Bright Red algae in my BB reef
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Travis
10 and over club
I still had this stuff growing for the past 9 months or so that I was only using kalk. Elevated PO4 levels will obviously cause this algae to grow more but that is not the only thing. This algae likes CLEAN water, hence why it is the only algae so far that I know of that can survive a 9 month rock cooking process.
NoSchwag, that's the stuff.
NoSchwag, that's the stuff.
I didn't want this thread to get away without showing you all what I've been dealing with the last few months. Btw, my tank is also barebottom and has been in operation now for nearly 10 years.
First of all, this is a highly magnified image, just a little larger than lifesize. And secondly, the matlike plague on the left that concerns me only covers maybe 10% of the tank. The uppermost 10% however, where the most flow is. I don't believe this is the same stuff the rest of you have. I do believe it could've been introduced the same way however, through acro plugs or snail shells. All of the algaes in the image (I can count at least 4 different species PLUS good ol' cyano) developed pretty rapidly when the 'mat' began encroaching. Like some of you described, it will not overtake healthy, long established coral colonies but it will slowly overtake small stuff, such as this piece put down by a long since moved parent. Despite it's slimy appearence, this fuzzy menace cannot be scraped off the rock with any of the usual devices and with no amount of pressure.
Now, you'd think my water parameters must be way out of whack to maintain the kind of algae farm shown above, but they're actually not. My nitates are at 0 now (I'm using the Korallin Biodenitrator), down from 5-10 ppm. Phosphates also read 0 as does the TDS of new water coming from my RO/DI unit. I'm using both ozone AND a UV and recently added a pair of Tunze Streamers to get more flow to the previously hard to reach areas caused mostly by coral growth. I skim wet and use a duel beckett MR-7 by MRC. I also use a Calcium reactor and kalk doser but I no longer use my Phosban reactor due to the iron in the media. In terms of husbandry, I blow out both behind the rockwork once a week (I've always had a set of returns down there also), I change my micron socks every two days, and I even rinse my fish food in RO/DI water before using it. So next to tearing the whole thing down, which is out of the question (and apparently cooking the rock doesn't work anyway) I am plumb out of ideas as to how to combat this stuff.
Hopefully, it'll fade away on its own. But until then, just full tank shots from now on...unless one of you have any other thoughts.
First of all, this is a highly magnified image, just a little larger than lifesize. And secondly, the matlike plague on the left that concerns me only covers maybe 10% of the tank. The uppermost 10% however, where the most flow is. I don't believe this is the same stuff the rest of you have. I do believe it could've been introduced the same way however, through acro plugs or snail shells. All of the algaes in the image (I can count at least 4 different species PLUS good ol' cyano) developed pretty rapidly when the 'mat' began encroaching. Like some of you described, it will not overtake healthy, long established coral colonies but it will slowly overtake small stuff, such as this piece put down by a long since moved parent. Despite it's slimy appearence, this fuzzy menace cannot be scraped off the rock with any of the usual devices and with no amount of pressure.
Now, you'd think my water parameters must be way out of whack to maintain the kind of algae farm shown above, but they're actually not. My nitates are at 0 now (I'm using the Korallin Biodenitrator), down from 5-10 ppm. Phosphates also read 0 as does the TDS of new water coming from my RO/DI unit. I'm using both ozone AND a UV and recently added a pair of Tunze Streamers to get more flow to the previously hard to reach areas caused mostly by coral growth. I skim wet and use a duel beckett MR-7 by MRC. I also use a Calcium reactor and kalk doser but I no longer use my Phosban reactor due to the iron in the media. In terms of husbandry, I blow out both behind the rockwork once a week (I've always had a set of returns down there also), I change my micron socks every two days, and I even rinse my fish food in RO/DI water before using it. So next to tearing the whole thing down, which is out of the question (and apparently cooking the rock doesn't work anyway) I am plumb out of ideas as to how to combat this stuff.
Hopefully, it'll fade away on its own. But until then, just full tank shots from now on...unless one of you have any other thoughts.
bluebentgrass
In Memoriam
64IVY
What kind of reactor media do you use?
