John Maloney

that is pretty bad

Sale starts at 12:01AM Friday morning. (Well it will probably start before I fall asleep on Turkey Day to be honest - ) Livestock and macros: 25% off at our store, using the discount code "blackfriday" Florida Base Rock: exceptional quality, $2 a pound SHIPPED. 50lb boxes at your door for $100. Buying someone a new tank for Christmas? Get the rock. Food: 1 free jar of food with each purchase over $20, just leave a note "send me food" or something like that in the comments field. Sorry, but: No retroactive sales. No rainchecks. No holding for shipment later than next week - EXCEPT- if you want a rock order shipped later to arrive near Christmas. The sale absolutely ends at 11:59pm of Black Friday. EST. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

wow it is was worse at some point? j/k with you. You may be right RJohn! Sorry about that.

The Contest: It is time yet again to show what overfeeding and direct sunlight can do. Got a well water reef? It is time for a FTS. The 2009 Ugly Tank Contest is open to contestants. We are looking for tanks that are ugly, in any way because of nuisance algae or cyano -despite my attempt at a clever title - GHA, film algae, and diatoms etc...are all welcome. The Rules: Submissions must have a full tank shot (FTS). Only that picture will count towards the contest, but other supporting close up photos are appreciated. You can reply to this thread to submit the photo. Pictures must be submitted by November 30th. We will be selecting the worst 4 tanks from those submitted. Each of these tanks will receive a $20 gift certificate. At some point we will pick out some of the people we know that have had nuisance algae problems to judge the winner. Winner gets a free custom clean up crew shipped! Show us how bad it can get! Be prepared for some good humored kidding, but please don't be embarrassed.

Like that sale title don't you? Well hopefully you like this sale even better: Orders placed between today and Friday October 16th at 11:59pm can enjoy: 20% off livestock and food items using the discount code "discovery" Buy 2 get 1 freeze dried food products - add the comment "Buy one get two food" Buy 1 get 1 Dried Nori and Ulva - add the comment "BOGO" Buy 1 get 1 Dwarf Ceriths - add the comment "BOGO" Something for free, just add the comment "send me something for free" when placing your order. How to qualify - Simply place your order, and when you reach the discount code box, enter the code "discovery". Then, before you click submit order, type in "BOGO", and we will double the order when it gets to our side. Catches - No Rain checks No guarantees on free items. We cannot refund free. Cannot be combined with other offers or discounts other than the "discovery" discount. No discounts of any kind on rock, or mud. No exceptions 500 dwarf cerith special not included PLEASE DO NOT CHOOSE PRIORITY MAIL TO SHIP ANIMALS THAT REQUIRE EXPRESS MAIL. SUCH ORDERS WILL BE PUT ON HOLD AND CAUSE DELAYS. IF THE ITEM HAS A "*", next to its name, it NEEDS EXPRESS MAIL Orders will not be sent until Monday October 19th. (1 week from Columbus Day). Sorry we are booked for that week, and will be out of town on Thursday afternoon and Friday of next week.

Thank you! I am glad you liked it. We will keep it around too, (well as long as we can keep it stocked), I am already worried about running out. I guess I just didn't give it enough time the first go around.

