is a real pain.
I had the big wafers already and pulled them off, but it is making acome back. My phosphates test kit says 0 phosphates.
Salifert.

 

[6-line]

So everyone's coming outta the closet now

So everyone's coming outta the closet now

Hey,
Now everyone's coming forth. . .used to be, Brown wafer Algae, what's that? Now it's, I too am a fellow sufferer and a closet Lobophora hater. . .
With as much of the Lobo I have, It will definitely take more than my solitary Mithrax to consume it, especially with the sudden re-emergence of the valonia in my tank. I wonder which is more deirable to the crustacean pallette--green bubbles or brown wafers? I think the bubbles may be, they look like a extraterrestrial candy of some sort....
Strange thing is, the valonia is bursting through the patches of lobo, which is the lesser of two evils? I'd say the valonia. JMO.
Todd

 

[Jisung]

Any new?

 

[Rowdy]

I stand before you a defeated soldier in the Lobophora Campaign. My harsh methods (wire brushing LR) earned only the briefest expulsion of this scourge and now it is reigning terror on all tribes purple, and all tribes pink, and all tribes maroon, even the great tribe of flour. green about the base of my structure has fallen at the cunning swordsmanship of the Lobophoraonly the densest of my purple army remains and I ask myself if all is lost. Oh woe to the reefer who's treasure is foresaken by the dark Lobophora invaders. Tomorrow brings a new crusade, re-scape, add much, much raw HD sand, finalize plumbing on new sump design, and begin reconstruction under the lobophora reign.
Bear wittness reefers one and reffers all, this too could be your fate.

QUESTION; Do any of you run Calcium Carbonate reactors on the systems infected by Lobophora? I am not at this time, but I have everything I need to mad slap one together if all of you say no. Forgive me for not re-reading this whole thread to see indiv. set-ups.
Okay, so how about it? Anyone having success on the Mithrax Campaign or was that just wishful thinking? I just find it hard to believe this stuff is not defeatable.

 

[Sindjin]

BUMP.

Its an old thread but I need the help. I have this brown wafer algae growing on several rocks and I'm not sure how to get rid of it.

My nutrient levels are good...no Nitrates and pretty low Phosphates ( less than .06ppm)

I only have 2 fish in my 120...
Any suggestions?

 

[Samala]

That was one heck of a bump!

This is a very recent, and good, thread on Lobophora. It seems to prefer well run reef tanks that have good light and practically no nutrient problems. Its pretty grazable though, so any herbivores would love it.

What are your two fish in the 120 now?

Weird algae

>Sarah