Algae Problems

[SoonerFan732]

I need some help with my algae problem. Below are some pictures of the algae that is growing in my main display. The first three pictures are what it looks like from about lights on until 7 PM then from 7 until lights off if looks like the last two pictures. It has gradually been getting worse over the past 2 weeks. You may recall a month or so ago I was having problems with brown algae blooming (posted a different thread). Now I have this instead.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Some info to help:
75 gallon with a Euroreef CS8-3 skimmer (hasn't been collecting much skimmate past 4 months, maybe 1/4" every 3-4 days), mag 9.5 in the sump and 3 maxi-jet 1200's in the main display. The actinics are on from 9 AM - 10:30 PM (x2 65W power compact) the rest of the lights are on from 10:30 AM - 9 PM(x2 65W 10000K/6500K PC and 2 65W SmartPaq PC). The 10000K/6500K bulbs are 8 months old, the SmartPaqs are 2 months old, 1 Actinic is 1 week old and 1 is 8 months old. I have been using RO/DI water from the start and the tank has been set up for 8 months.

Temperature (F) 78-80
pH 8-8.3
Calcium (PPM) 400
Salinity 1.024
Ammonia (PPM) 0
Nitrite (PPM) 0
Nitrate (PPM) 0
Phosphates (PPM) 0.1

Rock 1 in the afternoon

Rock 2 in the afternoon

Rock 3 in the afternoon

Rock 1 in the evening

Rock 3 in the evening

 

[DJ88©]

[moved]

 

[mkocan]

Looks familiar. I have about the same setup (72 gal bowfront, same pc lighting, HOT Remora Skimmer) and have been battling the same problems. I had hair algae for a few months, then when that went away the stuff you have (looks like cyano) came. Comes in red-brown sheets with the bubbles etc... that you see in your pics.

I tried everything, changing lights, adding a HOT filter with carbon and phossorb pads, nothing was working. Kept vacuming stuff off rocks and sand. I recently added a diversity pack from E-tropicals about a month and a half ago and the tank is showing improvement, although slowly. The diversity pack seems to have the critters that have kept it in check, and after the last waterchange it looks like the stuff is on the way out.

Definitely not fun to deal with!

 

[hopper]

Red cyano is what this is. Water changes and siponing the stuff out will help. You need to find the source of the nutrients that the cyano is feeding off of and it will go away after that is taken care of. Easier said than done though. I am battling a similar problem. I would definitely cut your photo period down a few hours. I don't think this will make it all go away, but it's not helping things any either. I would go with 10 hours or so with the actinics and bring the other lights on for about 7-8 hours. Might want to skim a little more until you get this under control.

 

[SoonerFan732]

The skimmer is a whole seperate issue. I can't get it to produce much skimmate. I have a thread going on the Euroreef message board, but it has helped much. I have tried all they suggested, but it just isn't producing much skimmate. If I put the water level almost to the top of the skimmer I get about 1/4" a week in the collection cup and it looks like a very weak tea. If I don't keep it that high I get nothing in the collection cup.

Thanks!

 

[gregrex]

I've got a similar setup and similar problem. Part of your/my algae looks like cyano, and it partly looks like dinoflagellates (green snot)... big PITA. A few threads on the latter suggesting drastically cutting down photoperiod. I havn't done that yet myself. Let us know if anything works for you.

 

[billdub]

maybe changing those 8 month old bulbs ? that did the trick for me in the past.