Scrubbing Zoos to a high glossy shine.

BlueLou · #1 02/16/2007, 04:04 PM

I have searched and have not been able to find out what can be done to remove GHA invading a Zoanthid colony. I thought about lightly picking / very lightly rubbing the GHA off, but I did not want to injure the colony. Any thoughts? The Zoos do not seem to mind the presence of the GHA that much, however they close up more than "normal".

BTW, I have the typical list of hermits, snails, and blennies for algae control, but they will not touch the GHA in the Zoa Colony.

Also, now I am rambling, someone will probably ask the typical (are you skimming, feeding too much...) types of controlling algae questions and yes I am doing all of them... aggressively. ex: My skimmer is rated for 220 Gal and is being used on a 46 Gal and I feed less than I probably should.

Thanks everybody!

killark · #2 02/17/2007, 10:02 PM

How old are your bulbs? How long is your light cycle?

Did you start the tank with live rock and sand or did you add a "quick cycle" product?

IME hair algae is something that happens, hangs around for an over-exptended time and then disappears. I'm sure that with time and the proper algae control it will be gone in a matter of months. Until then keep pulling it away from your polyps so they don't get too crowded.

Giovanni · #3 02/18/2007, 02:29 AM

Probably not what you want to hear, but I bet your phosphates are high and you need more frequent water changes.

tekknoschtev · #4 02/18/2007, 08:29 AM

When we had a colony of zoas start to grow hair algae between the polyps, we used tweezers in a shallow dish of water to pick it off. In some instances we were able to use a very soft bristled toothbrush to get at those very tiny spots. We did find the tweezers to be more effective, but also required more work.

Snowreefer · #5 02/18/2007, 08:34 AM

Get yourself a baby Scopas Tang. They will pick hair Algae Clean from your whole tank in a day. Other tangs don't like hair as much. My Scopas got every bit of algae from the tank.

BlueLou · #6 02/18/2007, 07:45 PM

Ok, a few answers....

1 My bulbs are approx 5 months old (about as old as the tank)
2 I have not tested for phos, but I use Kalk (supposed to precip phos) and I regularly float a phos remover (I don't remember the brand) so I am not thinking that would be the cause, also there is NO and I mean No other GHA in my tank. I am confused why it is only in my Zoos.
3 I perform a 10% water change weekly (RO/DI), so, unless the prevailing wisdom is more frequent than that I do not think that is it either.

tekk, Your method was what I was thinking about, but I was worried that I might injure the Zoos buy "plucking" at their flesh. Is it just a matter of being delicate with the plucking?

Snowman, I like the idea of "natural control" one question though, how quick do the Scopas grow? I only have 46 G and I would not want to be investigated by the Tang Police

Thanks all for the good ideas! Any others?

tekknoschtev · #7 02/18/2007, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BlueLou

tekk, Your method was what I was thinking about, but I was worried that I might injure the Zoos buy "plucking" at their flesh. Is it just a matter of being delicate with the plucking?

Yes. Being delicate is important. Its also important to note that none of the algae was actually growing on the flesh of the zoas, but rather between the polyps. I used a rounded pair of tweezers (the kind that isn't much good for anything like extracting slivers and the like) and had no damage to any zoanthid polyps whatsoever.

Snowreefer · #8 02/19/2007, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BlueLou

Snowman, I like the idea of "natural control" one question though, how quick do the Scopas grow? I only have 46 G and I would not want to be investigated by the Tang Police

Thanks all for the good ideas! Any others? [/B]

Not very fast in a 46G you could keep a baby one for a year or more. If you have a home for him after that you should be fine.