Cyano, Dinos or Diatoms?

[mullerjd]

Hoping that someone can help me identify this algae that is starting to take over my sand and rocks. Some of it is rust / red in color, other places it is green.

I have been looking at pictures of diatoms, cyano and dino and cant tell which one I have as it never looks like any of the pictures. I have tried 2 days lights out, skimming very wet, running and changing GFO regularly and it is still there.

See pictures below:

Some information on the tank:
60 gallon cube
Salinity 1.026
Amm / Nitrites / Nitrates all show 0
Calcium 420 (Hanna)
Magnesium 1560
Alk 8.2 (Hanna)
Phosphate 0.03 (Hanna)

Any help anyone can provide to identify this so I can determine how best to approach would be greatly appreciated.

 

[cloak]

It might be a combination of both Cyanobacteria & Diatoms, but the Cyanobacteria is definitely the most dominant.

http://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide

 

[Nick92515]

What's your water source? Tap water or rodi? And what type of lights?

 

[Fish Keeper82]

It might be a combination of both Cyanobacteria & Diatoms, but the Cyanobacteria is definitely the most dominant.

http://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide

Agreed

A simple child's microscope can go along way in a positively ID. What is hard to ID/see with the naked eye, under the scope become easily distinguishable.

 

[Flagg37]

Just let it grow. It's such a nice shade of green. It's like a lawn for your fish tank.

 

[Fish Keeper82]

Just let it grow. It's such a nice shade of green. It's like a lawn for your fish tank.

I agree it looks nice but if left unchecked and to grow wild it will choke out and kill corals.

 

[leviburns89]

Water changes yo

5% twice a week for the next month. Then boom, gone.

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[mullerjd]

What's your water source? Tap water or rodi? And what type of lights?

What is RO/DI, testes last night at 2 ppm TDS so I am at the point where I will need to replace cartridges but this has been going on for months even when it was testing at 0 TDS. Light is a 4 bulb T5, 2 blue bulbs come on at 1 PM go off at 10 PM, whites come on at 2 PM and go off at 9 PM

 

[mullerjd]

Just let it grow. It's such a nice shade of green. It's like a lawn for your fish tank.

Wish my lawn would look this green, rather not have it in my tank :rollface:

 

[mullerjd]

Water changes yo

5% twice a week for the next month. Then boom, gone.

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The Reef Cleaners article linked above talks about 30% water changes per week. Would it be better to up the 5% to 10% twice a week?

 

[leviburns89]

The Reef Cleaners article linked above talks about 30% water changes per week. Would it be better to up the 5% to 10% twice a week?

30% seems like too much. You can eventually deplete the tank of all the benifical bacteria and filtering power going that method.

But 10% is absolutely fine. I personally do 5% change every Wednesday, and 10% every Saturday.

Vacuuming the sandbed each time works wonders as well as it physically removes anything in the sandbed, I just suck it up in the tube, plug the drain end with my thumb, the heavy sand falls out, and any algae, detritus, or diatoms stay in long enough so when I remove my thumb, it all gets sucked out.

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[mullerjd]

30% seems like too much. You can eventually deplete the tank of all the benifical bacteria and filtering power going that method.

But 10% is absolutely fine. I personally do 5% change every Wednesday, and 10% every Saturday.

Vacuuming the sandbed each time works wonders as well as it physically removes anything in the sandbed, I just suck it up in the tube, plug the drain end with my thumb, the heavy sand falls out, and any algae, detritus, or diatoms stay in long enough so when I remove my thumb, it all gets sucked out.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

OK Thanks. I may try to do 2 a week then but not more than 10% or 15% in total in a week.