Reef Bugs

I'm not sure if i'm posting this in the right place so feel free to move it to were it belongs but I have had a problem with algae in my tank and a big problem with diatoms which is a problem I have never had in the past 2 years but I think I might have an idea why my tank fell off the deep end with algae. All of my parameters were good 0 P04 0 N03 and I was using Reef Bugs for the last year or so and about 2 months ago I stopped and about a month after that I began having problems with algae but I think the reason I developed the problem is because I stoped using the reef bugs and I did not have a good clean-up crew in it's place. I ordered more reef bugs last week and I put them in a couple of times so far and i'm starting to see a big difference already, I wish I had taken some before and after pictures.

Has anyone heard of such a thing as the reef bugs consuming the algae or maybe they are consuming the food that the algae would be eating? What ever is going on it has made a difference but I still ordered a custom clean-up crew from reefcleaners.org they should be here on tuesday I can't wait hopefully I will never have such a problem again.

 

I'm very interested on responses to this forum, have never used them. What kind of Clean Up Crew do you have. Turbo snails are very good at consuming algae, especially hair algae.

 

I have a 55gal reef tank and a 29gal bio-cube and my current clean up crew consists of 11 turbo snails, two cleaner shrimp, 4 peppermint shrimp and a lawnmower blenny I didn't know it but it was grossly inadequate. My new custom clean up crew has 139 members to it and a really wide variety of of snails, hermit crabs and somethings I've never heard of like limpets and chitons? I would like to see what others have to say about the reef bugs, IMO I think they are great.

 

I would suggest thinking about incorporating a refugium in your reef to consume the undesireables. Reef bugs can get expensive if you are using that as a cleanup option, especially at $15+ a bottle. Running a fuge and throwing reef bugs in there will give the bugs a place to reproduce and self sustain and feed your tank. Just a suggestion anyhow.

 

Ok.. do they really hatch pods n such.. or do they act as pod food.

 

They actually hatch after being in the tank. They are encapsulated eggs if I understand right, kind of like artemia. I think they are artemia and copepod eggs or something.

 

Who makes these? I have never heard of them? I havent seen any pods in my tank but hey maybe they arent there. Sounds neat if they have them in a bottle.

 

Marc Weiss, there are some others as well, though I can't recall those off the top of my head, sorry. I just saw a bottle of live copepods in my LFS refridgerator.