Recent outbreak of bubble algae???

[spankey]

Lately I have been noticing bubble algae popping up here and there. Is there anything that eats this? I tested the tank and its fine no phosphates or nitrates....

Mainly SPS dominant.....

Can anything help?

I know not to pop them as I have been told it releases the spores in the tank and then it would spread.

Thanks
Spankey

 

[rssjsb]

Supposedly, emerald or red mithrax crabs will eat it, but they are reported to cause problems when they reach adult size (I have no experience with them, so this is entirely second-hand).

My pincushion urchin also appears to eat it. I didn't really expect that, but there you go.

 

[spankey]

I have had emeralds and they don't touch it? Also you are correct, when they reach adult size they start to eat your corals. I had one that eventually turned black when adult and was 7 inches from claw tip to claw tip......

I heard you can inject them with hot water? The bubble algae that is...

I might try that...

Thanks

 

[graveyardworm]

The only thing which has worked for me was manual removal, and competition for available nutrients with fast growing macro. Emeralds are hit or miss, Foxface Rabbitfish are hit or miss, Urchins possibly but are very clumbsy

 

[lecher]

My foxface eats it like beer nuts. Haven't seen it anymore since adding him 5 months ago.

 

[piercho]

There are several algae called 'bubble' algae. I've had a few of them and the only one that has been a hard problem to control is Ventricaria. It forms large, tough bubbles that can grow in low-light conditions as well as high light. Grazing animals I have tried (urchins, Siganus) have a hard time getting ahold of Ventricaria. If you have one of the other bubble algae IME they are relatively tender and tend to get grazed if you have a robust grazer like Siganus in the tank. IME a large Diadema urchin will graze Ventricaria but not preferentially and only where it can get at it - not down in crevices or at the base of stony coral where it tends to occur.

Horge mention Echinometra urchins in his article. I've been experimenting with small Echinometra for the last year and can't say if they are particularly effective against Ventricaria yet. They grow more slowly than Diadema and cover less territory. It seems to me something from the sea slug family would be more effective, but I haven't played much with sea slugs.

Once Ventricaria is established in a tank I don't think that it really makes any difference wether you rupture the vesical or not. Grazers will rupture the vesical, anyway. Maintaining low organic nitrogen levels slows down the rate that it spreads, IMO. It seems to occur more in crevices and eddies where detritus settles so following the typical SPS strategy of strong random water flow (to keep detritus in suspension) and aggressive skimming should help, IMO.

 

[redox]

anyone with putkani live rock in their system will see that stuff at some point. I think that rock is a carier of it

 

[graveyardworm]

I wouldnt put a finger on the BA coming from just one location. Its fairly to common and native to many places. If I remember correctly there are even temperate species.

 

[piercho]

Ventricaria is present in all oceans where rock is collected. I also think that it propogates readily between rocks in dealer's rock holding tanks, making it likely that any new rock will carry Venticaria.