ReefCleaners brand Live Refugium Mud is the real deal, and has been tested on the most diverse array of seagrasses and algae kept in the hobby. We think our product is better for growing the flora you want in your tanks, because we are in the business of doing just that. What this product is -an in-house grown LIVE mud substrate that is designed to facilitate the growth of macro algae in your refugium, or macro tank. Because it is comprised of mostly fine sediment, (and finely crushed shell to promote water transfer), it will provide a large amount of surface area for bacteria to colonize, and will reach anaerobic conditions by itself within 1-1.5 inches. What this product is not - a strange way to dose your aquarium with trace elements every so often. (although it does have the nutrient capacity to grow macro algae, this is not a product to use for dosing, use chemicals or water changes to keep your trace elements in check). It is also live in the sense it has not been packaged overseas in a container, shipped to a distributor and finally to the retailer's shelves. It is fresh, live, mud. Taken from the tank on the day of shipment and sent to your door. What you should know - as a live substrate that has to endure shipping, it should be cycled, just in case there is die off, which would contribute to the nitrogen cycle. This can be done in a bucket, or in a refugium that has been plumbed out of the system temporarily. NEVER pour this product directly from the shipping bag into an established tank, this hobby is not about taking unwarranted risks, it is about patience. If the tank is new, (brand new or in the process of cycling, no livestock), than that is fine, otherwise it needs to be "cured". Where this mud comes from - it is not harvested from the wild, we have always felt that the sea floor is something to leave undisturbed, and we intend to stick by that principle. It is grown from a blend of fine dry sand in our macro holding tanks. FAQS- So how is mud grown? Sorry, I know you have legitimate reasons for asking us, but we cannot divulge trade secrets. I do apologize for that. Do I need this product to grow macro algae? No, it isn't necessary, but it is helpful. In a young tank it should improve the growth of seagrasses. Does this product need to re-charged like other muds? - No. Set it in and let it develop further. Should I worry about anoxia with this product since it comprised of fine sediments? Yes, if you make the mud portion of your substrate to deep. Please do not go past 1.5 inches in your tank with this product. How much does it cost? The mud itself is only $1.50 a pound. To make the "shipped to your door" price efficient we are packing it in Flat Rate Boxes from USPS. They hold about 10 pounds of product. So with the shipping cost near $10, the total price of a box of mud comes to $25. Can we apply discounts to this product? Unfortunately no, because a good portion of the price is for shipping. Additional information and a photo of the mud can be found here: Live Refugium Mud. We stand behind this product, and hope your refugium will benefit from its potential. Thank you for your interest in ReefCleaners.org! John Maloney

Thanks! We did bring it back, and I am growing another batch in the holding tanks now. Just to be sure though...it is just "Live Mud", I don't want to get in trouble with the trademark holders of "Mineral Mud" (this is the name of an actual product), which I am in no way associated with. (Also don't want to confuse my product with theirs, I am partial to ours. - ) John

Got to take the good with the bad. I bet! Thanks everyone! I will keep it around for awhile too.

Members of this forum get a 15% discount at ReefCleaners.org, simply use the code "15percent" during checkout to take advantage of the offer.

We often get emails from herbivorous fish owners looking for a natural diet for their pets. Until recently we have refrained from the bulk algae market, but are now proud to begin producing a line of products for your finned friends. Our first is a gracilaria package. This has mixed color and species of gracilaria as well as hitchhiking inverts. We measure it buy stuffing a quart size bag, before packing it in larger package. The product retails for $20, and can will be available on the site tomorrow morning. Beginning next week we will also be offering our own live mud. The mud has been developed for some time and we are confident in its ability at removing nitrates, as well as a medium for growing seagrass. (By the way Star Grass is back in stock).

