Okay guys, I need help badly - Lobophora is taking over my tank :(

[Coelli]

Started with some rusty looking stuff at the top of my rock wall where the light and flow are strongest... and some brown spots that looked like dark brown coralline... and now the entire top of my rock wall is encrusted, I have patches on the rocks at the bottom of the tank where the gyre flow comes down, and the brown spots are *everywhere*. It happened really fast and it's not going away. Trochus, astraea, hermits don't touch it. Added a sea hare at Aaron's suggestion (he ID'd it as lobophora too) last weekend and it rasps right over it without removing it.

All parameters are good, 0/0 nutrients, I have a little bubble algae and bryopsis (which the blenny keeps under control) but other than that no hair algae or anything. Have to clean my glass maybe once a week when it gets a little hazy. Other than the lobophora my tank is great.

I've read that the following will eat it:
Mexican turbos
Foxface
Naso tang (best solution, but my tank is only 65g)
Sally lightfoot crabs

I love SL crabs but am afraid what a bunch might do to my coral and other inverts. Most of my coral is glued down so maybe turbos...? Anyone had any luck with them eating lobophora? Foxface wouldn't be able to stay forever because of the tank size, but even if I tried a temporary one I'd have to QT and the lobophora will spread during that time.

Advice or even just moral support would be great, I'm seriously going to cry like a baby soon.

 

[jonmf]

I'm afraid all I can offer is moral support. Haven't experienced this before. Hoping for the best and I'll follow along.

 

[Coelli]

Pics:

 

[Macdaddynick1]

Hermit crabs I got some at max and they're are already putting a dent into mine. You'll be lucky if you can find a dwarf zebra hermit, they knock stuff sometimes though.


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[cowboycove]

Everything on the rock looks dead anyways so I'd take it out and dry it.

 

[xmas_one]

I was battling dictyota in a little tank I have. Nothing was working and it was coating everything in the tank. I saw a couple of threads that said API AlgaeFix could take it out. It worked like a charm. Just now I did a little googling and saw a few people claiming similar success with Lobophora. Might be worth a shot.

 

[Scout]

I read that a fox face might take care of it.

 

[Coelli]

Everything on the rock looks dead anyways so I'd take it out and dry it.

In the first pic? That's a rock wall that's siliconed to the back of the tank and covers the whole back. It's not coming out (and that pic is just the top of one side, there's coral mounted all over it).


[MENTION=7680]xmas_one[/MENTION] Thanks, I'll google that stuff!

 

[cowboycove]

In the first pic? That's a rock wall that's siliconed to the back of the tank and covers the whole back. It's not coming out (and that pic is just the top of one side, there's coral mounted all over it).


[MENTION=7680]xmas_one[/MENTION] Thanks, I'll google that stuff!

Oh. Lol.

I found this.
Lobophora variegata is one of the commonest species of brown algae in the Caribbean area and is often abundant in shaded areas, under overhangs and in caves.

Your affected areas in the picture look shaded since the wall is vertical . maybe if you can anglebthe light towards the wall to fully light The area it might help.

 

[562socal]

I had the same problem when i first set up my nano. Stuff was growing pretty bad. The only snail i know that put in work on the alge were stomatellas. Luckily i was able to collect a good amount from my work. about 10 of them ate off that stuff including diatoms, hair algae etc within a couple weeks. Although my tank is only a nano. Imo, they are thee best snails to eat any type of algae. I even started up a breeding tank in my garage to grow them. Its still in the cycling process. Im hoping by the end of the year to have hundreds ready to sale.

 

[Coelli]

I have stomatellas, love those guys I think they get eaten by other stuff in my tank and it keeps the population down unfortunately. Trochus seem to be maybe making a dent, I got 4 more at MAX. The Sally Lightfoots are staying too much on the bottom of the tank.