algae

[sharonkookie]

What eats red hair algae and brown off of live rock?? My tank is about a week old and it has a whole bunch of brown and red hair algae. I've got one little crab and one turbo snail; what else will help those two eat the algae? I think the brown algae is the stuff that dies off and turns into brown encrustment. Help please!!

 

[Anonymous]

No, they won't. It's likely the the red algae is cyanobacteria, and the brown is a diatomaceous bloom. Both are caused by excess nutrients, and both are exceedingly normal in a new tank. Let them starve themselves out.. much like lemmings!