Algae identification and solution help

[BlackTip]

I have been struggling with some type of algae for 4 months now. I tried almost everything in the book, but nothing is working. I think I have more than one type of algae - bryopsis and hair, but I am not 100% sure. They are almost on every rock.

Water volume is 350g
Salinity 1.026
Phosphate 0
Nitrate 0
CA 430
DKH 7 (different problem)
Mag 1300
PH 8.0

Tank is lightly stocked and powerful skimmer is running. I reduced feeding (I was never overfeeding anyway)

Light schedule is 8 hours. 2 hours ramp up and two hours ramp down. 4 hours at 70% blue and 55% white.

I vacuum the sandbed and do 12% water change every week.

I raised Mag using Kent two times. First time at 1760 for 3 weeks, and they came back. Second time at 1900 for 6 weeks. They disappeared, and then came back.

I have GFO running for the past 3 months and phosphate is .03 or less.

I have a ball of Cheato in my fuge for the past 3 weeks.

I tried AlgeFix for 3 weeks, and it didn't work

I did a blackout for 4 days, and it didn't work

I replaced 50g (12%) of water 5 times over 5 days period for total of 50% water change. (Also to try to fix precipitation problem).

Cleaner crews are Nassarius, Cerith, Nerite, hermit crabs, and cleaner shrimp. I had turbo mexicans, but most of them died due to high mag. None of those guys touching the algaes.

I introduced a FoxFace 3 weeks ago, and he is not touching it either.


I am considering reducing the light intensity and period, but I don't want my corals to die.

Any suggestions are much appreciated.

 

[kgeig001]

How old is your tank?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[GimpyFin]

Some of it definitely looks like bryopsis with the fern like branches.

 

[HefeWeizen]

Your low Alk is part of the problem. High Ca and low Alk will cause precipitation. Get your Alk up to a 9 slowly. Your PO4 is likely higher. Most bound up in the algae.

Do you use RO/DI and use a TDS meter?

 

[BlackTip]

Your low Alk is part of the problem. High Ca and low Alk will cause precipitation. Get your Alk up to a 9 slowly. Your PO4 is likely higher. Most bound up in the algae.

Do you use RO/DI and use a TDS meter?

Tank is 10 months old

I use RO/DI

I am unable to get the alkalinity higher. Different issue I am dealing with. I am moving to Seachem Reef Salt from IO and installing CA reactor.

With diligent maintenance, weekly water change, very light stock, very low feeding, and GFO, I don't think I have any phosphate.

 

[thegrun]

+1, it's Bryopsis Algae. Raising your magnesium to 1900 ppm with Kent Tech M usually will take care of it. There apparently is something in the Kent Tech M that kills Bryopsis. Some have only had to raise the magnesium to 1800 to kill it off, others had to take it to 2200 ppm. You should see it start to die off within a week with elevated magnesium.

 

[BlackTip]

+1, it's Bryopsis Algae. Raising your magnesium to 1900 ppm with Kent Tech M usually will take care of it. There apparently is something in the Kent Tech M that kills Bryopsis. Some have only had to raise the magnesium to 1800 to kill it off, others had to take it to 2200 ppm. You should see it start to die off within a week with elevated magnesium.

I did that twice. The algae disappeared everytime, but they came once the mag level goes down.

 

[HefeWeizen]

Try using baking soda to raise the Alk. I use baking soda in my topoff and dose BRS calcium.

I will tell you that if you have nuisance algae you have PO4. It is bound up in the algae and possibly being leeched from the rock work. I would suggest that you use a turkey baster to blow the detritus from the rocks before a water change.

I would also suggest that you get a TDS meter to test your RO/DI.

 

[BlackTip]

Try using baking soda to raise the Alk. I use baking soda in my topoff and dose BRS calcium.

I will tell you that if you have nuisance algae you have PO4. It is bound up in the algae and possibly being leeched from the rock work. I would suggest that you use a turkey baster to blow the detritus from the rocks before a water change.

I would also suggest that you get a TDS meter to test your RO/DI.

I blow off the rocks once a week and I have a TDS meter. RO/DI water has 0 TDS.

 

[BlackTip]

So, do you guys believe this is Bryopsis?

Is there anything that I can do?

 

[Crush Coral]

Your PO4 tester needs to test Ultra Low Range like the Hanna ULR Phosphourus tester. Then in order to get a true test of leaching phosphates you have to manually remove all the algae to rid it from consuming the PO4 to get a true test. It will take a little while for the PO4 to leach out of the rock and give you a true test (a week?).
I have been finding that Rowaphos does a good job in my reactor of pulling out PO4. My hair algae stops growing till the Rowaphos is used up (about 3 weeks). Then patients and manual removal when ever it raises it ugly head and keep up with replacing the GFO. Of course keeping a competing algae in your fuge too.
This is what I am doing to battle HA and it appears that I am winning the war. Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!