glad we can make you feel better

right? i was going to use a picture of it that showed it in its usual ugly form, but this one I couldn't pass up.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lobophora sp. (Usually variegata): Scientific Description- Brown semi rigid but slippery macro algae. Often confused with plating coralline, the slippery rubbery feel is a give away if you don't want to use scientific methods to determine the id. Manual Removal - Difficult. Qting the rock in an extended dark cycle is the best way. Good thing it doesn't spread rock to rock too fast. A chisel or a flexible knife like a putty blade works, but you got to get it all, and take some of the rock just to be sure. Clean Up Crew- Emerald Crabs (best bet here), Sea Hares, some Turbos, Chitons, Limpets, Tangs, Urchins, will pick at it, but it is likely to persist, but at least it will be controlled. Why it happened - You didn't quarantine, and you have available nutrients for it. Starving it out - Use a phosban reactor or a macro like chaeto to take down phosphate. If you have a nitrate problem too, you can add more live rock or rubble to the tank, do some more wcs, add macro, add dsb, etc... John's Tip - Under the right lighting it can take on amazing colors. Also, it is not calcified despite its appearance. http://www.com.univ-mrs.fr/IRD/atollpol/ec...ges/lobovah.jpg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blue Green Cyano: Description: Forms a slimy mat of green goop for lack of a better term. Usually greenish despite name, but can be darker as it appears in this picture. Removal: This stuff is difficult to get rid of, but can be done if you persevere. Capable of surviving in low to zero light and without nitrates, it only needs phosphates in your tank to feed off of. You can prevent it by utilizing mangroves and macroalgae that will reduce the phosphates in your tank and prevent it from forming. If you have a break out and are trying to deal with an established problem, then you should consider adding a chemical phosphate removal system to kill it. The setup, (you need a phosban reactor and a filter media), may run you up to $75, before tubing and getting your tank setup going. Increase flow to dead spots. Fun Fact: Scientists believe Blue Green Cyano was one of the first life forms on our planet. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dinoflagellates Scientific Description- Light brownish menace. It looks like snot growing up from the rock or sand, with trapped air bubbles in it. Not to be confused with algae that has an air bubble that has landed on it, dinos make them. Not all species of dinos are bad the one pictured is though, and has caused many aquarists to tear down their tanks. Manual Removal - Remove the rock and place it in a large saucepan. Add water enough to cover the rock. Boil the tar out of it. Rinse and repeat with scrubbing in between. Let dry for 3 days in sun. Clean Up Crew- Don't bother. Why it happened - You didn't quarantine, and you have available nutrients for it. Starving it out - Use a phosban reactor or a macro like chaeto to take down phosphate. If you have a nitrate problem too, you can add more live rock or rubble to the tank, do some more wcs, add macro, add dsb, etc... John's Tip - Reduce your phosphates and other nutrients. Iron needs to be controlled. (Everybody forgets about Iron but that can cause problems too.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gelidium: Scientific Description: Species in this genus, (and the similar Coelthrix sp. which looks similar but is purple-sort of), cling to the rock, and spread from a runner. The branches do not get tall, and they are often found with hobbyist frags. Manual Removal - Difficult. Macros that have fragile runners and creep along the rock are the hardest to manually remove. Do the best you can. Clean Up Crew- Emerald Crabs, urchins, sea hares, large turbos, shore shrimp. Small emerald crabs would be my first choice if it took hold in a narrow crevice b/c they could reach it. Why it happened - You didn't quarantine, and you have available nutrients for it. Starving it out - Use a phosban reactor or a macro like chaeto to take down phosphate. If you have a nitrate problem too, you can add more live rock or rubble to the tank, do some more wcs, add macro, add dsb, etc... John's Tip - Don't pass on frags with this stuff, don't put one in your tank. This algae has become extremely common on hobbyist traded frags, every time you add a coral or a rock look for it from now on. If you have it just keep at it, it takes a while but it can be beat back, at least you don't have byropsis. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Callithamnion aka Cotton Candy Algae Scientific Description: The pictured specimen is quite good looking, it usually appears as a light pink fuzz. It is not course, and should sway in the current. (Stiff specimens are likely to be other species that look similar). The macro has very fine "branches" that are covered in even finer hairs. The plants are very small. Manual Removal - Easy if it hasn't taken hold in places your fingers won't fit. Clean Up Crew- Emerald Crabs, urchins, sea hares, large turbos, and some of the larger hermits. Why it happened - You didn't quarantine, and you have available nutrients for it. Starving it out - Use a phosban reactor or a macro like chaeto to take down phosphate. If you have a nitrate problem too, you can add more live rock or rubble to the tank, do some more wcs, add macro, add dsb, etc... John's Tip - This algae is not widespread in nature, but can be locally abundant. It seems to be coming in on frags, and most of the people I know with it have received it on a traded frag. You can just pick this one out manually if it hasn't made it way to the crevices of your rockwork. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Red Bubble Algae Scientific Description: This is Red Bubble Algae, one of the Botryocladia species, (probably skottsbergeii or pyriformis) . Some of the Botryocladia species, like Botryocladia occidentalis, are desirable. The main difference between an invasive species of Botryocladia and a desirable one is how it grows. Desirable species grow up from branches, and invasive species creep along the rock just leaving hard to remove bubbles. Some are in between both in risk and branch development. Manual Removal - Don't be clumsy and spread this one. Get em small, cover them with a baster, scrape the baster along the rock, when the bubble comes off release the plunger and suck it up. Discard and repeat. If you have a lot to do, by the time you are done you will be ready to add new mixed water to complete the water change. Be aggressive with your manual removal. Clean Up Crew- Emerald Crabs Why it happened - You didn't quarantine, and you have available nutrients for it. Starving it out - Use a phosban reactor or a macro like chaeto to take down phosphate. If you have a nitrate problem too, you can add more live rock or rubble to the tank, do some more wcs, add macro, add dsb, etc... John's Tip - Juvenile Emeralds are better for the task, the smaller the better. Get one per handful amount of the bubble. (After aggressive manual removal, remember to limit based on tank size etc....that recommendation is only based on the bubble algae - it does not consider the crabs needs do your research, etc....) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All for now, I will keep getting at it when I get some more picture permissions. Feel free to help me out by sending pics of pest algae. I owe the authors of every photo a credit, I didn't take a single picture. They were all given by the members on this and other hobbyist forums on the internet. I didn't ask the authors for permission to use their name or likeness in this post, only the right to the image so names have been excluded. I would prefer to credit them, and will get around to asking permission.

