Please identify by description

[slow_leak]

I will post pictures this weekend but will give a description now to identify an organism. It is a brown slime that would otherwise look like sheets of cyano. I might even guess it is cyano in poor health but I have little or no traces of cyano otherwise. I can pull is up in chunks when doing water changes. It is not affecting corals health. There is a possibility that it is a sponge type organism as well but growth appears too fast.

Tank is 180 gallon total system that has been up for 6 years with a few ups and downs with the sps.

 

[miwoodar]

dinoflagellates?

 

[miwoodar]

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/rhf/index.php

 

[slow_leak]

Miwoodar,

Great guess with a poor description.

Thanks for that link!They are slow growing mats around base of bottom rocks and rust colored unlike Cyano or cyano on rocks. I will look into that link heavily.

 

[slow_leak]

Both pictures do not match the problem but description does. I'll post a picture this weekend. It is not nearly as severe as those cases.

 

[billsreef]

Don't rule out cyano based on color. It can be many colors

 

[slow_leak]

Not sure what the treatment difference will be short term though. I will be using an excess of Werner Marine Phosphate remover and starting a kalk drip to pH of 8.5.

I discontinue use of Iron phosphate remover for the last six weeks as I didn't know if it was still necessary. I also will step up 15 gallon water changes each week. Problem is not that bad really though.

Algae is a flat growing brown/rust slime in slow moving areas / low light areas. It can be light tan if it gets healthier. I am concerned it is getting phosphates from sand bed instead of food input based on location next to sand in most cases. I don't think increasing flow near the sand bed would help.

 

[billsreef]

"Algae is a flat growing brown/rust slime in slow moving areas / low light areas."

I'm thinking cyano based on that.

 

[slow_leak]

yeah - got 250 grams of werner marine phosphate remover today and did 15% water change pulling it up. Never seen that growth patter till lately. It is like all the phosphate have leached out of the rock and sand around the very bottom.

I'll start a kalk drip in 4 weeks if this doesn't take care of problem. I also recharge RF calcium reactor last night. I'll get alkalinity and water changes up till I start kalk if necessary.

 

[slow_leak]

I found intake sponge on eheim 260 sump pump was severely restricted. I also found local aquarium shop was discontinuing Tunze and got the largest powerhead for 110 from 279. That was a fair price.