Who's actually had something eat Valonia?
- Thread starter Len
- Start date
I never have valonia for prolonged period of time, so I can't say I've ever seen one eat it. When I do see valonia in newly purchased rocks, I always get rid of them before the pieces are placed into the tank. The only picture I've ever seen is a indian sailfin tang chewing on it, and I believe that is in "The Reef Aquarium".
Wierd thing about bubble algea... I had some for a long time that was growing and growing in numbers and suddenly died off.... Been rid of them for at least 3-4 months... I just discovered that they were growing on some of the bio-balls in my overflow... Removed those bio-balls and cleaned them off... I have a feeling they are on a come back... 
I know it's the obvious answer but I have seen my emerald mithrax crab eat valonia. In fact, thnat's the only reason I tolerate him since I do not consider him reef safe now that he is pretty good size. He gives my tubastrea fits when feeding.
One thing I did that helped was that I used to keep my emerald crab in the sump and fed it nothing but grape caulerpa plus whatever food settled in the sump. The crab got so that it associated food with little round green orbs. That was the ticket. Now, instead of valonia being the last items on its menu it is the first item.
One thing I did that helped was that I used to keep my emerald crab in the sump and fed it nothing but grape caulerpa plus whatever food settled in the sump. The crab got so that it associated food with little round green orbs. That was the ticket. Now, instead of valonia being the last items on its menu it is the first item.
MY regal tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) actually preferred valonia to other algae. Just a lucky find - had a tank with hair and valonia problems, added the hepatus, and within minutes it was ripping hair and valonia out of the GSPs.
I had a rear refugium area on this tank which grew some algae. I pulled out some caulerpa and put it in the main tank to feed the hepatus. The caulerpa had valonia on several of its holdfasts. The tang selectively ate the bubble algae first, before coming back and eating the caulerpa. I know hepatus are said to be less likely than other tangs to eat algae, but this one loved algae, and more specifically, problem algae!
Had that fish over five years, until my b@$t@rd sohal killed it
Kevin
I had a rear refugium area on this tank which grew some algae. I pulled out some caulerpa and put it in the main tank to feed the hepatus. The caulerpa had valonia on several of its holdfasts. The tang selectively ate the bubble algae first, before coming back and eating the caulerpa. I know hepatus are said to be less likely than other tangs to eat algae, but this one loved algae, and more specifically, problem algae!
Had that fish over five years, until my b@$t@rd sohal killed it
Kevin
My hippo also eats valonia. He didn't at first, but I ripped some out and some got away from me, he thought it was food and ate it. Now he eats it all.
Mithrax do in fact eat valonia. I can put valonia covered rocks in the mithrax tank and they clean it off. 1 or 2 mithrax in a big tank tho can often find other food so they don't necessarily eat the valonia.. I would say success reports from customers are 50/50.
Mithrax do in fact eat valonia. I can put valonia covered rocks in the mithrax tank and they clean it off. 1 or 2 mithrax in a big tank tho can often find other food so they don't necessarily eat the valonia.. I would say success reports from customers are 50/50.
Keep in mind that there are two distinct types of "bubble algae". One is Valonia, but the other is part of the life cycle of Derbesia (hair algae). They look absolutely identical.
So, many times when an Emerald crab won't touch Valonia, it's because it isn't really Valonia.
The way to tell them apart is the density. One will float in saltwater and the other will sink. I have to check my algae book to recall which is which.
So, many times when an Emerald crab won't touch Valonia, it's because it isn't really Valonia.
The way to tell them apart is the density. One will float in saltwater and the other will sink. I have to check my algae book to recall which is which.
My Sailfin tang eats it right up. I don't know if the little ones do, but mine is a really big guy. One time I put some snails in the tank with him from another tank that were covered with valonia and they had a terrible time with him picking at them until he ate all the valonia off.
I've got a black short spine urchine that eats just about everything (hardly an endorsement--finding my rock in a new arrangment every day isn't all that cool). He also grazes on coralline.
If anyone knows of anything that eats Botryocladia, let me know (it's a red bubble macro that is shaped like an upside-down teardrop). I just harvested about 1 qt of that stuff.
Ty
If anyone knows of anything that eats Botryocladia, let me know (it's a red bubble macro that is shaped like an upside-down teardrop). I just harvested about 1 qt of that stuff.
Ty
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