Okay, so unless you have a nuisance macro algae that is complex and not normal, we hopefully got you covered. We need photos to continue the thread, send them in. The Common Pest Algae. (Diatoms, Hair, Film, and Cyano) Cyano: Slime Style: Powdery Nasty Mess on Sand Style: Scientific Description: Red slimey mess. Can be long and stringy, can be brownish, can be powdery on your glass or rocks. Manual Removal - wipe glass with mag float, etc... Light toothbrush harder corals covered and gorgs, and the rocks. Stir sand and siphon Clean Up Crew- Ceriths, Nerites and Blue Legs Why it happened - too much phosphate, and you probably have a phosphate imbalance. Meaning you probably have less than a 20:1 N:P ratio. Alkalinity may be a factor too. Starving it out - Use a phosban reactor or a macro like chaeto to take down phosphate. If you have a nitrate problem too, you can add more live rock or rubble to the tank, do some more wcs, add macro, add dsb, etc... John's Tip - Increase the flow in your tank to take care of dead spots. Are you using RO/DI? Either way check your source water for phosphates. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hair Algae: Can also appear brownish like this: Scientific Description: A variety of green filamentous algae are lumped together under Green Hair Algae, because identification requires a microscope. Manual Removal - yank it out. If it is growing from the sand sift it out with a net. Clean Up Crew- Blue Legs, bigger hermits, turbos, limpets, chitons Why it happened - too much nutrients, both phosphate and nitrate. Starving it out - Use a phosban reactor or a macro like chaeto to take down phosphate. If you have a nitrate problem too, you can add more live rock or rubble to the tank, do some more wcs, add macro, add dsb, etc... John's Tip - Older light bulbs grow more hair algae as they drift towards the red spectrum. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diatoms: Scientific Description: Brown Powdery like substance that can cake in extreme cases like the one above. Usually occurs right after a tank finishes its cycle. Manual Removal - wipe glass with mag float, etc... A blast from a turkey baster takes care of rocks. Stir sand and siphon. Clean Up Crew- Ceriths, Nerites and Chitons Why it happened - bio available silica, probably from sand or rock or something plastic your recently added to the tank. Starving it out - Diatoms starve themselves out, just try to keep something eating it in the mean time so it isn't so ugly as it slowly removes the silica from your tank. John's Tip - Pods love diatoms. Left with no predation from fish, and a steady supply of diatoms over a month's time, (you do this by keeping the diatoms under control), you should be able to see rapid pod maturation in your tank. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Byropsis sp. As you can see in distant pictures it looks very similar to hair algae, and the two are often confused. Here is a link to a picture of Byropsis pennata, that is close up: Notice the feather detail on the algae. This is what you are looking for in your tank to confirm or deny identification. If you do have it be prepared for a fight: 1. Try to get on it quickly. If it is only on one rock remove the rock, remove algae, starve of light in a QT. 2. Manual Removal - If that doesn't work or get it all, remove all you can by hand. People will tell you not to do this because it will spread. Let me assure you, left untreated byropsis will spread. Just be careful about it, and if you can pull the rock out to remove it all the better. If takes hold in the sand sift it out with a net. If you don't remove the base of byropsis you are wasting your time. 3. Starve it out - As always if you can get down nutrients nuisance algae has a harder time taking hold, or coming back after manual removal. 4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 aggressively. 5. If that doesn't work try raising your magnesium to very high levels. I don't want to be blamed if this causes losses in your tank, many people have done this with great success and minimal stress, but still....please do your research and don't blame me if something goes wrong. I say QT. Here is a good article: Reef Central Online Community - Finally an easy solution to bryopsis! John's Tip: save your money on CUCs, if it is truly byropsis the normally sold CUC members, (in regular numbers at least), will not finish it off, only pick at it which is what we can do with manual removal in 2 minutes time. Opaque cutouts shaped to cover an area of byropsis can be put between the light source to shade them out. Remember fire and corrosion concerns, tupperware might work, but remember soap, chemical contaminant concerns.... Home Depot bucket lids make good cutouts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bubble Algae This is green bubble, one or more of the Valonia species: Scientific Description: Almost cool looking, almost. Can have a metallic look to it. Once it takes hold it can grow very fast and dominate a tank in a month. Manual Removal - Don't be clumsy and spread this one. Get em small, cover them with a baster, scrape the baster along the rock, when the Valonia comes off release the plunger and suck it up. Discard and repeat. If you have a lot to do, by the time you are done you will be ready to add new mixed water to complete the water change. Be aggressive with your manual removal. Clean Up Crew- Emerald Crabs Why it happened - You didn't quarantine, and you have available nutrients for it. Starving it out - Use a phosban reactor or a macro like chaeto to take down phosphate. If you have a nitrate problem too, you can add more live rock or rubble to the tank, do some more wcs, add macro, add dsb, etc... John's Tip - Juvenile Emeralds are better for the task, the smaller the better. Get one per handful amount of the bubble. (After aggressive manual removal, remember to limit based on tank size etc....that recommendation is only based on the bubble algae - it does not consider the crabs needs do your research, etc....)

