[pistorius4]

I just noticed 4 tiny pieces of bubble algae on one of my rocks. It is the base rock and would be a pain to remove. What should I do? My tank is only 3 months old. The last thing I want is a bubble algae problem. It must of came in on the rock I purchased.

[hosser]

Emerald crabs evidently help, other than that patience and tweezers. Just dont burst them in the tank. Good Luck. Alot of good info in the "identification" section of the forums as well on the subject

[pistorius4]

I just read the forum info. I suppose I should have done that first. Sorry! I appreciate the info. I think I will try the tweezers first. If I dont have much success then an emerald crab it is.

[WILLIAM1]

My emeral crab is so slowwwwwwwww I dont think he eats any bubble algea...

[jimw369]

I had an emerald crab. Never touched bubble algae. When he got bigger he turned into a CRAB! Which simply means he was removed and severly punished for his actions

[lynnvangsnes]

Here Here Jim! Emerald crabs SOMETIMES will eat the bubble algae. When it is all gone, then what to they eat? If you can remove the rock, then pull it out and scrape it off with a small wire brush and rinse with dechlorinated water. If you cannot remove the rock, you can gently use a toothbrush while siphoning water during a water change. Both methods have worked successfully for me. Keep an eye out for it because usually once you have it, it never really goes away completely unless you catch the new bubbles when they first form.

[dinor2]

My emerald crab seems to be going after other 'stuff' on the live rock, I'm still hand harvesting them out too without popping them! The trick is to wiggle them gently and if they're 'ready' to come off they do it fairly easily, it's when you force one that you get it popped! I'm hoping that crab will start eating those bubbles soon, good grief! I'm definitly winning the race to remove those bubbles the fastest!

[pistorius4]

The bubble algae I have is extremely tiny. Smaller than the size of a pea. My tank is 20 inches deep. I find it difficult to reach in and effectively grab the algae. I wish I could take the rock out but it is only on the base rock that all of the other rock is stacked on.

Maybe I should let it grow a little more to make it easier to get.

[mckaax]

What happens if you bust it?

[spanko]

If you bust it it spreads the spores to create more. For this I would use a siphon hose larger in diameter than the bubble algae, get the siphon going and use the end of the hose to dislodge the bubbles while they are sucked up. I would not try the tweezers trick.