Algae Growth - hmmm

[JMartin104]

I don't think this is Bryopsis. It does not have a feathery look. It's like short tufts of turf grass. It came with my LR. It seems coarse.

I'm about 3 weeks into my cycle and all numbers are low, except PH: 8.2. I'm starting to notice this brown algae. It's looks like fine, soft velvet. It's fairly short.

 

[TBall]

That doesnt look like bryopsis. What are your phosphate levels?

 

[JMartin104]

That doesnt look like bryopsis. What are your phosphate levels?

I need to get a kit first thing tomorrow. The water came direct from my LFS - RODI and pre-made with salt.

 

[TBall]

Gotcha. Test it and go from there. I just bought a phosphate reactor and gfo and it has helped tremendously.

 

[JMartin104]

It looks like Phosphates are 0-.25 and at the most, < .5.

Could the brown looking stuff be Cyno? I also did some more research and the green algae could be Cladophoropsis.

 

[TBall]

I would say its a little on the high side for phosphates. What test kit is it?

 

[JMartin104]

I would say its a little on the high side for phosphates. What test kit is it?

Really? It's API, but I have a hard time matching the colors. Depending upon the light and angle it can read from 0 - 1.

I'm not sure how I could have elevated Phosphates though. The tank was filled with true sea water from the LFS and topped off with RODI water when low. I have not done a change as of yet - doing a 40% water change tomorrow.

 

[TBall]

Really? It's API, but I have a hard time matching the colors. Depending upon the light and angle it can read from 0 - 1.

I'm not sure how I could have elevated Phosphates though. The tank was filled with true sea water from the LFS and topped off with RODI water when low. I have not done a change as of yet - doing a 40% water change tomorrow.

There are a thousand ways to introduce phosphates into your tank. Look at the label on your food. Flake and pellets have phosphate. Also fish waste is then high in phosphate as well. I would get a phos reactor run gfo and replace on a schedule and never look back. They are pretty cheap and well worth it. I have battled high phos for a long time and that helped so much.

 

[JMartin104]

No fish or food. All LR except 2 pieces are from established tanks - that could be it.

My Hanna PO Checker arrived and I tested my water:

RODI: 0.00
DT: 0.37

At this point, the only thing I can figure is PO leaching from one or more rocks. I'm not running my skimmer yet - starting tomorrow. I'm going to monitor for a couple of weeks and see if that helps. If not, I think I'm going to give Chaeto a try and see how that goes.

 

[KeMo]

I would of scrubbed that algae off before placing in the main DT. (You know Now)
Id take the rock out and scrub the hair looking algae off with a tooth brush , then rinse it in RO/salt mixed water. I had hair algae on a rock that came from LFS and did that and never saw it come back.
Everyone is talking about your Phosphates witch yes could be a major factor. Also check you Silica levels. Diatoms also feed on Silica. Witch it usually in the substrate that you buy and thats why you usually see a bloom during the cycle.
Things like this should start to die down after they eat the phosphates and silicates up. (As long as your not re introducing them into the tank by other means. )
Oh and a ph of 8.2 is fine.
Keep us updated.

 

[crvz]

Really? It's API, but I have a hard time matching the colors. Depending upon the light and angle it can read from 0 - 1.

It's actually really hard to get an accurate measure of true phosphate content in your tank in any case, as hobby level kits only measure a small portion of available po4. If the test kit measures anything, you have an excess in my experience.

You've got some good plans in terms of helping remove excess nutrients from the tank, but have patience. It can take months if the rock you're using is laden from older tanks. You may consider searching for folks who have "cooked" their rocks (nothing to do with heat), or even performed acid baths to help break down the extra wastes. It may speed things up for you.

 

[JMartin104]

I'm only 4 weeks in and still learning. I figure I'm at least 4 more weeks away for fish - which isn't a problem. I want a stabilized tank first. I'm learning quite a bit but have a long way to go.