Please HELP

[Jasonf08]

In the last Week to week and a half my tank has recently broke out in this pest algae. Can you help me identify this problem?

Initially i thought this is bryopsis and started to try remedies posted on reefcentral. My origional parameters were 2.5 nitrates 0 phosphates and MG 1200 & PH around 7.6.

Now i have used bionic MG with no luck so i picked up Kent Tech M. I started using the tech M last night and have MG at around 1800. I also shut off my CA reactor to help with PH and started to drip Kalkwasser. Now my ph is 8.4 during the day. Other levels are now 0 nitrates, 0 phosphates

Is this bryopsis? i dont see the furn like stalks when up close but seems to grow in little tufts.

I do have a mexican turbo & assorted crabs that dont eat this stuff. Is there also a recommended cleanup critter I should pick up?

Thank you for any help you can lend. this is begining to take over my tank.

 

[Jeff Trout]

what about bulbs?how many hours are you running your lights for? have you tried testing your water with another test kit? I think its hair algae

 

[Jasonf08]

The test kits are new & the bulbs have only about 1.5-2 months on them with about 8 hrs a day. Its crazy that it broke out so fast

I have 2 T5 460nm, 2 T5 420nm, & 1 MH 250w Pheonix 14k running.

 

[serpentman]

With an outbreak of this magnitude, you probably will not show phosphates as the algae will quickly uptake any available PO4. How much are you feeding? Usually overfeeding or a death is the primary cause, especially given the tank size, it doesn't take much at all.

It looks like a briopsis sp, however, it doesn't appear to the the PITA tough feathered stuff. The good news is if it is what I think it is, you should be able to get it under control with some effort.

Here is what I would do:

1.) I would manually remove as much as possible. Mix up some fresh saltwater in a bucket and use a stiff clean brush to scrape the rocks clean of algae, rinse in SW and return to the tank.

2.) Use some Granular Ferric Oxide (Phosban) to uptake available PO4. Given the size of the tank, a media bag could be used instead of a Phosban reactor.

3.) Dramatically reduce any feeding until things stabilize. When they do, revisit the amount you are feeding to make sure you aren't adding too much.

4.) Check and clean your skimmer and make sure it is functioning properly.

5.) You can consider a lawnmower blenny or emerald crab to assist in removal. However, these will help keep it in control, it won't due as much to remove nutrients which is the root cause.

6.) Long term, you may want to consider a refugium with macroalgae to export nutrients to prevent recurrences.

 

[Burgman]

Hi,

I had a similar outbreak last year and a Sea hare cleaned out all of the algae. But, it's back again. it seems a lot of people are talking about hair algae in the last few weeks? Do you think it's related to the seasons? My tank has been real stable over the last few months and then all of a sudden the hair algae appears?
Why?

Dave

 

[serpentman]

I have read that some algae blooms can occur due to subtle changes in ambient temperature.

I wonder if some more far fetched explanations could include seasonal germination due to lunar cycle or pehaps subtle changes in source water chemistry.

 

[Jasonf08]

If thats true than my recent changes would support that. About 3 weeks ago I moved. This may have stirred up all kinds of stuff from my substrate. Also, my temps are more stable now my tank is located in a room with more air circulation. I wish I could find things that would eat this stuff.

 

[imcosmokramer]

Jason,

I had a similar problem, due in no small parts to a setup issue, but that's another thread. This is what I did. I added phosguard and chemi clean to my fuge (you can run it in a reactor, or just through your filter). I manually removed as much as I could. I didn't do it all in one day, it took me a while, but a few minutes every day did the job. As soon as I added the phosguard and chemi clean, the re-growth stopped. I have been using both products for about a month and have had no algae return. Prior to that, the outbreak was terrible. I also reduced my MH photo period by two hours until the algae was gone. GL.

p.s.
I also switched the carbon and sediment filters on my RO/DI just in case.

 

[serpentman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12774569#post12774569 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jasonf08
This may have stirred up all kinds of stuff from my substrate. Also, my temps are more stable now my tank is located in a room with more air circulation.

I can almost guarantee that is the cause. A major disturbance such as a move stirs up nutrients buried in the sand. Plus you may have had a mini cycle if there was any die off in transit that would raise your PO4 and NO3 levels and spark an algae bloom. The good news is this outbreak is under control, you should be good to go.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12774569#post12774569 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jasonf08
I wish I could find things that would eat this stuff.

Although its nice to have critters to keep it in check, the best cure is to get the nutrients out of the system. That being said, you could use a sea hare. However, they typically don't last too long once the algae is gone so its best to have another home lined up for it.

 

[brad]

Your problem is not algae, it is nutrients. You need a large water change or better skimming. Harvesting and removing the algae will help.

 

[Burgman]

HI All,

In my tank nothing changed between the Winter and the Summer.
I fed the tank the same, no new bulbs, no new tank additions.
Why would nutrients increase so much from Winter to Summer to trigger an algae outbreak? Are we missing something here? I wonder if it is due to the increase in temp. I know in the Winter my tank stays very close to 79F but in the Summer(even with air) can get up to 82-83 range. It would be a cool study to gather info on the facts of when an algae outbreak occurs.

Dave

 

[serpentman]

Although most of the research being done is on suspended phytoplankton and pelagic algae forms, if available nutrient levels are sufficient to support algae, a temperature increase can definitely trigger a bloom.

http://www.habes.net/research/english_coastal.htm

http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/hab/habs_toxins/phytoplankton/algal_dynamics.html