I was hoping to learn about lettuce Nudibranches?

[Ed Hahn]

I have a algae bloom in my tank. I was considering getting a few lettuce nudi's. Can someone tell me the pros and cons of these little guys please?

 

[G~]

i just looked it up for someone else.

www.seaslugforum.net/display.cfm?base=elyscris&id=12332

G~

 

[mojoreef]

Ed the con is that nothing in the forum of a critter is going to stop and algae bloom, no snails, no fish, no nudi's and so on. All they will do is consume algae and then poop 90% of it back out right away. In the poop you will get all the nutrients right back in to be used up by the algae again, you also get all the spores the algae released when it was being attacked. Find the nutrient source, eliminate it or control it and the algae will go away and not come back.


Mike

 

[Ed Hahn]

Thanks Mike,
I know the source is the dead coral that is decaying in my tank. I was trying to keep as much coral alive as possible. I will do a water change and try to keep it manageable. I just was concerned with doing as little as I could not to shock anything more? I guess I could buy some phospate illimator from Salifert also to bind phospates and pull them out with my skimmer?


Thanks Ed

 

[Ed Hahn]

thank you G...

 

[mojoreef]

Are you talking about cycling Ed or do you have some corals that are dieing???


Mike

 

[Ritz]

Mike,

While I agree that no animal will rid the tank of nuisance algae, there are certain critters that will eat it faster than it grows back, thus eliminating the unsightly algae. (it might still grow in hard to reach areas but those are usually out of sight).

also, if you put a couple of tangs in a tank overrun with hair algae, the tangs will make short work of the algae and, provided you do plenty of water changes, the algae should be easily controlled.

Lettuce nudi's are cool as hell but they are very gentle and often let go of the rock and drift in the current until they find a new grazing spot. Since they can't swim, there are good odds that the drift will take them towards the intake of a powerhead.

Better off getting sea hares (not as pretty but hell of a lot more durable and much more effective).

 

[Ed Hahn]

Mike,
My tank is cycling. It was two weeks since I tore tank down and put it back together. I lost quite a few corals. I have been trying to keep alive a corn maze brain, blastoma, most of my branching anchor, My hammer is slowly coming back too, Zoos were really quick to bounce back. My starburst is getting more and more each day. Even ugly galaxia is coming back.
I do have a problem with algae on glass. I bought a hundred sm. golden astrea snails before and within three days my glass was clean. I was concidering doing the same again. I have a hair algae problem and considered doing lettuce nudi's. I love tangs. I just think they are the last things to add to tank. How would you do it?
Give me the old Mojo to make this baby Rock ol Master please?

 

[NaH2O]

Ed, where are you at in the cycle?

 

[Ed Hahn]

I am in about 2 weeks or more...

 

[Ed Hahn]

Mike,
I think you are right. I need to remove the dead or dying coral.
I planned on doing another water change Friday.
Ed

 

[NaH2O]

Ed, DOH! you only said you were two weeks into the cycle the post right before mine. Consider it one of my blonde moments

 

[mojoreef]

While I agree that no animal will rid the tank of nuisance algae, there are certain critters that will eat it faster than it grows back, thus eliminating the unsightly algae. (it might still grow in hard to reach areas but those are usually out of sight).

Ritz yes some animals will eat the algae as quick as a grows. But they will never eliminate the algae, they are grazers so they will not completely wipe out their food source. If you work at eliminating the food source of the algae the algae will fadeaway and not return. It is a hell of a lot easier than to try to eliminate five to 10% at a time.

Ed tell me a little bit about what's going on. What are your parameters of the tank? Do you have ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphates? Let me know what will take it from that.

Mike

 

[big t]

Hey Ed,

Sorry to hear about your troubles, I just read your other post about what happened here. Well best of luck to ya w/ getting the tank recycled and back to good health! I think that I would be pretty crushed.

