Algae Growing

[mdodso00]

Within the past couple weeks I have a lot of Algae growing on certain rocks, some of them are in good water flow areas and others are not, but its only certain rocks and not all over which I think is odd. Anyone got any info on what I can do besides pulling it off by hand?

 

[Shaqinwi 65]

Pull in off is a good way to reduce it but what is the cause?

Have you measured your phosphates recently?

 

[mdodso00]

I'm not sure what the cause is, I put a bigger filter on the back on the tank about 2 months ago and was thinking it was just going through a small cycle and didnt think anything of it at the time, but took that off bc it was creating too much water movement. So I put the orginal filter back on, and it has been about a month and a half now and the algae is still growing. I figured I'd buy a LawnMower Blennie and that may help a lil but it hasn't in the last week.

As far are measuring my phosphates I dont have the tests to do that as of right now. Prolly need to invest in that sometime soon, just a lot of money for a test kit tho.

 

[RVANANO]

Can you describe the algae?

 

[mdodso00]

hair algae



you can see it on the base rock in the bottom left

 

[RVANANO]

Hard to tell in the small photo but looks more like bryopsis algae to me. If the ends of the strands of algae look vaguely like feathers (i.e. small veins branching out) then it's bryopsis which I beat by using Tech M (Tech M is the only mag product proven to work) to bump my Mag levels to 1700.

If GHA like you suggested, then a refugium with some macro algae, shorter light cycle on main tank and some carbon in a reactor would be ideal.

 

[mdodso00]

Im not up with the lingo what is GHA?

 

[mdodso00]

Nevermind I believe it mean Green Hair Algae haha

 

[mdodso00]

Hard to tell in the small photo but looks more like bryopsis algae to me. If the ends of the strands of algae look vaguely like feathers (i.e. small veins branching out) then it's bryopsis which I beat by using Tech M (Tech M is the only mag product proven to work) to bump my Mag levels to 1700.

If GHA like you suggested, then a refugium with some macro algae, shorter light cycle on main tank and some carbon in a reactor would be ideal.

Does bryopsis Algae have round disc on it as well? because I do have that growing on that same rock. And I also think I have Green Hair Algae, but the problem is I dont have a refugium so I cannot put some macro Algae in it but I probably need to do a shorter light cycle on the tank and I do not have a reactor either. Still trying to stay as cheap as I can right now.

 

[RVANANO]

I am confused by what you mean in regards to round disc. Myabe you mean bubble algae?

 

[mdodso00]

no its not bubble algae, its little discs that come off the vine looking thing

 

[RVANANO]

Oh, like a little green bead? Thats sounds like macro algae that people use in their refugiums if so. If that is the case, you can just pull it out.

 

[mdodso00]

no thats not it i dont think. its very viney, hard to pull off and has what it looks like lilly pads coming off it, that would be the best way i could describe it without taking a picture.