what, why, how

ksbiker1100

algae harvester
what is it. why do i have it. how do i get rid of it
IMG00028-20100524-1937.jpg
 
It appears to be apstasia
You have it because it comes in as a hitchhiker on live rock
You can get rid of it by getting some peppermint shrimp or apstasia X
 
1. tank is almost 1 1/2 years old
2. canister filter is 400 gph plus two 350 gph power heads
3 ammonia 0, nitrates 0 ,nitrites 0 ,salinity 1.024 ph8.3
only thing that has been added in the last 5 weeks is a sebae anemone
 
Yep,Thats cyano.
Just siphon it out when you do a water change.Increase the water flow.And run some GFO to remove phosphates.
 
I would not recommend Kent Phosphate Sponge since it is an aluminum based product and aluminum is known to be a coral irritant.

Phosphate and the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
"Many commercial phosphate binders are used in reef aquaria. Many of these are inorganic solids that bind phosphate onto their surfaces. One common type is aluminum oxide (such as Seachem's PhosGuard™ and Kent's Phosphate Sponge™)."
"Unfortunately, aluminum oxide is not completely insoluble in seawater. I have shown experimentally that aluminum can be released from PhosGuard™, and I have also shown that adding the same amount of released aluminum back into an aquarium can irritate corals, causing them to retract their polyps and otherwise shrink. That effect mirrors what many aquarists reported (prior to this test) as a side effect of using these media. Rinsing the solids before use can reduce the likelihood that small aluminum-containing particulates are released into the aquarium, but it does not prevent the solubilization of aluminum ions from the solid surfaces."
 
It's rumored that dosing vodka can remove phosphates and nitrates from your tank. I just can't bring myself to pour liquor in my tank to try it myself.
 
I'd worry more about the Aiptasia. There are at least 7 on that rock. I have had the cyano come and go without my doing anything but increase the water changes.
 
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as far as the apstasia how do i get rid of them. i cant keep shrimp in my tank long enough to take care of the problem. will a freshwater dip take care of them?
 
as far as the apstasia how do i get rid of them. i cant keep shrimp in my tank long enough to take care of the problem. will a freshwater dip take care of them?

BJ said it above. Go to the Fish Shop and ask for some Aiptasia X. It comes with a syringe and enough mix to last for quite a while. You just load the syringe, sneak up on it, then zap the SOB.
 
thanks everyone your help is very appreciated. will see if any of the 2 worthless lfs have it tomorrow but probably have to get online
 
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