Need Help - Motivation

[xxxbadfishxxx]

Well my tank has been up for around 2 years now, and everything was going great until a couple of weeks ago. I lost my cleaner shrimp, and then lost my yellow tang like two weeks later. I had a death in the family and started a new job on monday, and am in the stressful process of buying a house, so my tank took a backseat for a little while. It wasnt neglected, but those weekly water changes turned into every three weeks, or even a month. I did have a slight cyano problem, not horrible, but i switched out the bulbs on my power compacts, and seems to be doing a lot better.

However, since the death of my yellow tang, i have been getting hair Alage, not much, but its getting worse. I never seen an inkling of it over the two years until my tang died. I am also getting some sort of red bubble alage. I kind of dont want to get a tang right now since i know they dont do good with moves, I will go out tommorow and restock my snail population since its pretty much nothing right now. What else can i get to take care of this hair alage and this red bubble alage? I hear that emerald crabs will take care of bubble alage, but i dont want them mowing over my corals like i heard they sometimes do. Do you think a Queen Conch, some Turbos, and maybe a lawnmower Blenny will take care of the problem.

Here are some pictures.

I want to eventually upgrade to a 75 or 90 after the move, but i want my 50 to be pristine like it used to.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[outy]

red bubble algea is tough even with perfect water. manual removal is best trying not to pop the bubbles.

as far as HA i would check your phosphate,s they will probably test 0 though, the HA eats it as fast as it enters.

if you dont have some kind of phophate management fuge or a phosban reactor i can bet thats your HA problem

 

[xxxbadfishxxx]

So emerald crabs are not the answer to the Bubble alage? How would one go about manual removal?

 

[theatrus]

Emeralds may help control outbreaks, but they don't go devouring everything in sight.

When I'm doing a waterchange, I use the end of the siphon hose to break out and scrape off the bubbles, which captures everything inside of them as well. The other method is to pick off the big ones - just slowly wiggle them back and forth until they come free.

 

[xxxbadfishxxx]

will try that in tommorows water change, thanks.