I think I've found the secret, I just dont know what it means

[poppin_fresh]

I have noticed a really strange phenomenon in my tank and 'fuge.

I have been battling this weird cotton/snot algae in the display for several months. I have yet to see a trace of it in the 'fuge which has had cyano problems, but with no trace of it in the display. The display is lit by 2 x 55w T5 and 2 x 32w NO Flourescent. The refugium is lit by a Lights of America out door flood/security fluorescent fixture.

Neither of these algaes/bacteria can be found in the sump (which has no lighting what so ever), yet they all share the same water. Obviously, these organisms not only need nutrients, but they also must prefer certain light levels, or spectrums. I would think if they weren't fussy I would have the algaes crossing paths, but they dont.

What am I missing here????

 

[stevedola]

i contributed some of my cyano outbreak to a change to a lower light T5 bulb (3000K). I think youre right that certain bacteria/algeas like different spectrums of light.

 

[RichConley]

poopin_fresh/steve,

while theres certainly a clear difference in light here between the fuge and tank, theres also plenty of other things that are different: flow, detritus levels, etc.

 

[scarter]

plus critters

 

[poppin_fresh]

Thats what I'm wondering...what is the secret. What does/doesn't snot algae like and what is fueling the cyano?

It just makes me wonder when someone has an algae problem we ask "whats your water parameters"? Obviously water parameters are only a small fraction of the equation.

 

[greenbean36191]

It likes phosphate and light. Asking what the parameters are like is essentially useless for cyano because you can't measure the local PO4 concentration, which is what matters and it doesn't need dissolved nitrate.

With true algae parameters are a little more useful because they need dissolved nitrate and PO4. Generally if nitrate is low you won't get true algae.

 

[gregg@AMS]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10502511#post10502511 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by greenbean36191
It likes phosphate and light. Asking what the parameters are like is essentially useless for cyano because you can't measure the local PO4 concentration, which is what matters and it doesn't need dissolved nitrate.

With true algae parameters are a little more useful because they need dissolved nitrate and PO4. Generally if nitrate is low you won't get true algae.

:thumbsup: very good points.

one thing people don't think about is that their system water can have a PO4 reading of close to 0ppm, but at the same time, they can have little pockets of detritus in the rocks or even substrate that the cyano "roots down" on.

that's also a good point about cyano fixing its own nitrogen. people look at their NO3 readings and see that its extremely low, yet their is cyano growing all over.

my advice on cyano is keep your PO4 levels down, keep detritus blown out of the rocks (and hopefully somehow removed from the system) and maintain good water flow throughout the tank, as cyano does not rellay like higher water flow.

 

[elegance coral]

I use exactly what Poppin_fresh is describing as probably my most efficient filtration system. The lights in my display are heavy on the actinic side. Most problem algae prefer a lower kelven temp. I have a large refuge with a 70W 4000K MH (a very bright little light bulb) and two 10K 55W PC's. I grow sea grape algae in my refuge. I harvest large quantities of this algae on a regular basis. This consumes most of the algae nutrients from the water, leaving my display problem algae free.