How about lighting 10k 14k 20k??
What kind of reactor media do you use?
How about lighting 10k 14k 20k??
joefish
Premium Member
Hey Mike sorry to hear about your woes with the tank .
1st question , do you have a refugium ?
2nd does it have a DSB ?
3Rd whats your clean up crew ?
Thats is the same algae I had with the DSB . My #'s on the n03 and po4 looked just like yours . I did found that po4 can be hidden from the test kits and the rest consumed by algae before the test kits can read it .
Look around the cap , it looks like the same thing
Just my disclaimer here ,
I'm not saying DSB's don't work , But mine went bad .
1st question , do you have a refugium ?
2nd does it have a DSB ?
3Rd whats your clean up crew ?
Thats is the same algae I had with the DSB . My #'s on the n03 and po4 looked just like yours . I did found that po4 can be hidden from the test kits and the rest consumed by algae before the test kits can read it .
Look around the cap , it looks like the same thing
Just my disclaimer here ,
I'm not saying DSB's don't work , But mine went bad .
Travis
10 and over club
Mike, I've battled with what I believe is the same stuff. Here you can see it in the background of this pic:
<img src=http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/17792OBT_4-25-05__Small_.jpg>
I remember when I first saw it a few years ago. It was one little patch on my rock smaller than the size of a dime. It gets this soft fuzzy appearance around the outside of it and I actually thought it was some sponge or something. Well, it eventually started to spread and it spread fast. The pic above is one of the rocks that I didn't cook before starting my 280 bb a year ago. The rock you see in the pic ended up completely covered in it. My tank is about the same as yours, only smaller. BB skimmed with an MR-6 running very wet... After a few months I added a good sized sailfin tang and haven't seen the algae since. The sailfin was removed a few months ago and I still haven't seen the algae so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it is gone for good.
<img src=http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/17792OBT_4-25-05__Small_.jpg>
I remember when I first saw it a few years ago. It was one little patch on my rock smaller than the size of a dime. It gets this soft fuzzy appearance around the outside of it and I actually thought it was some sponge or something. Well, it eventually started to spread and it spread fast. The pic above is one of the rocks that I didn't cook before starting my 280 bb a year ago. The rock you see in the pic ended up completely covered in it. My tank is about the same as yours, only smaller. BB skimmed with an MR-6 running very wet... After a few months I added a good sized sailfin tang and haven't seen the algae since. The sailfin was removed a few months ago and I still haven't seen the algae so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it is gone for good.
bluebentgrass said:
ARM.
A combination of (4X) 250W 10Ks, (3X) 400W 20K radiums and VHO 160W actinics. All MHs have been changed within the last two months.
joefish said:
1. Yes, my refuguim is now built into my sump. High flow w/Macros (Cheaeto actually). Chaeto growth has been slow lately due to what I thought was a lower nutrient load.
2. No. My old one did but that was switched out last Summer...before the problem.
3. Astreas, Cerinths, a few old micro Blue Legs, a few huge Emeralds, me.
The tank itself has never had a sandbed.
Travis: My tangs (Sohal, Purple, Chevron, Bristletooth) won't touch the matlike stuff. The Sohal LOVES Hair Algae however and despite the picture, I really don't have very much Valonia. I don't have a lot of cyano either, it just seems to piggyback with the mat algae and is easily removed when I do my rock blowing maintenence. The mat, unfortunately, doesn't budge. And interestingly, this stuff only infests the topmost part of the tank. The rest of the rock, where visible, is completely clean. Can't really tell if the mat is growing. Seems to be in a 'holding pattern' right now like the Chaeto in the fuge.
Oh, and yes, it DOES look the same.
bluebentgrass
In Memoriam
64ivy try korallin media. I battled the same stuff for a few years until i changed media.
Jamesurq
Active member
ashamed to admit that I have this stuff too. I did some reading about people blaming it on Oceanic and figured I'd give it a shot and I'm now switching to a mix of IO/RC/Oceanic and I'll slowly remove Oceanic from the mix.
I can say that the growth has slowed slightly - that and the foxface and Redsea Sailfin are nibbling a little on it.
