View Full Version : stars and emerald crabs
david emmett
03-10-2006, 9:22 AM
I,d like to put some emerald crabs in my reef but before I do I wanted to know if they would harm my sand sifter star if anyone knows or has any other advice for getting rid of the grass like algea , maybe a lawn mower blenny would be better. Any advice and I,d be grateful, Dave E
mogurnda
03-10-2006, 10:48 AM
When I was fighting hair algae, herbivores only helped in the "end game." They are good for keeping things under control in a normal tank, but can't really get a nasty bloom under control. At least that's my experience.
That being said, the most effective grazer I have ever used was an urchin. Strip the algae down to the rock, and they are totally nonselective about the kind of algae. Mine is a rock-boring urchin I got as a hitchhiker, but the little pincushions, short spined and long-spined urchins are also good. Pencil urchins are predatory and best avoided.
Crown Royal
03-10-2006, 2:58 PM
I love my little blue tuxedo urchin. But he only seems to chow down on coralline (which he devours like there's no tomorrow).
It depends on the type of urchin you get.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-11/rs/index.php
I have a pencil. He eats the short fuzzy algae and the coralline. He doesn't eat the hair algae. The only time I had trouble with him was when I relocated my colt coral close to a rock. Since he travels mostly rock to rock (avoids travelling on sand) and the coral was in it's way, he managed to chew on one of the colt's polyps. I caught him in the act and removed him from the coral, and moved the colt away from the rock. The coral has healed and the urchin has not bothered it ever again.
I also have an emerald crab. He almost totally eliminated my bubble algae plague. He eats the same stuff as the urchin, plus bubble. Totally herviborous, he leaves everything else alone. A large but well-behaved tank citizen!
kingofprussia
03-15-2006, 10:50 AM
for hair algae problems i definitely recommend emerald crabs as they immediately start eating the algae when put in the tank. just don't put a harlequin tusk wrasse in with them as i've seen them chow down on them. i've noticed the crabs generally stay in the reef and i've never seen them in the sand where your starfish lives. i've had luck with longspine urchins, kole tangs, emerald crabs, and elbow grease. i'd recommend an inline phospate reactor with rowaphos media if you can swing it.
To make my previous statement clearer: Emerald Mithrax crabs do not help with hair algae at all. They are great with bubble algae, and eat the short, fuzzy algae, but they don't even look at the hair algae. They do start eating the second they are in the tank, though..!