New Algae Problem....

[Mort]

Here's an interesting one...

I have a 75g reef been up for about 5 monts now. 60lbs LR & 4" DSB.
I use RO/DI water and I have had a handful of different algae outbreaks.

Now I have a DARK GREEN film that is growing on the sand and you can
actually see "pearling" (bubbles forming on it) on the algae.

The bubbles are clear and rise to the surface when stirred.

I have a decent cleaning crew of various snails and crabs.

I've never heard of this algae and it is very unsightly.

Should I be concerned? In some spots it is starting to look like a hair
algae.

Also, I saw a neat fish at the LFS today called a sleeper Goby or a Diamond
Goby (two different fish but they do they same thing)
They actually scoop up a mouthful of sand and sift it through their gills
and out the back (of their gills)

The guy at the LFS did say that they are delicate and I'd be lucky if it
lived a year so I didnt want to get it in fear of I may have too much algae
and it might get overfed.

So, should I get the goby? Will the algae clear up by itself?

TIA

~Mort

[MakitaSalesRep]

I have had a gold head sleeper goby for almost a year with no problems. They
are fun to watch but they are non-stop diggers. I finally moved him to a 55
gallon tank with a few damsels so I didnt have to worry about him throwing sand
on everything that was within 8 inches of the bottom of the aquarium.

[Mort]

I would actually welcome that problem. I've added a couple of critters to
stir the sand and they end up perching on the LR like my cucumbers =\

These gobies look really cool.

~Mort


"MakitaSalesRep" > wrote in message
...
> I have had a gold head sleeper goby for almost a year with no problems.
They
> are fun to watch but they are non-stop diggers. I finally moved him to a
55
> gallon tank with a few damsels so I didnt have to worry about him throwing
sand
> on everything that was within 8 inches of the bottom of the aquarium.

[Mort]

Good question. I havent researched them yet but is that all they eat?
The sand at the LFS looked spotless and there were two in the same tank.
Maybe the infauna grows quickly enough.

Also, if they are eating the infauna, is that bad for your DSB?

~Mort

"Jimmy Chen" > wrote in message
...
> > The guy at the LFS did say that they are delicate and I'd be lucky if it
> > lived a year so I didnt want to get it in fear of I may have too much
> algae
> > and it might get overfed.
>
> The problem isnt going to be overfeeding, but rather underfeeding. What
will
> the goby eat after it cleaned up your algae and the sandbed's infauna?
>
> jc
>
>

[Richard Reynolds]

> Good question. I havent researched them yet but is that all they eat?

no they take to most normal fish foods nicely, they still dig up the sand though :(

> The sand at the LFS looked spotless and there were two in the same tank.
> Maybe the infauna grows quickly enough.

nope :( however most LFS's ive been do dont really care. for them nutrient export is the
weekly/monthly waterchanges. and an ignore until bad policy.

> Also, if they are eating the infauna, is that bad for your DSB?

yep end of the world for a DSB, ALSO there tearing into the sand removes the anoxic zones
causing your DSB to be come a big pile of sand. not the end of the world but if you have a
DSB in your display tank its bad.

>
> ~Mort

--
Richard Reynolds

[Rod]

>> Good question. I havent researched them yet but is that all they eat?
>
>no they take to most normal fish foods nicely, they still dig up the sand
>though :(
>

IME, they rarely eat prepared foods, then end up depleting all of the necessary
critters from your sand bed.

>> Also, if they are eating the infauna, is that bad for your DSB?

Yes, very bad
Rod Buehler
www.asplashoflife.com

[Jimmy Chen]

> The guy at the LFS did say that they are delicate and I'd be lucky if it
> lived a year so I didnt want to get it in fear of I may have too much
algae
> and it might get overfed.

The problem isnt going to be overfeeding, but rather underfeeding. What will
the goby eat after it cleaned up your algae and the sandbed's infauna?

jc

[Todd W]

They are also prone to jumping. I have tried three times to introduce a
new yellowhead to my tank. My original pair died after a year or so.
Every time I tried to re-intorduce them to my tank the new guys took a
high dive to dehydration within a couple of days. I would suggest a
glass cover atleast for a few days any way. Cool fish though. I wish I
could have one again.

Todd

[Marc Levenson]

Using eggcrate (a light diffuser) will work well and not trap excessive heat in
your tank.

Marc


Todd W wrote:

> They are also prone to jumping. I have tried three times to introduce a
> new yellowhead to my tank. My original pair died after a year or so.
> Every time I tried to re-intorduce them to my tank the new guys took a
> high dive to dehydration within a couple of days. I would suggest a
> glass cover atleast for a few days any way. Cool fish though. I wish I
> could have one again.
>
> Todd

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[Mort]

I posted a few pics in A.B.A...

y.com


~Mort




"Mort" > wrote in message
y.com...
> Here's an interesting one...
>
> I have a 75g reef been up for about 5 monts now. 60lbs LR & 4" DSB.
> I use RO/DI water and I have had a handful of different algae outbreaks.
>
> Now I have a DARK GREEN film that is growing on the sand and you can
> actually see "pearling" (bubbles forming on it) on the algae.
>
> The bubbles are clear and rise to the surface when stirred.
>
> I have a decent cleaning crew of various snails and crabs.
>
> I've never heard of this algae and it is very unsightly.
>
> Should I be concerned? In some spots it is starting to look like a hair
> algae.
>
> Also, I saw a neat fish at the LFS today called a sleeper Goby or a
Diamond
> Goby (two different fish but they do they same thing)
> They actually scoop up a mouthful of sand and sift it through their gills
> and out the back (of their gills)
>
> The guy at the LFS did say that they are delicate and I'd be lucky if it
> lived a year so I didnt want to get it in fear of I may have too much
algae
> and it might get overfed.
>
> So, should I get the goby? Will the algae clear up by itself?
>
> TIA
>
> ~Mort
>
>
>