Sally lightfoot crab

dmbnpj

New member
I have heard that these are excellent for eating green hair algae. Has anyone had any experience with this? Also, are they incompatable with any other species in a reef tank?
 
If you want to get rid of the hair algae , find the source.
But if you really want something to eat hair algae get a foxface.
sally's can become fish killers and you will be hard pressed to get it out.
 
By 'find the source' kingfisher means you've got phosphates...if your tank is new, the source is the live rock. If you could establish a refugium it would solve the problem outright.
 
I think my source was feeding old spoiled frozen food. I have an established tank with good water and no phosphates. I am now just trying to rid the existing hair algae. I do have a refugium and now am just looking for something to eat this stuff. I have tried a lawnmower blenny, yellow tang, and added 350 blue legs hermits to no avail.
Had a friend recommend a sally lightfoot but I am worried about imcompatabilities with other tankmates.
 
350 hermits? Is that all you see in your tank?

I am battling a HA problem too. Tried a lawnmower and a seahare. Both just disappeared. Did some reading on here, and now I am trying to get of the phosphates.
 
STAY AWAY!!! I've have one in my sump now....... used to be in the main tank. Was impossible to catch until i moved and had to move the tank.
Did nothing to control algea. Did a great job of killing and chasing my fish. The only thing it would eat was silversides and if it didn't get it's fill would find somthing else to eat when it got larger. This thing would even go after my "10 sailfin. This thing is responsible for killing fish and inverts. Couldn't even keep shrimp in my tank for 6 hours and most of my snails are now hermit shells.
They are fine when small but very aggresive when larger and the only way to get it out is a total tank tear down.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11646345#post11646345 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by el Deutche
350 hermits? Is that all you see in your tank?

I am battling a HA problem too. Tried a lawnmower and a seahare. Both just disappeared. Did some reading on here, and now I am trying to get of the phosphates.

You would think, but the hermits were very very very small. I was disappointed upon their arrival. Got them off the internet so I didnt know how small they were until they arrived.

For your phosphates, add a two little fishies phosban reactor 150 and use GFO media. Took my phosphates to zero in a couple days.
 
I'm planning on adding a phosphate reactor Precision Marine), In the process of buying a new house, so I will get it when I move (only couple of weeks). So right now I am just pulling as much out as I can, skimmer going non-stop, etc.

Hope you get your problem under control. Also, maybe see if a LFS will buy the hermits off of you.
 
I'm telling ya go with a foxface,and make sure you rinse out your frozen foods those juices reak havoc. You could leave the lights out a couple of days and then siphon and physicaly remove as much hair algae as you can.
 
fox face wont help..at least for me it didnt....sally light foot might help hit or miss mine doesnt eat the hair algae....snails should take care of it.........or u can carefully cut it/scrape it off....run a phos reactor
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11646614#post11646614 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kingfisher62
and make sure you rinse out your frozen foods those juices reak havoc.

Do you do this by using a strainer? Only frozen food I have left now is cyclopeeze. I dont think I need to rinse that for it is in a frozen bar.

Also, already removed as much as possible by hand. Phosphates are very small to nil but the hair algae keeps growing back. Ive also tried lights out for a couple days which also did nothing.
 
Just use a fine fish net .I use it with my cyclopeez and it works well.

If the hair algae is that bad it is very possible that it is absorbing the phosphates ,and nitrates so fast and efficiantly that water tests read as perfect water.

when I mentioned shutting the lights off for a couple of days it seems to help loosen the foot hold so it easier to siphon out.

But your algae is getting nutrients from something.
can you post a picture of the tank?
what type of filtration are you using?
what is your source water and have you tested it?
How many fish?
how often do you feed?
what type of substrate?

These answers might help us help you.
 
I will try to get a good picture tomorrow.
It is a 75 gallon tank with about 100-150lbs of LR, ASM G3 skimmer, 10 gallon refugium with macroalgae that overflows into a 20 gallon sump, phosban reactor using GFO media, turnover is approx. 4000gph, typhoon III RO with TDS 000ppm, fish include (yellow tail damsel, tang, mandarin, lawnmower blenny, clown goby, lamarks angel, clown), 2 cleaner shrimp, 4 peppermint shrimp, 1 cucumber, many snails, many many blue legs, feed once/twice per week, crushed coral mixed with aragonite substrate that has been in the tank for 3 years.
 
Also run a calcium reactor and top off using a kalkwasser reactor.

And have (2) 250 watt reeflux 12k metal halides with a TEK T5 reactor that has (2) 54 watt actinics for lighting.
 
Sounds like a good setup!
I am wondering if it is your crushed coral, I think that is the problem with my 55g tank .I can never seem to get my trates below 10ppm (usually higher) but that is a FOWLR .The CC seems to allow sediment to sink into it!
 
hmm, well if it is the CC, Is the only way to fix the problem to dismantle the entire tank and replace it with a sandbed of aragonite only?
 
And here are some pictures:

t3.jpg


t1.jpg


t4.jpg


t2.jpg
 
dmbnpj, Do you ever vaccum the substrate?I do that occasionally and I am amazed at how much crap I pull out.

Look on the bright side, your tang looks well fed,he must love all that salad.
 
If I'm honest, nothing bets removing it ith your hand! If you get something to eat the HA, the phospahate is still in the tank. I would let it grow in areas that its easy to pick off (glass is best) and when you remove it from your tank your removing the PO4 and NO3 with it! Its just the same principle as harvesting any other macro algae. It may also be of benifit to turn your lights off for 3 days.
 
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