UGLY GREEN HAIRED MERMAID

"Reef Janitors" are to the reef aquarium what the Plecostomus is to the freshwater aquarium. They saved my reef and allowed it not only to regain, but to improve its life and color.

Green. Just green. As far as the eye could see was green in my 55 gallon reef aquarium before we dumped in the little "Reef Janitors". Where once beautiful live rock had colored the tank, my hobby was being choked to death by a flowing mat of hair algae. The hair algae had completely covered the live rock.

Where once pink and purple coraline algae had brightened my aquarium, now only green hair flowed in the current. It was two inches long, covering everything and waving as though it were the green hair of an ugly mermaid. My best efforts at physically removing it were frustrating, to say the least. For two years this algae had been gaining ground. I was at the point where I was ready to throw in the towel and go back to my African Cichlids.

The introduction of the "Reef Janitors" came just in time. During the first ten days small patches of coraline algae began to reappear. The crabs would climb to the top of a rock and pick it clean. During days 10 to 20 of the first month the hair algae would reconquer some of those hills. Gradually, owing to the strength of these little soldiers, the second month saw more and more rock and substrate taken by my "Reef Janitors". The algae was losing ground and "we" were winning!

At two months I began to gain confidence so I added cuttings of GARF's captive grown corals, which have flourished. I also purchased some beautiful "rock flower anemones" from GARF which seem ideally suited to my reef. They have grown and stayed on the same rock for almost two years. The algae problem had been created by an abundance of nutrients. Two years of feedings without any real attempt to remove nutrients didn't help. A change to the Live Sand method more than a year before had kept nitrates in check but phosphates were out of control.

THE TRUE REEF JANITOR^TM
THE BLUE SPOTTED RED LEG HERMIT CRAB

Several actions on my part helped the "Reef Janitors" reduce the algae.
1) I used a mechanical, sponge filter to strain out the uneaten bits of algae that became free floating after the crabs snipped them off.
2) I began using phosphate remover which I had never used before.
3) I turned off the lights and covered the whole aquarium with a dark sheet for the whole day several times weekly for the first month which seemed to facilitate the last step.
4) I removed all algae that a 3/8 inch diameter siphon hose could pull off the rock at weekly water changes.

"Reef Janitors" are indispensable in my reef. I believe that "Reef Janitors" are the miracle cure for most marine algae problems.

Mark R. Peterson, email: mrpslc@wfol.net
April 1998