Check Out My Blasto! he's making a comeback

[reeferman06]

I bought this blasto for 20 bucks, I just had to get it since I always see them priced a $50 or more. It was 3 full heads on a skeleton that use to be full of them. Well 2 weeks later I see new life, check it out..... under actinics

[reeferman06]

Ok, here's how the blasto looks now, it only had 3 heads when I bought it 8 months ago, it has came along way( it also has 2 green shrooms on it) enjoy! Now if I can only figure out how to get rid of that bubble aglae:0

[clekchau]

thats awesome, good job

[joeychitwood]

The coral looks very good. Nice recovery.

I use a surgical forceps to gently pick the algae bubbles off the rocks. I've never bought into the idea that you can't pop the bubbles for fear of spreading spores. Every fish that is recommended to eat the bubbles pops them in the process of eating them.

[snorvich]

Surgical forceps is a great idea. Do you pop them or just wrestle them off.

[weaselslucks]

my emerald crab ate all the bubble alagae off my blasto without hurting it

[joeychitwood]

Originally posted by snorvich
Surgical forceps is a great idea. Do you pop them or just wrestle them off.

I try to grab them at the base where they attach to the rock. I am able to remove most of the bubbles intact. It takes some time, but by picking a few every day, soon your problem will be gone.

[otiso777]

Great rescue job!

I just grab the bubble algae between two fingers and then wiggle them like a loose tooth. They'll loosen up after a few wiggles and come off intact.

Also, those mushrooms are getting kind of close to the Blastomussa polyps and might start irritating them. I'd pop off the mushrooms with a flat head screwdriver and glue them to another rock.

[lewismw]

i have had GREAT success using small emerald crabs to take care of bubble algae. Picking by hand is so time consuming, why not let nature have its way!

[stevedola]

ive had mine do the same thing. I actually had the coral completely die off after an alk problem and then after a few months the weirdest thing happen...little tiny heads started growing from the skeleton. Now its something like 12 med-large heads and seems super healthy.

[reeferman06]

I put and emerald crab in there about a year ago, havent seen him since!