The Reef janitors Red Slime Algae control mixture contains extra Cerith and Mexican hermit crabs. Both of these Janitors do a great job of eating Red Slime Algae.
THINGS TO DO ABOUT RED SLIME ALGAE WHILE YOU WAIT FOR YOUR REEF JANITORS
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The morning after adding the crabs I witnessed "Herds" of about 6 or 7 crabs each that would concentrate on a rock at a time, totally eliminating the Cyanobacteria I have never heard of a cyanobacteria eating critter like this and it seems they actually prefer it! A week later, my tank was almost completely free of red slime.
I have not seen them harm anything in the tank. I even tested this in another tank. I placed a small rock fully covered in Cyanobacteria and 8 crabs in a 10 gallon tank for 4 hours. In 4 hours, the rock was about 50% clean!*
* Letter from The Sea Star
A monthly publication for the
marine aquarium hobbyist
by the President - Tim L. Weidauer
Wasatch Marine Society in Salt Lake City, UT.
Species is usually red in appearance with expanded chromatophores forming blue spots over their cheliped (claws) and walking legs. The antennae and antennules are bright red. The tips of all legs are also red or orange.
This small crab is the best algae eating hermit crab we have tested.
Chibanarius digueti feeds on algae that grows on the rocky substrate and mangrove roots.
C. digueti occupies a large variety of shells. This hermit crab is found in the oldest coraline incrusted shells. I have found entire colonies in broken sand worn shells. The crabs from La paz often occupied such a strange assortment of shells that I could identify the colonies before I looked at the crabs.
Both the Blue leg hermits and the red San Sabastion crabs always are collected in clean fresh shells. Both of these crabs have eaten snails in my reef tanks. I have kept C. digueti in reef tanks in colonies of over 10 crabs per gallon with many types of snails.
SUGGESTED RETAIL EACH $2.98
Family Cerithiidae (CERITHS)
Cerithium strercusmuscarum
Dark brown sculptured tower shaped (Turriform) algae eater. Active glass cleaner
This is the best cerith snail we have tested. It stays down in the aquarium on the glass cleaning algae and diatoms. It is listed in Julian Sprung's Reef Aquarium as a good algae eater.
One inch long pointed shell, it can get in between rocks, it is a great glass cleaner. This snail cleans in zig zag pattern. It's radula is able to remove diatoms so well that they do not regrow from the original algal film. This snail does not dislodge or disturb any specimens.
One half inch round shell with ridges. Found only on smooth rocks below average lowest tide. The choice of reef expert Larry Read.
REEF AQUARIUM JANITOR ORDER FORM
GARF GRUNGE* HAS A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF CORALINE ALGAE SPECIES IN IT.
Reef aquariums require a large variety of organisms to filter the water properly. Aquarium habitat is very different from ocean habitat.
Live Sand from a natural reef is good for starting marine aquariums, but each location on a reef has a limited number of species. Poor packing and shipping methods further deplete this fragile wild population.
We have been keeping an unbroken chain of successful reef aquariums in Idaho since 1977. Several times during this period we have had over 100 aquariums. We have researched captive breeding of such diverse species as Chambered Nautilus and Acropora coral.
During the last year I was able to purchase over 1000 lbs. of the live sand and rubble from the bottom of the live rock holding tanks at several of the most famous live rockers.
This mixture was much more than just live sand!! Hundreds of invertebrates from the tons of live rock held in these tanks are now reproducing here in Idaho.
Last year Tom Frakes and I Explored Coronado Island in the Sea of Cortez. We found a bay with sand made up of branching coraline algae fragments. This coraline is the fastest growing dark purple and blue types I have found.
0NE POUND FOR EACH THREE GALLONS WILL ACTIVATE TWO INCHES OF ARAGONITE SAND
ADD ONE POUND PER 10 GALLONS TO
IMPROVE WILD LIVE SAND!
'the most important part. This is a "Grunge"' from G.A.R.F. What the stuff contains is a culture of sand, coral rubble, small reef rocks, macro-algae, annelid worms, small pieces of sponges and corals, snails and crabs that is some of the coolest stuff I have ever seen!
I still keep seeing different things I didn't see before. We got 10 pounds about a week after the system was set up and mixed it in with the top layer of sand. This really gave the reef a pleasing natural look since it is very coarse and has a lot of color to itÓ *
Letter from The Sea Star
A monthly publication
for the marine aquarium hobbyist
by the President - Tim L. Weidauer
Wasatch Marine Society in Salt Lake City, UT.
HOW TO ORDER RED SLIME ALGAE CONTROL REEF JANITOR MIXTURE*
REEF JANITORS is your top destination on the Internet to purchase algae eating snails and hermit crabs. Please take a moment to review our latest product selection for exclusive sale through the Internet. Proceeds go directly to funding the cost of maintaining this web presentation as a public information source about natural algae control and the reef janitors role in a cleaner reef environment.
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