OCD will drive me nuts - coraline algae

[LeRenard]

You're all talking about OCPD by the way, not OCD. It's actually a different thing

If it makes you feel better, I can't get coralline to grow. I've got some on my rocks but it doesn't spread.

 

[reef tank 2.0]

LeRenard - just looked that up, that is the correct title!!

i am OCPD

 

[Goldmund]

Honestly I think you'll need to scrape it every day or every other day. I gave up on the back and overflows, too much work for minimal gain.

 

[CStrickland]

You're all talking about OCPD by the way, not OCD. It's actually a different thing .

I was talking about OCD. I give posters the benefit of the doubt that they know their own mind. When it comes to OCD this benefit is often not well-placed because there are a bunch of nincompoops running around being all "omg I'm so ocd I always wash my hands after I go to the bathroom!!1! So twee! much attention!!" That's irritating to me because I know someone who can barely leave the house and has a pretty miserable life because their OCD doesn't respond to treatment.

But whaddayagonnado. I figure if op is legit I might as well try to help, if they are a nincompoop no harm done.

 

[dbl]

I'm not going to try to label myself as I would fall somewhere between OCD and a nincompoop! But I too do not like the look of the coralline on the glass. My setup is a peninsula so it's "necessary", and rather easy, to keep the three sides clean. I gave up long ago trying to keep the fourth (wall side) clean. As others have said, you will find many other things to distract you. As Coelli said above, I too recommend The Flipper. I can get all three sides with the pad or blade, and never get my hands wet. Used everyday or two for just a few minutes and it keeps it under control - at least on the viewable panels!

 

[LeRenard]

I was talking about OCD.

I should have known better than to say "all of you" when I should have said "some of you" in a thread about OCPD/OCD. :spin1:

 

[CStrickland]

Hehehe

 

[Coelli]

I wonder if a reef tank is a good idea for someone with OCD/OCPD - seriously, it will never be exactly the way you want it and there are SO many things to obsess about -

Water parameters
Lighting
Livestock health
Water levels
Flow
Disappearing/reappearing livestock
Feeding too much/too little
The various pests that come and go (flatworms, vermetid snails, hydroids, etc.)

I mean it goes on and on and on... I'm not OCD and I've still lost sleep over wondering what's going to go wrong next. Not three nights ago I woke up at 4:45am to pee and decided to check on the sea hare I'd just added. I wound up standing on a stepstool at 5AM in my tank top and panties with a latex glove on my hand and my arm to the shoulder in my 24" deep tank to retrieve a mini maxi anenome that disengaged and wound up upside down next to my torch coral.

This is what having a reef tank is. It can be relaxing but there's never a dull moment and it's not predictable. At times I find it actually stressful, although of course it's rewarding enough I keep going. Just wondering for the true obsessive-compulsive if it might not be a good thing, but that's something the person should evaluate before jumping in!

 

[DaveRaz]

I wound up standing on a stepstool at 5AM in my tank top and panties with a latex glove on my hand and my arm to the shoulder in my 24" deep tank to retrieve a mini maxi anenome that disengaged and wound up upside down next to my torch coral.

That's hawt:lolspin:

 

[Martini5788]

My advice? Put on some bob Marley and let it be. If you are worried about the overflows specifically, I was reading a few weeks ago about people placing corals
On the overflows. I think it was gsp and playing monti. You would have to trim the gsp back, but just a different idea for you
To consider

 

[Sk8r]

coralline is part of the natural coloration of the environment, and it pretty well will encrust anything that stands still---or not: it's on the hermit crabs' shells. And living snails. On my older rocks it's so thick it blurs the original textures of the rock, kind off like melted ice cream. Keeping it off glass---not too hard if you have a razor. Acrylic---it's a problem.

 

[billdogg]

I have tried many algae scrapers over the years. I am now certain that everybody needs to buy a Flipper Aquarium Algae Magnet Cleaner. The regular size (for tanks to 1/2" thick) goes for $39.99 at marinedepot. It is hands down the best I have ever used. It takes a little practice to learn how to flip it, but once you figure it out it's easy and works at least as well as a razor blade without sticking your arm in the tank.

 

[Sk8r]

Yep. It's a learning curve, but I can now flip the thing pretty easily, and with a tank deeper than my arm is long, it's a very, very good invention.

 

[reef tank 2.0]

I had to revisit my OP on this matter and read all the way back through it. A lot of good info I forgot about here.

I actually just asked Billdogg about his scraper.......If I revisit post #32, I get my answer.

I will definitely try the flipper........Anything to keep 3 of the 4 sides clean

 

[Sk8r]

It's all in point of view, ie, how you look at it. Let the coralline and encrustations cover your back wall so that it has the look of natural rock or a wooden pier, and just call it naturally oceanic.

Otherwise, you'll be scraping once a week.

 

[billdogg]

What Sk8r said. I don't touch the back glass at all unless there is a BAD hair algae problem. Otherwise - hands (and scrapers) off