Controlling algae on sandbed

[wgallt]

I have this thin layer of pink algae that has begun spreading out across the sandbed of my 55g. I bought ten snails(3 different species) and 5 hermit crabs but they all tend to linger on the live rock and the glass. Any suggestions on a good sand sifting critter that will help control this problem?

[stoneage]

I have a similar problem with a carpet of hair algae on the sand bed, there is none on the rocks or glass, because the clean up crew remove it all.

[OrionGirl]

What kind of snails? Sand beds need critters to maintain them, and not all animals will happily work on the sand bed. Nassarius and cerith snails are my favorites--small, reproduce in the tank, happily churn through the sand for you. A variety of worms will help as well, though larger bristleworms tend to hang out in rock more than on the sand--small ones spend lots of time in the sand.

[Sregnar35]

I had a problem with rampant algae all over my sand, and I tried every critter you could imagine. Sea cucumbers, sand sifting stars, you name it. The ultimate solution was to remove the bubble trap from my protein skimmer that was causing the algae in the first place. If your tank becomes covered in algae, more critters will only do so much. I kept bying livestock to eat the algae, when all I had to do was remove the source of the algae.

[OrionGirl]

Depends on the quantity and distribution of algae, IMO. If the entire tank is having algae issues, then there's clearly something that's promoting the algae that should be addressed. If it's confined to just one place, adding a few cleaners that will target that location will usually do the trick.