Is this algae normal and will it go away?

[spankey]

I just setup a frag tank. Its a 35gallon cube. I am lighting it with a 400w halide with a Hamilton 14k.

I noticed after about a week what looked like green stringy algae starting to grow everywhere. Is this normal? I tested the tank and it is perfect. Zero nitrates or phosphates. I used 75% of my existing tank water and 25% new saltwater to set it up. I am running a skimmer on this and its not pulling that much but is pulling some stuff.

I threw an algae blenny in there but he isn't touching the stuff. It doesn't appear to be hair algae as its growing so fast and in its own patch everywhere....

Here are some pics. Any idea how to diminish this or will it go away?
Thanks
Spankey

Amazing that my Sony H1 was able to stop the prop on the seio 1100 at full blast. Great camera with the flash enabled though.

 

[spankey]

I was reading about Bryopsis but don't think its that. Each one of these strands grows in its own little bunch or patch everywhere, I can wipe it right off the tank glass and it pulls off everything easily. The only killer is its on the eggcrate and removal would be painful manually.

Anyone have any ideas? Fish, snails or what not that might consume it?

 

[yellowwatchmen]

It is Blue Green Algae or cyano. It shoulg go away in time. Fish or snails will not eat it.

 

[seapug]

Sure looks like Bryopsis to me. Definitely not BGA or cyano.
Get red for a long battle. Pull out what you can and then get a big 'ol jug of Kent Tech M and raise the Magnesium level to 1500+. It's worked for me a many others.

 

[reefer1024]

I had the same problem when I moved tanks. I had a 2.5 gallon pico with 18w PC. It was completely algae free. I moved everything into a BB 12" cube with a 150w halide on it. Within a week my tank had hair algae just like yours covering every surface. It was really weird because I had the same livestock that was moved into a tank with 3 times the water volume and all of the sudden algae was coming out of nowhere. I think the extra light triggered it.

I cut back my feedings and switched from natural seawater to Tropic Marin mix. I also run an Aquaclear 50 hang on back filter crammed full of carbon, Purigen and Poly filters (enough for a tank 10 times as big). Well its 2 weeks later and the hair algae has disappeared as fast as it came. After about a week it ran out of food and started to turn white. I have been siphoning out the dying hair algae with daily 5% water changes. Today it is 99% gone and last week my whole back pane of glass was a solid green turf.

Just take away its food source and it will go away faster than you would believe.

 

[spankey]

Yeah I talked to a buddy and he set up a frag tank and his did the same exact thing. He said though that his blenny tore it appart. I will keep an eye on it and I did cut back the halide from 8 hours a day to 4 to see if that helps at all! If that doesn't work I might try a lights out period and see what happens there.

Thanks
Spankey

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

that looks like bryopsis to me too.

does it siphon?
If it does, you could runs a siphon hose into a folded piece of screen/filterpad/whatever down in the sump and siphon that algae into the screen for EZ removal from the system

 

[Mr31415]

I have that growing in my sump. I am 99% sure it is Bryopsis. Look at each branch - it looks like a fern.

 

[reefer1024]

I am 99.3% sure that is not bryopsis. I looks exactly like the hair algae that I just battled. Reduce the nutrients in the water and it will go away.

 

[spankey]

Well I guess I didn't give the blenny a shot, he has only been in the tank since Saturday and today there seems to be allot less so I think he is hitting it. We will see!

Thanks

 

[krikor]

My blenny wasnt eating any of the weird algea in my tank and just kissing the walls for about a week, then it started to devourer everything... i guess they need to develop a taste for it? ha ha

 

[Worldwithin]

I am having a similar issue in my tank. I have has bryopsis in the past, and I am pretty sure that it is not it either. Byropsis has a tendency to grow in thick clumps, and what you show isn't.

In my case, mine is only growing on my glass right now. Nothing growing on the rocks or sand bed at all. I find it somewhat odd, but I guess it just likes the glass. I don't have anything in there (other than snails) that will work on the glass for me, so I am stuck with scraping it off once a week.

Bleh.

:fish1::hammer:

 

[hyperfocal]

That looks like green hair algae (GHA) to me -- any number of tank herbivores (including snails, hermits and other clean-up crew usual suspects) should tear it up.