red bubble algae?

[brikeibur]

So I have some red bubble algae (I'm assuming) growing in my tank....it has been in there for some time now, and has spread, to about 2 different locations on opposite sides of the tank, but now it seems to be stabile. Not spreading, but not dying either. Just content being where it is.

Anyone have any information on this thing or any advice, like whether it should be ok, or if it should be removed, etc...??

Thanks all!!!!



Also......does anyone know if those are flatworms that are in the second pic....the small brownish dot type things in the bottom left of the pic and on the bottom right of the rock in the front...??

[AQTCJAK]

Emerald Crabs - as for possible flat worms I cant tell

[brikeibur]

Thanks....I had one at one time, but he sorta vanished after we put him in, so I'm not even sure if he is still alive.....I am doubting it, because I haven't seen him in forever...but u never know.

I don't suppose it would hurt to have two though...even if he is still alive.
Thanks a lot Jack!!

[BEELZEBOB]

those are real neat bubble algeas, but BA none the same.

and yes, those done be flatworms.

[vdituri]

How intrusive is that kind of red bubble algae?
Is it as bad as the green valonia species?
I grew my first one. Brikebur beat me to the post. lol

[Frankie]

Very Victor. They can spread easy if popped. Jack already told the cure though. Get a few emeralds.

[vdituri]

But it's so pretty.

If I could find my emerald crab I'd use him.
Lazy sob. lol

I'll pull the rock out and pluck it off.
It still looks uber cool though.

[brikeibur]

For me the bubbles were odd.....at first there were NONE.
Then one day we woke up (it seemed like) and BAM they were in like 6 different spots. Spread really, really quickly.
Now though, they seem to be dormant or something. They have declined down to like an small area on the left and right side of the tank. They also don't seem to be getting any larger (not in diameter, but in area covered) in those spots. They have been like this for quite a while now too.
Perhaps my levels were off, so the bubbles took off, and now the levels are normal so they have stopped spreading?

Dunno....I just know they haven't done much of anything lately. Perhaps I'll just watch them....cuz taking my rocks out to clean them is out of the question!! LOL....way too much work. It takes me HOURS to get them back together right....AND now there is plant life EVERYWHERE...I fear it would be impossible to not squish something if I tried pulling it all out..LOL.

I do like emerald crabs though....that is an option I don't mind doing at all...perhaps I'll buy two this time. Maybe then I could see one of them every now and then.

[brikeibur]

OH....and I almost forgot. Who can give me a little educating on 'flat worms'?
Should I just ignore them or try to treat tank to kill them?
If those are in fact flat worms, we've had them for a while.....
What are the reasons for getting rid of them....I mean, what harm do they do to the tank? Eat ur corals or something?

[AQTCJAK]

flat worm exit made by sailfert works great

[BEELZEBOB]

Originally Posted by brikeibur

OH....and I almost forgot. Who can give me a little educating on 'flat worms'?
Should I just ignore them or try to treat tank to kill them?
If those are in fact flat worms, we've had them for a while.....
What are the reasons for getting rid of them....I mean, what harm do they do to the tank? Eat ur corals or something?

flat worms are like reef herpes.

ima gonna make you google why

[Royalscott]

Scott's tank has a rock of red bubble algae that I bought with zoo's on it. We bought an emerald crab and he doesnt touch it. I took the rock out, super glued the bubbles and then scrubbed the rock. The darn things came back.

[Tru2nr]

ok i had the same problem...my emeralds didn't touch them..they destroyed green bubble algae but didn't touch the red...i had to take the rock out and i used a razor to get the bubbles off without popping them...then i ended up scrubbing the remains and i have yet to see any bubble algae since then

[brikeibur]

The vast majority of flatworms (platyhelminths) are harmless or even potentially beneficial to a reef tank -- like polychaete worms, they are for the most part generalist scavengers that graze opportunistically on a wide variety of things ranging from diatoms, to detritus, coral mucus, recently dead critters and even some live prey such as sponges and tunicates. Flatworms, as a group, are at the same point where "bristleworms" were 2 or 3 years ago they are becoming more common in many reef tanks, and because there are a couple of species that can be problematic (and in this case less problematic than predatory polychaete worms -- flatworm infestations for the most part just "look ugly"), everyone is on a crusade to eradicate them from their reef tanks. However, asking if flatworms are bad for a reef is basically akin to asking if fish are bad for a reef -- there is an *enormous* amount of diversity among the flatworms (actually more than among fish in this example -- about 18,500 species that are currently described and possibly an equal number of undescribed species), and no simple generalizations like this can be ade about "flatworms."
Most of those 18,500 species are actually parasitic and not generally thought of as flatworms in the hobby although they are -- the flukes and tapeworms comprise roughly 75% of those species, but that still leaves between 4000 & 5000 species of turbellarian flatworms that are grouped into 10 orders (which is more impressive when you consider that all stony corals -- of which you can see plenty of variety -- are grouped in a single order). The most commonly occurring orders of flatworms are the acoels, the triclads and the polyclads (but I won't bore you with the details).
Many of the polyclad flatworms are beautiful, and quite a few are actually nudibranch mimics (e.g., check out http://webrum.uni-mannheim.de/klin/s.../flat0087.html for a picture of one of the more spectacular mimics) that are occasionally sold in LFS's as nudibranchs. Regardless of the group to which they belong, many of these flatworms are generalist scavengers, although there are also quite a few that actively prey on small crustaceans (primarily amphipods & copepods), other flatworms, polychaete worms and the like. There are a few that prey on colonial tunicates and sponges, some graze the mucus secretions from corals, and some are actually photosynthetic (or at least contain symbionts that are and gain much if not all of their nutrition from the photosynthetic output of those symbionts). The list goes on, but I think you'll get the idea that there is a lot of difference between the lifestyles of these various species...
As I said above, most of these species are not "bad," and many of the generalist scavengers and saprophytic species can actually benefit a reef tank...

found this on there.....doesn't really make me think of herpes for the reef though...LOL

[brikeibur]

I also read that you should simply leave the flatworms alone, or get a predator to avoid infestation if you wish....

some suggestions are to maybe get a peppermint shrimp, six-line wrasse, or even a canary wrasse.