Need help...brown hair algae or something else?

[j.falk]

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPnitaNUXNRJdVauKqA7RzFQPXAeAqVatM4i_br

I need some help. I don't know if this is some type of hair algae or cyano. To me it looks like a dark brown type of hair algae but I've never seen brown hair algae before so I don't think that is correct. Can anyone tell me what this stuff is? It's growing everywhere and FAST.

The tank has been set up for roughly 3 months now. I started it with dry rock and this stuff started growing after I went through a big diatom bloom a month ago. I have tried cleaning it off the rock with a toothbrush and doing several large water changes in a row but nothing is working.

I'm very frustrated and disappointed with how things are going right now.

 

[Uncle99]

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPnitaNUXNRJdVauKqA7RzFQPXAeAqVatM4i_br

I need some help. I don't know if this is some type of hair algae or cyano. To me it looks like a dark brown type of hair algae but I've never seen brown hair algae before so I don't think that is correct. Can anyone tell me what this stuff is? It's growing everywhere and FAST.

The tank has been set up for roughly 3 months now. I started it with dry rock and this stuff started growing after I went through a big diatom bloom a month ago. I have tried cleaning it off the rock with a toothbrush and doing several large water changes in a row but nothing is working.

I'm very frustrated and disappointed with how things are going right now.

Sorry I can't see the pic, see post GHA?
Maybe some of this could help
Your tank is young, don't dispair, just keep up the fight.
Once maturity and stability come, all this will be in the past.
Every single one of us go thru the ugly stages....

 

[j.falk]

Sorry I can't see the pic, see post GHA?
Maybe some of this could help
Your tank is young, don't dispair, just keep up the fight.
Once maturity and stability come, all this will be in the past.
Every single one of us go thru the ugly stages....

That's the problem...if I can't identify what this is, I can't look up information on how to resolve the issue. It definitely looked like a type of brown hair algae at first growth...but now that it's longer it seems thicker than GHA and it covers the rock in thick, chunky mats.

Water changes seem to be feeding it The stuff seems to grow more (longer) after a water change has been done. I'm using RODI water via BRS Value 4 stage RODI unit.

Feeding the fish seems to feed it as more spots of new growth seem to pop up over the course of the day after food has been added to the tank. I feed once a day and only 2-3 1mm pellets per the 3 fish total that are in the tank.

Lighting is 8 hours a day total with an AI Prime HD set to the BRS spectrum settings for optimal coral growth as seen in this video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWc3dUwQuWI

I've never had this type of algae issue with a saltwater tank before so it is very frustrating because I don't know what it is or how to go about taking care of the problem.

 

[j.falk]

John from Reefcleaners id'd it for me. It looks like I have a weird type of cyano.

 

[j.falk]

So who knows a sure way to get rid of Lyngbya cyanobacteria?

 

[mcgyvr]

Treat Lyngbya just like regular Cyano..

Manual removal during water changes (suck it right out).. Turn lights off for 3 days right after that... Then suck it out again when you turn the lights back on.. Repeat every couple weeks till gone..

 

[j.falk]

Treat Lyngbya just like regular Cyano..

Manual removal during water changes (suck it right out).. Turn lights off for 3 days right after that... Then suck it out again when you turn the lights back on.. Repeat every couple weeks till gone..

Okay. I'll give it a try. It's stuck on the rocks pretty good. I really have to scrub hard with a toothbrush to get it off even a little bit. Should I be concerned about toxins being released that could potentially kill my livestock?

Will the 3 day blackouts hurt my anemone? I don't spot feed it. I let it get it's food via light source.

 

[Uncle99]

Cyano does not stick, its bacteria, not an algae. Or at least none that I have encountered
If you scrub scrub scrub and it don’t come off and had really short hairs it’s a form of brownish/ red algae.....only Mexicans turbo works on this stuff because it native to their location..... post pics and we can confirmed

3 day blackout will hurt nothing.... happens in the ocean all the time...but likely you won’t see too much change.

Rule out ambient sunlight of any kind
Rule out red/ yellow light... older T5 and cheap LED are famous for this colour shift
Rule out phosphates
Rule out non 0 TDS initial water
For now run carbon to rule out toxins
Keep skimmer tuned

 

[j.falk]

Thanks guys. I'll give all the advice a try and see if I can eradicate this problem. Much appreciated!

 

[Uncle99]

If it’s cyano especially in a tank less than 1 year, it will pass, but keep nutrients low and in proportion to each other.... ie..... no 50ppm nitrates with almost zero phosphate or vice versa... so far for me the 2-5 nitrate and lower than .1 phosphate levels has worked great for 30 months, but I agree, all tanks different

Good luck, let us know with updates so I can learn too

 

[j.falk]

It looks like the cyano brown hair algae stuff is finally dying off. I started running carbon, turned down the intensity of my lighting and kept up with twice a week water changes/manual removal.

My concern now is whether I have enough algae to support my CUC? The dry rock really isn't covering over with anything new, coralline algae isn't growing at all and a lot of my CUC have disappeared over the past month.

 

[ReeferNoob4ever]

Sounds like you are going through the beginning stage. Dying CUC can lead to increased nutrients in the tank and create a very vicious cycle. I only have NANO tanks but I typically put 3 snails and a couple crabs tops. I also like an urchin (but if you want purple algae don't go with an urchin).

As far as your algae problem goes it sounds like you may have figured out a balance with lights and nutrient input. I will wager to bet you will get more algae down the road. It's just part of reef keeping. Not until you hit the 3 yr mark on any given tank will you ever really not have to battle some sort of algae. Even then, you may get small little outbreaks here and there. With regard to your specific description, I have had brown hair algae before. It grips onto the rock like no other. Typically I have found that it's actually green hair algae with diatoms making it look brown.

I blame YouTube and the likes. Most videos you see are of either extreme experts (BRS etc) or those who only show their tanks when they are pristine. Reef keeping is not for the thin skinned I can attest to that! What has worked for me: light feeding, shorter photo periods, seachem matrix in a reactor, and chemi-pure blue along with consistent water changes.

Good luck and keep keepin on!!:spin1: