is it really bubble algea??? or something else???

lucy.lou.glass

New member
hello,
i have what seems to be bubble aglae in my tank. it there are a lot of very small bubbles with some green slimey/stringy like algea around it. other forms of bubble algea that i have seen has larger bubbles that almost look firm.
is this something i should worry about, how can i get ride of it. i was thinking about an emerald crab. i have a20 gallon tank that is about 3 months old now.
any suggestions???
 
Are you sure they are not air bubbles which are often associated with some forms of algae ... try touching/moving some .. bubble algae come in a variety of forms but they have a reasonable hard shell and won't "pop" if you just touch them.
 
it would be almost impossible to touch it with out it popping. thats why i was starting to think that it isn't bubble algea at all. i'll try to get a photo up later tonight.
i was told that i could almost just grab the bubble algea right out from the root, but there is no way i could do that.
i'm also seeing it in the sand a little bit.
if it isn't bubble algea what should i use to clean it up. i ahve some blue legged hermits, about 15.
i was going to get some astraya snails but both stores i went to didn't have any.
i also have that redish/brown algea the collects on the walls and sand. is there any other type of snail i could buy to clean up the walls?
 
Air bubbles collecting on rock and sand is a common occurrence in most new SW tanks -- that's just mother nature at work.

Some nuisance algaes will generate air bubbles .. two of the most common are cyano and dynoflagelates ... whether those are part of the problem or not is unknown .. a picture would help.
 
It is not what most people refer to as bubble algae; Ventricaria, Valonia, etc.

It sound more like a "slime" algae which can be easily removed with most snails, siphoning, or basically anything to get it off its attached location. (it is usually very weakly attached). I would put more investment in snails than an emerald crab, focusing towards Astrea or Trochus.

This kind of growth is common for a new system, right now your populations are fluctuating more than 15 year old female's temper on her .

Good luck :thumbsup:
 
well when i got home today, i noticed that some of the bubbles were also on the suction part of my protein skimmer and filter, and not just on the sand and the rock. is that normal?
i'll work on getting a picture up but i can't find my camera cord right now.... darn roommates
 
Yes, and another problem might be that you are lacking sufficient water movement.

Removal will require patience for the system to mature and the methods listed in posts above.

Good luck, lucy :thumbsup:
 
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