Finally after hundreds of "no sorry we can't get it", we finally got it. Start Grass, and quite a bit. Have always been able to find it nature, just not in drift, (only legal way to get it), but then we found a patch near a sand bar that gets a lot of boat traffic, and have had some mild success finding it in drift. Anyway get your dibs in, $10 a for a 5 inch or so piece. Sorry but we can just rip it out of the ground or it would be next to nothing. We want to make it available to our loyal customers who frequent the forums, and that is why we don't have it on the site just yet. We plan to sell out the first day. Anyway the most popular grass in the hobby is now available to it. Who else did you expect to bring it to you? Here it is: ReefCleaners.org | Clean Up Crews and Macro Algae - Star Grass

its not that much just manually remove. For the rest of the tank fill out the custom crew form, (you got half of the questions already), and I will get that back to you. http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=c...0&form_id=1

Voting for the winners goes on throughout the weekend here: http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=c...mp;id=1169#1169

that is very true! (Shameless plug alert....) won't be long before another "ugly tank contest", or the second annual "great snail race".

thanks guys, I am going to have a contest update soon,. been rounding up the names from all over the net. will probably have to do 3 round polling/nominating/voting or something.

want to get rid of the caulerpa? What species is it? Picture? How do you feel about crabs?

got even more questions for you. what size are the rest of the fish(how many 3 inches, 6 inches....)....parameters.....any algae....

We need a trade name for Heterosiphona gibbesii, seen here: http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?page=sho...t&Itemid=34 Winner gets a $10 gift certificate to the store and credit for the name. The common names we have come up for some of the species we sell are likely to stick as there is no other reason for this algae to have a common name, and we are the only place to get it. Most of our others ones stick, so start throwing out some names people!

Hi guys listened to the emails and changed the pack to just 15 assorted algae, instead of 5 of each. Mostly to include more reds. We also have a picture of a tank with the some of the algae available in the packages, it can be found here: http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?page=sho...t&Itemid=34

For $50 we are offering a large sampler of our macro algae for those of you who want to try your hand at a macro tank, or are already in the process. The pack will have a random selection of the following: 5 random red algae, full and of the highest quality. (Sorry no pink galaxy or Halymenia right now though). 5 Green algae, let us know if you don't want caulerpa. 5 Brown Algae, including some really bright yellow pieces. All are full size, although we reserve the right to throw in extra frags with it. No one usually argues with that. All will be random. Can't make any requests unfortunately, you are just going to have to trust us on this one. You may tell us no caulerpa though, we won't put anything like chaeto in this one, just the nice decorative algae. Tank sizes 30 gallons and up are best on this one, unless it is pretty bare. Some of the algae in this pack will be species we don't normally sell, but nothing we don't keep in our tank. Everything sold will have a low risk of going sexual as long as you tell us not to send caulerpa, (otherwise you will get some of our nice aquacultured specimens).