coraline

[Altpers0na-old]

what, if any, kind of creature can i put in my 20g that will/ should eat the coraline off the glass? and anywhere else it grows?

I have 2 emaralds, that havent shown an interest in the coraline yet
an urchin that likes short hair algea and dosnt get on the glass...

 

[sir_dudeguy]

emeralds wont go for it, but there are urchins that will. What kind do you have? Maybe swap it for a different type?

I just use a blade to scrape the stuff off the glass tho. Comes right off.

 

[Altpers0na-old]

I have a pencil urchin i think,

i have been tempted to get a tuxedo but iv heard they dont get on the glass...

 

[SugarFox03]

Why not just scrape it off? It comes off pretty easily.

 

[kathainbowen]

Cheapest method:
Box of a hundred razor blades from Lowes or Home Depot.

More insane method:
Most pin-cushion urchins can plow through coraline (like the blue tuxedo or the orange/white). However, they'll take the coraline off your live rock, knock frags around, and pick up random stuff. Basically, picture how clumsy and careless a big Mexican turbo snail can be, then multiple that by about 10, and that's what some of the pin-cushion urchins can be like.

..... I'd go with the razor blades, but that's just me.

 

[Altpers0na-old]

the best reason i can come up with not to just scrap it is, that my tank is a hex and has lots of corners, lots of unscrappable parts that are covering over with coraline..

 

[kathainbowen]

Yeah, but just think about a big pincushion urchin grabbing your frags and dragging them all over your tank until they just drop them wherever.

Although, my former roommate, Beth, came up with the greatest idea. She used to give hers various types of caulerpa to carry around until the tangs got daring enough to rip it off. It looked like they were wearing different wigs. Super cute! She got the idea after the two of them ripped apart one of those seaweed clips with the fish and the suction cup. One of them was crawling about with a fake-clownfish on its head, while the other had a delicately place suction cup, making it look rather like a boob. *blush*

And, like all of the "algae-eating animals," there's no promise that they'll do exactly what you want them to do. =/

G'luck!

 

[Altpers0na-old]

lol...

my frags are held down pretty well... except for a kenya tree that wont stay put... i guess getting a ride on a tux might be just what it would want...

i didnt think urchins did glass at all...

 

[momentumfoto]

I had a pencil urchin and it loved Coraline like no other... I dont know about the glass though. Give it a try!

blake

 

[Doglover_50]

As it is a good algae, presumably you do not want it removed off your rock?
How about just scrape it where you can and get used to it elsewhere--it's a saltwater reef tank, not freshwater, and with a natural look it'll have crapola growing and buzzing around everything! IMHO, only your front viewing glass should be free and clear--everything else should have stuff growing on it.

Are you saying you scrape your back glass?

 

[Altpers0na-old]

i have not been scrapping the back glass, but then after trying to look at the various stuff in the tank , i find it dosnt have a back really, it has a spot that the skimmer obscures... but otherwise it just lots of sides....

my rocks dont have nearly as much coraline on them as the glass has... the urchin i have might arleady be eating it off the rocks, but my sides are covered....

its tempting to pull out one of the soft corals, and lower the water level for a few days to kill of the coraline on the glass, maybe it will get easier to scrape then...

 

[cherubfish pair]

The coralline growth can keep up with the urchins consumption of it as long as there's enough coralline on enough liverock. I had a pencil that ate off the glass as well.

 

[keithdoc]

My pencil urchin will walk on the glass, but he doesn't do a good enough job to hire him full time. He spends most of his time crawling around my rock work and sticking to the back wall of my AP12. He's cool to watch, but definitely not getting paid to clean off all the coraline.

I've used an old credit card to help move some of the new coraline off the front/side glass. It works great, doesn't hurt me, and actually saves me money (how's that for a rewards card)!