 

[Ed Hahn]

a month ago I had a hose from a pump come loose from my Sea Swirl. The outcome was caught within a half hour of it happening. I have commercial equipment for picking up water off carpet. So I thought the problem was fixed and solved. Days later I had water seeping out from my stand. I tore things down in the process of elimation trying to find leak. I found out it was water that was trapped under my Oak stand. I had a carpet runner that held the water under the stand.
To prevent further damage my tank was tore down. I wanted to make sure I found the leak
My wife approached me at 830 pm Sunday night. I knew she was right. I did things the stupid way. I hurried. I assumed If I removed water from my tank and reused it I would be ok. I have two large rubbermaid trash cans for water changes. I slowly removed my coral and rock. It was horrifying. So now I have two tubs. I had heaters in each one. I had rio power heads in each one. I just did not have enough oxygen or water flow for them to survive over night. It could have been a temp problem also. I have a large female chocolate Lab. I found one of my heaters unplugged. My wife says she saw me hook it up..I don't know. I lost a lot of coral. I lost all my fish and most of my invertebrates. I have a handful of snails.
With the help of friends from the Tri-citie club and neighbors, Father and Mother in Law, I clean my tank. I checked it for leaks over night. I put it back together the next night after work.
I went Bare bottom. I am trying to keep a corn maze brain that I got from Kevin alive. It has been damaged about a fourth of his body. I am trying to keep my Branching Anchor as full as possible. It lost quite a few branches. I have a hammer that is slowly coming back. My zoos, shrooms, feather dusters came back really quick. I am trying to make my tank stable to add new things. I know it takes time. I figure a good 6-8 weeks. I assumed I could add 100 small golden asteas to clean my glass. Due to die off of coral and coraline algae on my rock I know I have phosphates. I am sure my nitrates are not stable. When things die I am sure you have amonia. So I have hair algae forming on what was very clean before. I considered buying some phospate eliminator (Salifert). I did use some amonia lock. I thought the combination of that and skimmer would do wonders. I am going to buy a poly filter soon to pull the uglies out also. I have people coming to my house getting upset and wondering what happened to your tank. I am wanting to put a Under construction canopy around it. So now it has been about 3 weeks. I am doing water changes weekly and sucking up denitrius off my bare bottom.
I am considering going after a small Sequence pump and doing more circulation. My SCWD/Mag 18 combo is definitely not enough to circulate flow needed on the bottom. I have RIO power heads above the bottom to keep flow going. I hate having power heads inside my tank. I have a friend that says he has a bit to drill my glass tank. I thought about it. I think I will just try to put something behind rock as clean as possible to circulate under my rock? I am going crazy. I have friends coming over tonight to watch Fights. I love having people around. I just need a Under Construction Canopy. I am a pretty proud person.
I am placing a order with Reeftopia for a janitor crew with other friends as we speak.
My tank previously had Xenia, Anthellia, and clams pulling down nitrates. I have none of those until my tank is balanced. The goodness of having you guys around is support for me whining. Its like theraphy. I have to look at positive things. My friends here have pieces of coral I had previouly. So, within a few monthes I will have most of the coral I had. Kevin, will probably see me sleeping outside his doorstep at his Shop in May. He will have to chase me away again. YOU got to love Support and friends. YOU have no Idea how sensitive I am on my tank. I want a show piece.
My wife said I could only have a four foot tank. I do not or rarely use charge cards. I have one hidden. I was thinking 150 gallon 4 footer. It almost happened. The only thing that stopped me was ....my tank did not leak, And Quote: I do not like to argue with the life I have now. I share our house with a beautiful wife I adore and two kids I adore. I do not like to argue with anyone.
Cheers,
Ed

 

[MzWeazelle]

A long, hard row to hoe there Ed. Wishing for best of times ahead for you!

JanMarie

 

[Ed Hahn]

Big Tand Jan,

Thank you. I feel like a bobble head. I only read part of Big T's message. I thought he asked what happened. I think I get the Air Head Teddy Award.
I went overboard. I ordered same thing I had before in tank 100 golden asteas for $29. I did go with Lettuce Nudi's I got 4 for $24.
I am also heavily looking into a sequence pump or Amp 3000?

Life is good, life is great...I worked some OT last week...lots..

So after Wednesday I will have small critters. The last time I got snails my glass was clean in 3 days and so easy to maintain after that. Nudis will eat algae off of dying piece of corn maze brain. I hope nothing else will be damaged. Thanks to all that responded from this. Maybe I should take a pix before snails and nudis and after?

 

[Al G.]

Good luck to your reef on it's road or should I say the water flow of recovery.
By the way you mentioned watching fights. Was it UFC?

 

[Ed Hahn]

yes....next one is June 19th...thanks