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More newb questions on calcareous algae

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unstable
Post subject: More newb questions on calcareous algae
Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 10:08 am
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So my tank is pretty much kicking along, haven't had any of my fish friends die and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this event doesn't happen anytime soon.

I'm a big fan of the coralline algae and have been trying to promote the growth of it. This is coming along nicely, it takes patience I'm finding!

I am curious about calcareous algae as a whole. I was under the impression that coralline algae was PINK or PURPLE, however; I recently read that GREEN is another calcareous algae type.

I have noticed in my tank that I'm getting hard pink spots on the glass (and power heads). But I'm also getting hard GREEN spots. I do have some slimey green algae too, but I'm wondering if the hard green spots are...desireable.

So that's the question for today.
Are hard green algea spots...desireable?


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Admin
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:43 pm
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a picture would help
but generally speaking
yes
...the bad algaes in your reef tank
are green slime
red slime
hair algae
...bubble algae is not good either
...the good algaes are
brown diatom algae
and of course
purple coralline algae
...basically anything that grows that is not harrassing the corals is good

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unstable
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Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 3:29 pm
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I'll shoot a picture of it when I have a chance.

I do have some greenish algae that seems to grow in sheets on the walls of the tank. This stuff comes off pretty easily with the scrubber.

But what I was inquiring about is these green patches. They are very similar to the purple/pink algae that grows on the walls of my tank but they are GREEN.

A scrubber will not take this stuff off, I have to use a blade! It's definitely a different beast from the typical green algae that is slimey.


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TheFishGuy
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Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 9:35 pm
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hard algae = good
soft algae = bad

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unstable
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 9:29 pm
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that pretty much sums it up...thanks. I've got a good variety of different algaes growing. I've got some really dark red, deep purples, pinks and some greens.

I cleaned my filter and did a water change today and I found a little baby bristleworm in my filter media. I really need to do something about these guys. Maybe I will try the arrow crab. I wonder if ned has one in stock?


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TheFishGuy
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:14 pm
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I think he has 4 or 5 in stock right now

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unstable
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:57 pm
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I was planning a trip out to neds either today or tomorrow but my kid came down with a fever, so I decided to hit up the LFS instead. Grabbed an arrow and I tossed him in my 10 gallon quarantine tank that I've got a couple of rocks in that are infested with bristleworms.

I just wasted 45 minutes watching him rip a bristleworm into pieces. Maybe I'm a sadist but it brought a smile to my face because I really, really dislike those worms. Some of them have grown to "scary-big" lengths.

From what I have read, the Arrow should be housed in aquariums 100 gallons or bigger. Unfortunately not even my main tank is that big. As much as I appreciate him killing the bristleworms for me, the damn Arrow Crab is pretty high on the "creepiness" scale also.
I don't intend on keeping him for his lifetime. Hopefully I can rotate in all of the infested rocks into the 10 gallon tank, allow him to knock down the bristleworms and then take him back into the fish store. Sound feasible?

I'll tell you something nasty. I was cleaning out my filter yesterday, and I've got some of that porous rock media in a filter tray that I figure works just like live rock once it matures. Inside the tray I seen a bristleworm! That can't be good.


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TheFishGuy
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 7:28 pm
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The arrow vrac will be fine in your tank for many years to come. He is a peaceful critter except to another arrow crab.
The fact that he is so creepy is what makes him such a cool animal.
I would just toss him in your main tank and let him do what he does best. By rotating out your rock, all you are doing is creating a lot more work for yourself.
yes you will find bristle worms in your filter. You will find them everywhere. Having them in your filter is not a bad thing at all. All the things in your aquarium help keep your tank an established environment. As long as you aren't trying to keep clams or scallops, there is nothing that the worms will bother.

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unstable
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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:24 pm
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ok thanks for the heads up. I read so many differing opinions on this hobby that it's tough to decipher what is truth and what is fiction.

I'll work on getting "ALIEN" into the main tank. I plan on doing some rearranging in the future and maybe adding some more corals, so that is when that will happen.


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