Hermits don't touch it (at least mine dont)
The "strombus macs" graze over it a lot - but I'm not sure that they're eating it or a film algae that's growing on it.
Big turbos do eat it from my experience - but as stated, they can't get in between the colonies....
I guess bottom line is I'm subscribing to this to see if someone finds the magic bullet...
I can say that the growth has slowed slightly - that and the foxface and Redsea Sailfin are nibbling a little on it.
Hermits don't touch it (at least mine dont)
The "strombus macs" graze over it a lot - but I'm not sure that they're eating it or a film algae that's growing on it.
Big turbos do eat it from my experience - but as stated, they can't get in between the colonies....
I guess bottom line is I'm subscribing to this to see if someone finds the magic bullet...
I really don't think salt has anything to do with it. I've used IO/ Reef Crystals for the past few years while I've had this algae.
tfp
Active member
Jamesurq said:
jamesurq, ain't nothing to be ashamed of man. we are all in this hobby/addiction with a common goal of keeping our corals as healthy and colorful as possible.
i was actually kind of hesistant to even post on this thread to begin with. however, as more people chime in...we might be closer to finding a remedy for it.
bluebentgrass...have you dealt with the red turf algae or was it the matt-like algae 64ivy mentioned?
I've been fighting the red turf and mat algaes for months too. . .
IO salt, barebottom (almost. . .the sand is epoxied down), practically zero feedings, and manual scraping, but it still grows. I dose home made 2 part additive and kalk, no calcium reactor.
What has helped:
My Potters Angel and Algae Blenny nibble at it, but not enough to irradicate it.
Replacing my PC bulbs slowed growth (I run 2x 250W DE 14K bulbs plus Actinic PC supplimentation.)
I recently started adding vodka, and the nusiance algae growth has drastically slowed. (A word of caution, adding vodka will cause a bacterial bloom and could very likely crash your tank. Whatever ammount you think about adding, cut that in half and start there. Read up first and don't up the ammount for several weeks as it may take that long for the bacteria to bloom. OK, sorry to change the subject.)
IO salt, barebottom (almost. . .the sand is epoxied down), practically zero feedings, and manual scraping, but it still grows. I dose home made 2 part additive and kalk, no calcium reactor.
What has helped:
My Potters Angel and Algae Blenny nibble at it, but not enough to irradicate it.
Replacing my PC bulbs slowed growth (I run 2x 250W DE 14K bulbs plus Actinic PC supplimentation.)
I recently started adding vodka, and the nusiance algae growth has drastically slowed. (A word of caution, adding vodka will cause a bacterial bloom and could very likely crash your tank. Whatever ammount you think about adding, cut that in half and start there. Read up first and don't up the ammount for several weeks as it may take that long for the bacteria to bloom. OK, sorry to change the subject.)
joefish
Premium Member
Mike,
Have you cleaned out or rinsed out the detritus from the macros ?
How many snails and crabs ? thats a big system .
Have you changed the bulb out in the UV ?
Do you run carbon ?
Sorry for all the ?'s . I'm just trying to throw out a few Ideas you might have overlooked .
Joe
Have you cleaned out or rinsed out the detritus from the macros ?
How many snails and crabs ? thats a big system .
Have you changed the bulb out in the UV ?
Do you run carbon ?
Sorry for all the ?'s . I'm just trying to throw out a few Ideas you might have overlooked .
Joe
joefish said:
1. Well, not specifically. Once the cheato got too massive, I'd just divvy it up to whoever wanted some. This hasn't happened in a little while, mind you.
2 Honestly, probably not enough. My last order was for 100 astreas and 300 Ceriths which was to boost a population estimated at 75/100. Of course now with Astrea shells being considered as a possible source for the introduction of this crap, I'm in a little bit quandry. And I purposely stopped augmenting my blue-legged hermit population because I could not consistantly find the ones that wouldn't whack my snails. I also probably have a dozen Emeralds. Huge ones that are most likely useless.
3. Funny you should ask; just changed them last weekend.
4. Yep. ESV in a MRC reactor. Just changed that out last weekend also.
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