Red/brown Hair Algae?

[CyberNeo99]

My tank has been growing this redish dark brown hair algae that sways back and forth easily with the powerhead flow. It's all over my tank. If you try to pinch it off it simply dissolves into a brown cloud in the water with filaments here and there.

This stuff is all over my live rock, it has a strong odor to it.

I'm wondering what it is, and how i can get rid of it.

Someone else had the same problem in a previous post but had no solution, take a look: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=812955

My nitrates read 0 and my phosphates are definitely below 0.2, this happened after i switched to metal halide lighting after having pc lighting, i have a 72 gallon tank with 100# of live rock and 2 inches of sand.

i'm new to this hobby, and this seems very dissappointed since i've been doing regular water changes with RO/DI water, i use instant ocean salt, and basically done everything by the book.

i have a G4 ASM Skimmer with a Sedra 5000 pump.

 

[ricks]

If you can test phosphates, their to high... You don't list your bio load. Also your flow at 20x's hr should be at least 1,500... How long has your tank been set up???

 

[rodgod20]

I am fairly new to the hobby as well, but try cutting your lighting back an hour or so. It will make a huge difference.

 

[CyberNeo99]

bioload

bioload

i have quite a few turbo snails, a few blue legged and scarlet hermits, a small queen conch, a brittle star fish,

i also have, a green mandarin, a tomato clown, a pink dottyback, a yellow tail damsel, 1 BTA, 1 colony of 75+ green polyps


my tank has been set up since late december/early january.


I remember the tank had algae grown all over it when i turned on the PC lighting 220W for the first time, but after adding the cleaning crew it went away, the rock was starting to crow coralline, in small amounts here and there, then i switched to metal halide about 2 weeks ago, and now algae returned.

even though nitrates and phosphate are undetectable...

 

[jdieck]

If it disolves in your hand it might be dying, try syphoning as much as possible with your water changes so the die off does not feed remining algae.
Note that because of the algae the Nitrates and Phosphates may still be there but they are being consummed so you can not masure them, keep your efforts in reducing them even if you think they are undetectable.
If you have not done so, run phosphate adsorbing media 24/7 as a profilactic measure.
The rest is the usual:
a) Reduced feedings
b) Ramp up your skimmer to wetter foam anc clean it at least twice a week.
c) High flow is important to keep detritus in suspension
d) Regularly blow off detritus (monthly at start quarterly afterwards) from your rock using a power head and temporarely installing a mechanical filter to remove as much goo pluging the rock pores
e) Keep your alkalinity above 10 dkH 11 ideal
f) keep 25% water changes per week for a couple of months then you can reduce to 10 to 15% preferibly right after swiping the glass panes.
g) syphon out as much detritus and algae as possible
h) if you have a wet dry, mechanical filter or such, remove the filter media which process detritus into Nitrate faster than the skimmer can take it out.
i) run low phosphate activated carbon and phosphate adsorbing media as mentioned above.

 

[CyberNeo99]

thanks for your help, i'll apply that methodology instead.