ready to tear it down...green plague!!

[Sk8r]

Just an ecological note from Foster/Smith: hairy pincushion urchins will eat caulerpa and others won't---it seems to indicate that different species eat different weeds.

 

[Divedog]

No problem Rob. Don't know the rest as of yet. I will do some more looking as we have determined in the last year unless you purchase a small army of creatures it is very unlikely anything will have the ability to consume what is being grown in the tank.

I also saw an article that talk about using an antibotic as a way to eradicate it. However, I do not know that the effect would be on corals. Checking into that when I get some time.

 

[levon15]

I had some of that growing on some rock in my tank. I did nto have an outbreak on that scale. I had one-two stalks. I kept picking it off and it kept coming back. I threw the rock in the sump and it dissappeared. It was either the turbos or lack of light that killed it. The sump was holding three very large turbos that then were removed because the ate threw the sump full of cheato.

Those pics scared me I have never seen that grow so thick, usually its hair algae or red slime or something.

Your tank almost glows from that stuff.

 

[scbadiver]

Glows is right. Funny thing, over the years I've already had my battle with the green hair, red slime, green slime, bubble, tufts of byopsis, and even a brown slimey goo that covered everything. I hung in there and beat them all but this stuff is kicking my butt! Just think, that picture is only the front of the tank, I have 8 more feet of identical coverage on the other side!

 

[kentrob11]

Your going to have to dry the rock out for a couple weeks dude. Put it in rubbermaids and stick it in the backyard in the sun. That stuff will never go away unless you kill it all off like that....

 

[Sk8r]

What about some of the shellfish like cowries, limpets, or abalone?

 

[hagfish]

I like the idea of no light at all for a while. But I would think that would risk an ammonia spike if that much of it dies quickly.

 

[chadfarmer]

the problem is this a calcium based algea (not much will eat it and is from one end of the tank to the other end) (probally would fill 3-4, 5 gallon buckets )

 

[scbadiver]

Chad is absolutely correct. He has seen the plague proprtions of this stuff. Thanks for the help too chad!

 

[Im Lon 2]

Have you tried a different PO4 test? Some of them will say 0, and not be correct.

If it was me I would try the black out before I would try anything major. But at the same time pull as much out as possible and then do the black out. If it feeds on CA then try and find a way to lower the CA as low as you can. And like steve said try the UV also at the same time. I have a small one that you can use, I don't know how well it works because I got it when I bought a used system and never hooked it up.

If it comes down to want Kent said the rock would not be a total waste, because it will become live rock again in time.

Is it on the sand bed as well?

 

[ol'saltybastage]

what about pulling the rock out and using an oxygen torch and cooking the stuff? surely the heat wouldnt toast the bacteria deep in the rock and it would sterilize the outside. assuming the rock didnt explode.

 

[scbadiver]

Yes Lonnie it is on the sand bed, on the sump walls, on the flexible return pipe, it's about everywhere. I really dont see that messing with the just the rock itself as an option. I need to find the source, get rid of it and watch it die from there. As a note I looked at the tank for some time the other night and it seems to be lighter green than it was since I got the calcium and alk levels back up where thay belong. Perhaps I'm on the right track. Thanks again to all of you for the input and help.

 

[dela]

Here is a drastic idea.. Why not move the corals out of the tank and into a qtank. Then turn the lights off permanently till it dies off. Maybe you have a low wattage actnic light for feeding time. Will take a few months, but no light will eventually = no plants. Heck, I'd make sure no daylight or room lighting hits the tank either.

Might even be able to use a biodegradeable agaecide during this time since you won't have any corals in the tank.

When the lights go back on, pick a higher kelvin temp on your lights (to reduce the overall PAR).

 

[SoS125]

Probably not what you want to hear but...

I'm a fan of planted tanks. The full tank pics looks great hehe. Make some planted tank guys proud. LOL

Throw in some java moss and an amazon sword. Maybe a few neons and it will rock!

Pull everything out scrub it down with a wire brush put the coral in a q tank and kill the lights for a week? That would be a heck of alot of work.