CUC Not Cleaning?

[Samhain]

OK, so I have a ton of snails (like 50 dwarf ceriths and FL ceriths in combo, and 5 nerites), 10 dwarf blue hermits, and 2 red hermits. They've decimated the diatom algae, but aren't touching the abundant hair algae or the couple tiny spots of cyano that have started in the last day or so. While I'm thrilled that the diatoms are gone, why wouldn't they be eating the other stuff? The hair algae is everywhere! Any ideas? Do I just need more crew?

 

[Waddi]

Turbo's are normally the major HA and algae eaters, but not many of them will touch the hair algae unless, it is very short in length.

 

[jcegt87]

most things will not touch hair algae unless its barely starting , if its the size of a lawn they will not touch it at all, sea hares are they only thing i had luck with but you better have plenty of food for them because they eat 24/7

 

[Marines_Wife]

The best advice I can give you regarding the hair algae is to do what I did. Manually remove as much of the hair algae as you can, if you can get it down to a considerably shorter length they will eat it. As long as your levels are in check though I dont think it will be a problem. I know in my tank the first thing I had was the diatom bloom. After that came the hair algae with a vengence. My CUC wouldnt clean it either so I manually removed what I could and while I think my CUC did eat some of it, honestly the majority of it went away on its own.
The only two things that will take care of this for sure are a lawnmover blennie and a sea hare. However both need a lot of it to survive so unless you have a considerable amount, or want to try rubberbanding nori/algae sheets to the rock when you hair algae is gone, I would just go with manual removal and let it be.

 

[little_fish]

Nothing eats cyano so you have to beat that one with nutrient export. I would suck up what you can with a turkey baster and keep up on the water changes.

Also manually remove as much of the hair algae as you and get a couple of turbo snails. The snails that are getting prefer to eat film algae.

 

[Samhain]

Nothing eats cyano so you have to beat that one with nutrient export. I would suck up what you can with a turkey baster and keep up on the water changes.

Also manually remove as much of the hair algae as you and get a couple of turbo snails. The snails that are getting prefer to eat film algae.

ReefCleaners advertises that their critters eat cyano, and I think that's what I'm getting a few small spots of. There's about 5 spots, largest of which is the size of a dime, the rest much smaller. Some are a beautiful teal, and others are a rich mauve. They have bubbles on top of them, and the only thing I can think that they might be is cyano. Oddly, they're only growing on one rock that's right under the flow of the powerhead and near the skimmer, on the opposite side of the tank from where I feed. As to whether the critters actually eat cyano or not, I trust the person that isn't trying to sell me anything.

I will probably get some turbos on Tuesday, as my LFS (yeah, the sucky one, but what can you do?) is closed on Labor Day. They aren't the most aesthetically pleasing snail to me, but I have algae that needs eating, and if those are the snails for the job, they're hired! The snails I have now are doing an excellent job of cleaning my glass, and they wiped out the diatoms in no time flat. So I'm certainly keeping them!

 

[jcegt87]

I could advertize that my clown fish tgrows pies at my other fish till my face is blue,that doesnt make.it true, i have never heard of anything that eats cyano and even if it did its always a shot in the dark that they will eat it.

Some specias are.more likely to but a guarantee it.is not

Unless u see it personnaly eat.cyano or whatever its claimed to.eat dont believe it.

 

[little_fish]

I find it interesting and misleading that they would claim that because i cant think of single creature that is know to eat cyano. I have had heard of few oddities that did eat it, but they were unusual in that.

 

[Samhain]

I could advertize that my clown fish tgrows pies at my other fish till my face is blue,that doesnt make.it true, i have never heard of anything that eats cyano and even if it did its always a shot in the dark that they will eat it.

Some specias are.more likely to but a guarantee it.is not

Unless u see it personnaly eat.cyano or whatever its claimed to.eat dont believe it.

Yeah. Like I said, I'll believe the person that isn't trying to sell me something! Cuz if you're trying to sell me something, odds are you'll tell me what I want to hear regardless of the truth. And since there are multiple people saying that nothing (or almost nothing) eats cyano, I'll believe y'all before I believe the retailer. :grumble:

 

[Sir Alex]

My clown fish throws pies at my other fish.

That's terrible!!!!! :shock: :frustrat: :chair: :shocking: :pissedof: :zombie: :ugh: :shock:

 

[little_fish]

That's terrible!!!!! :shock: :frustrat: :chair: :shocking: :pissedof: :zombie: :ugh: :shock:

what do you expect, they are clown fish :D

 

[jcegt87]

That's terrible!!!!! :shock: :frustrat: :chair: :shocking: :pissedof: :zombie: :ugh: :shock:

its true just look at this HD pic i took

lol:mrgreen:

 

[Sir Alex]

its true just look at this HD pic i took

lol:mrgreen:

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

[Samhain]

its true just look at this HD pic i took

lol:mrgreen:

Wow! Now you can truly advertise that your clownfish throws pies at your other fish! You have irrefutable photographic evidence. :p

 

[Samhain]

Quick update: I brought 5 turbos home from the store today. One is happily cruising the glass for film algae. Two are hungrily grazing on the hair algae (hooray!). And bizarrely, two have begun nibbling the cyano! Who'dathunk? I can't say I'm disappointed! Pics in a few days if the tank looks cleaner.