the biggest mistake....

[invertaman]

when I have a 30 watt light over my 20 I just threw some grape caulerpa in the tank and it died...now I upgraded to 65 watts and I got a few corals suddenly I noticed litttle patches of algae and within the next month grape caulerpa...Taking over! no joke...did some survive? How can I elimate this and the hair algae without dismantalling my tank? could i scrub it with a toothbrush because i can pull it all off

thanks,:rollface:

 

[lulaface]

Well, how are your nutrient levels? Do you have a lot of nitrate and/or phosphate? And do you have an algae eating clean-up crew? Some of the grape caulerpa probably survived, yes. It doesn't need a lot of light. In fact, I would guess that it's recent bloom might have more to do with higher nitrate/phosphate than light.

The best critters for algae control are going to be emerald crabs (bad rep but I love them), blue-legged or scarlet hermits, or Mexican turbo snails. Those combined with other scavengers to clean up extra food and keep the nutrient levels in check (turbos, ceriths, nassarius).

 

[invertaman]

I was Thinking off trying the emerald crab or a uxedo urchun. I think I will try some crabs and the emerald. the only algae eating livestock i have is a bleeny and 2 snails so i'll try a few crabs