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[Ocean_Dreamer]

Hi, I have been working with saltwater for close to a year now...yea fun subject...currently I have a 29 gallon biocube (yea totally wicked cool). Currently, it has an actinic blue light and the led light and the other coral life light that it came with. It is a beautiful tank. I have about 10 pounds of live rock in it with some small hermit crabs two tiny blennies (each less than a half inch long), a skilletfish that a friend caught that is less than a half inch, and a small picasso trigger...i know my tank is too small for the picasso but I'm moving soon and plan to upgrade once i get my new apartment...currently he is in the 29 gallon, but he will be moved to a 125 when I move in about four months. I have white and black carribsand in the tank..beautiful lol, awesome to watch the trigger move the sand around until he likes the way the tank looks...I also have about 7 pieces of deadhead coral in the tank...and the triggerfish is being fed on freeze dried krill and soon will be being fed cut squid, clams, and oyster if i can come across any.

Here is the questions....first off, I have hair algae growing on my rocks...how is the easiest way to get rid of the hair algae without worrying about my trigger attacking me in the process? I stick my hands in the tank as little as possible to avoid his bites. Second, what could be causing this problem? Third, I have been getting my water tested quite frequently for the past three months so that I can attempt my hand at coral. I wanted to try with button polyps, pom pom xenia, or mushroom polyps. I have had xenia in the past and my humu humu didn't touch them. How would he react if I put coral in the tank? Would he eat it? any help is appreciated...I will try to post a pic of the tank soon...I'm kinda up to my ears with tank information learning Marine Biology so that I can major in it. Thanks everyone.

[Fishboy93]

The main cause of algae would most likely be excess nutrients, you mentioned that you got your water tested, what were the results? Water changes and manual removal is what i would do. Your coral selections are good choices, what is your lighting situation? they will most likely do well in your tank, as for the trigger, you may want to wait for some of the more experienced members to put in there advice. HTH.

[leveldrummer]

humu triggers are supposed to be some of the better reef triggers, i dont have any personal experience with it though, i have one in a eel tank, but no corals, as for hair algae, fish boy is right, more frequent/larger water changes along with some good syphoning of the sand, and pulling what you can by hand. you can add some turbo snails or some hermits, they might help, but will also be something for the trigger to pick on.

[Ocean_Dreamer]

Okay, when the water was tested, ammonia was zero, nitrates 0.25 ppt, nitrites were zero. my alkalinity was rather high, my pH is at 8.3 with no problems, and my calcium was okay i think the guy said 500. the lighting is coral life lights..umm. there is lunar blue-moon-glow LED lamps, actinic 03 blue compact flourescent lamps, and 10,000K daylight compact fluorescent lamps. I asked the guy if they were good for growing coral and he said yes. also, what is a safe way of keeping my trigger away from me when im trying to clean the tank? he always comes after my hand, but im afraid if i dont pull my hand away he is going to bite me.

[leveldrummer]

Originally Posted by Ocean_Dreamer

Okay, when the water was tested, ammonia was zero, nitrates 0.25 ppt, nitrites were zero. my alkalinity was rather high, my pH is at 8.3 with no problems, and my calcium was okay i think the guy said 500. the lighting is coral life lights..umm. there is lunar blue-moon-glow LED lamps, actinic 03 blue compact flourescent lamps, and 10,000K daylight compact fluorescent lamps. I asked the guy if they were good for growing coral and he said yes. also, what is a safe way of keeping my trigger away from me when im trying to clean the tank? he always comes after my hand, but im afraid if i dont pull my hand away he is going to bite me.

the lights are ok for corals, but most likely only the easiest of corals, look into softies, leathers, xenia, zoanthids, mushrooms, etc.

you really cant trick your trigger, so you just have to keep your hand away or get bit. thats just what triggers are, cant really change it, leave your hand in and see if its really trying to bite you, he might just wanna snuggle.

[fishbguy]

snuggle....lol

have you tried waering a glove of some sort? i don't have saltwater or triggers (duh) but when my birds used to bite, i would were leather gloves. i know you prolly can't do that in a sw tank, but you could try a pair of those long rubber gloves? it'll still hurt but at least it won't break skin. just more of a pinch.

[Fishfirst]

Use a piece of plexiglass to seperate you from the triggerfish.

[Ice]

A sea hare will take care of your algae on your rocks. You may want to pass along or trade the sea hare for they will starve once the algae on the rocks are under control.

[Fishfirst]

yikes... don't get the sea hare with that trigger in there