algae problem

[mtbiker41]

In Jan. I started a 240 gal. tank with with a euro reef skimmer ,45 gallon refugium,4 seio power heads .I only have about six fish in it right now with over 350 lbs. of live rock.I have the miracle mud in refugium along with some chaeto algae and live rock.It has started getting a rusty colored algae thruogh out the whole tank .My brother in law was keeping some of the corals from the 90 gal. that was busted in a fire until we got this one going . after putting them in last week they are already getting it on them also.I also have a a kent reactor with charcoal in one cannister and phosphate remover in the the other. The phosphates are showing 0 the ph was low at 8.0 on saturday nitrites were clear and ammonia was also.I have had reef tankstanks for years and never had an algae problem like this or seen algae that looks like this.I can brush it off in the evening and do water change and its right back the next morning.any advice would be greatly appreciated.Here are some pics of it that I took this morning.Thanks Butch

 

[davewbush]

What kind of clean up crew do you have?

 

[losthere]

More flow, skim heavier, keep the chaeto trimmed so it wont trap detritus and allows it to grow more so it uses up more nutrients. More frequent H2O changes, and clean sponges regularly. I dont really know but it is a start.

 

[sympley]

Wow, looks almost like what I am getting. My is shorted but also all over everything. Just my 2 cents but your phosphates can be showing 0 because algae is using it up. When was last time you changed your phosphate and carbon media? What about your photoperiod how long is it? Maybe shorten in a bit?

Also not sure what your overflows are like but in my Perfecto reef tank the overflows are in corners they are from top to bottom and have a removable divider kind of thing. Once I had nitrates going through the roof and could not figure out what could be causing it. Turns out there was a s**t load of detritus collecting behind the divider thing. Cleaned it up and nitrates went down so did algea.

Just some food for though.

 

[bonerfortuna]

Look into vodka dosing, plenty of threads here. It helped me with similar problems. Im now a full fledged alky.

 

[mtbiker41]

I have the typical clean up. 5Green Emerald crabs 2 Sally Lightfoots. several blue legged hermits about 25 red scarlet hermit crabs. 2 brittle stars. 4 peppermint shrimp. 1 coral banded shrimp and several assorted snails large and small Mexican, nassarius, &ect. Algae eating hair slug. 2 reef safe urchins 1 sand sifting star fish.

 

[davewbush]

Could it be dinoflagellates that you have?