corraline being eaten?

[saltank]

Something is definitely eating corraline off of my rocks but not the glass. I don't have any urchins....

I do have a few hermits, blue leg, and a couple margarrita snails. An emerald crab and a peppermint shrimp (which has wiped out my aiptasia, the reason I bought it).

What would be eating it? I have noticed small areas on rocks totally wiped out over the course of one night...it grows back but it does seem that whatever is eating it is picking up pace.

calc is approx 400 and alk 3.3 ( I drip kalk and occasionally boost calc and alk in between mixing new batches of kalk)

I like the purple/pink color of the corraline. The only other thing I've noticed are some rather small white starfish with varying size legs that must have hitchiked in on some rock - can those be the culprit?

 

[Len]

Emerald crab eats coralline, or at least they wills scrape lots of it off during their foraging.

 

[Anonymous]

The only other thing I've noticed are some rather small white starfish with varying size legs that must have hitchiked in on some rock - can those be the culprit?

I have read there is some speculation that those starfish will eat coraline, but you would have to have quite a bit to be noticible.

I agree with the emerald as the more likely culprit. They do a great job of "scraping" the rock

 

[stubbsz]

Let me know if you can find something that will eat it off the tank but not the rocks. I have a ton and I find it really hard to get of the acrylic. I had the Therme Algae terminator that boils the stuff on the tank and kills it but it just died on me.

-Adrian

 

[Anonymous]

I had the Therme Algae terminator that boils the stuff on the tank and kills it but it just died on me.
-Adrian

Hi, how do you like that Therme? I just saw a link to it and it looks pretty useful. Does it work well?

 

[stubbsz]

It works for me but not as well as it would work on glass. If you watch the video and see how fast he kills the algae to white it is very accurate... but I find with acrylic you can just scrape it off immediately like he can... but I did find that it comes of a lot easier once killed and it stops the spread of the stuff. I'm waiting for a reply though from them about either fixing it or getting a discount as I only need one piece replaced.

Another thing is to be careful not to scratch you tank as when the coraline does flake off it can get in between the heating element and the acrylic and the coraline can then scratch.
-Adrian

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a good product, very unique. I also have an acrylic tank, and hate that scratch feeling when I scrape coralline. I might give one of those a try, Thanks.

 

[stubbsz]

Sounds like a good product, very unique. I also have an acrylic tank, and hate that scratch feeling when I scrape coralline. I might give one of those a try, Thanks.

Well I just got an email and he is sending me the heating part for the cost of shipping which seems more than fair to me.

-Adrian