rickkott13
New member
why is bubble algae bad beside making our tank looks bad?
Question about Bubble Algae spores
- Thread starter Saldarya
- Start date
Aquarist007
New member
it overtakes the tank very rapidly, overtakes the rock, overtakes corals and kills them, the fish won't eat it to mention a few reasons
I've become philosophical about bubble algae. If it were rare, we'd think of it as a nice texture---and certainly no other algae grows where it is. Anything that eats it, pops it, and spores spread. But it's more or less a phase: eventually its bubbles age into opacity, turn white, and something more obnoxious grows in its place...except where coralline algae covers it and makes interesting shapes. Otherwise I just wait for the phase to pass.
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
Yeah my visitors always love the big marble looking bubbles with coraline on them. I don't bother telling them that it is considered "bad stuff". 
Aquarist007
New member
Don't you feel that in a new tank steps should be taken to curb its growth---if anything so that corraline algae can establish itself and limit the realestate for bubble algae etc??
lvreefer
New member
People with emerald crab success; can you give us more details?
Do you have any pics of the crabs? Color? Description? Size?
Did you continue to feed your fish or change your feeding habits?
To comment on Zebrasoma sp. Tangs, after I pop some bubbles, my purple eats the remaining skin.
Other fish reported to eat bubble algae are rabbit fish. I’ve been trying to find a LFS with a small fiji two bar (Siganus doliatus) to try. Show Naso sp. are also reported to eat the stuff.
Do you have any pics of the crabs? Color? Description? Size?
Did you continue to feed your fish or change your feeding habits?
To comment on Zebrasoma sp. Tangs, after I pop some bubbles, my purple eats the remaining skin.
Other fish reported to eat bubble algae are rabbit fish. I’ve been trying to find a LFS with a small fiji two bar (Siganus doliatus) to try. Show Naso sp. are also reported to eat the stuff.
mtlreef25
New member
got rid of it all!!!
got rid of it all!!!
For two years I had this problem with the nice little bubble, you call it first,(how cute and green) then it overtakes the tank in no time... it's not nice anymore! I've tried almost everything from better skimmer to herbivorous and just when I was about to give up... I took all the rocks out of the tank, scrub them under fresh water...even put some under sunlight for 2 or 3 hours hoping it will kill the pores or whatever I wished to be killed! I even discarded the rocks taht were too much infested...Then I made a 75% water change... put on a UV sterilizer in a last effort of getting rid of this crap... I went to the fishstore and got 2 emerald (I had a couple before but they never seemed to touch the algae).... It's been 3 weeks now and the tank is strip clean of bubble algae!!!!!!!! I still harvest some on the power head intakes but the crabs eat the small and new ones... and I must say I don't see many growing now, perhaps 2 or 3 sometimes...
I know it's only been 3 weeks but before the bubbles were back within a week or so! Well I think I solved the problem (adding the UV cost an extra 130$ + crabs + all the trouble of doing it but worth it!) Never give up...it's a real pain but it's possible to get rid of it... I wouldn't panic if I see a couple sometimes.. I will just put my weed-eater through it anyway!
Good Luck to all!
got rid of it all!!!
For two years I had this problem with the nice little bubble, you call it first,(how cute and green) then it overtakes the tank in no time... it's not nice anymore! I've tried almost everything from better skimmer to herbivorous and just when I was about to give up... I took all the rocks out of the tank, scrub them under fresh water...even put some under sunlight for 2 or 3 hours hoping it will kill the pores or whatever I wished to be killed! I even discarded the rocks taht were too much infested...Then I made a 75% water change... put on a UV sterilizer in a last effort of getting rid of this crap... I went to the fishstore and got 2 emerald (I had a couple before but they never seemed to touch the algae).... It's been 3 weeks now and the tank is strip clean of bubble algae!!!!!!!! I still harvest some on the power head intakes but the crabs eat the small and new ones... and I must say I don't see many growing now, perhaps 2 or 3 sometimes...
I know it's only been 3 weeks but before the bubbles were back within a week or so! Well I think I solved the problem (adding the UV cost an extra 130$ + crabs + all the trouble of doing it but worth it!) Never give up...it's a real pain but it's possible to get rid of it... I wouldn't panic if I see a couple sometimes.. I will just put my weed-eater through it anyway!
Good Luck to all!
currentking
New member
I got 2 emrald crabs for my 65 and within 2 weeks it was all gone. The crabs don't harm any coral
Aquarist007
New member
from what I read on another thread --there are two or three species of emeralds--you have to ask an "informed" LFS (I realize that isome might feel this is an oxymoron
) to see if they have the ones that will eat bubble algaeSimilar threads
