stringy black algea??

[brett7768]

some stringy black algea is growing in my tank? does anyone know what this is and how to get rid of it??

 

[brett7768]

nobody?? this stuff is really black, looks terrible.

 

[bruckmeier]

I hope somebody in the know replies to you, because I have the same thing. Grows very fast and is covering almost everything.

 

[SumoBlenny]

If the algea is black or nearly black with a slight purple or blueish hue, it is likely a species of cyano bacteria. Based on your description, it definitely sounds like cyano bacteria. In addition to mechanical removal by peeling it out, red legged hermit crabs are known to consume it as well as sea hairs and trochus snails. Luckily this type of stuff usually goes away as the tank matures. Controlling nutrient import and maximizing nutrient export (ie protein skimmer) helps also. How old are your light bulbs? As they age, they shift color to a wave length that is more friendly to cyano bacteria.

 

[bertoni]

Well, sometimes animals will eat it. I don't know of any animal that reliably consumes it, though. Working on nutrient export is a fine idea. Growing and harvesting a macoalga is another way of doing so.

 

[SumoBlenny]

Black algea is cyano and sea hairs and others are known to consume cyano. Any organism in the world will always have something to eat it. Its just a matter of finding the right predator. When I set up my tank, I pulled out the black hair by hand then let my red fingered hermit crabs finish the job. I also bought a sea hair that did a dandy job cleaning up the tank.

 

[brett7768]

thanx, i guess ill start looking for a sea hair!

 

[jtp7004ft]

Brett,

I have the same problem, my tank has been up for about 2 months now. At first everybody kept telling me it was just brown hair algae. I was told mine is some kind of slime algae it only stays on the sand and when I remove it it comes up like sludge (like a hairy film).

I do not have ro/di, I was told this is A big mistake.
I am using My Pure drinking water filter and it seems to be helping

I did by a sand sifting star that helps break up the top layer.

Please let me know if the sea hair does the job.


good luck
joel