What is this algae and What do I do?

[fraggin corals]

I have this algae that has shown up in my sps reef. It is mainly growing on the live rock that started as dry rock from Marco Rocks. The tank has been up for about a year and I have just started adding my sps. The tank is a standard 65 gallon lit by a Photon 32 (w-40%, b-65%). The parameters are as follows: salinity is 34 ppt (1.025), alk is 8.5 dKh, calcium is 440 ppm, Mag is 1350 ppm, pH runs between 8.1 and 8.2, phosphate is 0 ppm, and nitrate is 0 ppm. The algae comes off the rock easily enough during water changes but grows back quickly. Any suggestions?

 

[Cyberdude]

Diatoms. Search this forum. Massive thread. Use the dirty method

 

[AcroNewbie]

Diatoms. Search this forum. Massive thread. Use the dirty method

I think he's talking about the algae growing on his rocks, those aren't diatoms, those looks like a specie of Ulva, a macro algae, I had them in my tank, some people say they will go away on its own some say it will smother your tank, some say every herbivore should eat it, and some say nothing will touch it, so I dont know what to tell you. I have it in my tank it bloomed and killed a lot of frags as it smothered them, and has since declined but not gone away, let's wait and see if anyone else has any idea.

Also, the algae is probably growing because your rocks are leeching phosphates. Dry rocks tend to do that.

 

[Pitter98]

I hate to say it, but that is going to be the bane of your existence. It is likely dinoflagellates. I had an infestation of this same stuff and it basically took over the tank. Like you said, you can suck out tons of it during a water change and it will be back within a couple days. Some say hydrogen peroxide dosing will get rid of it, but you have to be careful if you dose too much....it can eat your corals (I almost lost half a colony of candy canes due to dosing over it).

Mine took over the whole tank, then believe it or not, was knocked back by an infestation of cyano (chemi-clean did the trick on that luckily), and is now down to just a couple small patches of the algae/dinos. I am going to try to get rid of the rest by sucking the last patches out and spot treating with hydrogen peroxide.

 

[fraggin corals]

Am I looking at a complete tank break down and possible treating the dry rocks to remove phosphates?

 

[Chris_Gillespie]

You have a classic case of dinoflagellates. Use a turkey baster to remove as much as possible, then do a 72 hour total blackout. I had to do that twice before they finally vanished.

 

[reefmutt]

have you made sure your source water is perfect?

 

[sahin]

If its Dinos you are experiencing in the tank, I can say that I've had Dinos a few times over the years. Twice before I gave up and broke the tank down. I had the Dinos confirmed as I took photos with a microscope and posted on RC and had it confirmed by a member who is an expert on Dinos. I knew what they were, but wanted to be sure.

I got Dinos again some months back after 4 anthias died in my tank within a week or two apart and I wasnt able to remove them because they ended up under the rcoks.

This time I let things run their course. I think they persisted for at least 3-4 months. A reefing friend who saw my tank last week asked why my sandbed is brown and ugly... Anyway, a few days ago the Dino suddenly disapeared!

I changed nothing. Carried out the normal maintenance etc. I resisted starting over or removing the sandbed etc.

If you read up on Dinos, there are many variants...and this is why some methods work and some dont. Eg Ph/blackouts etc.

If you can ignore it and wait it out, I would; as long as your corals arent affected.

EDIT: I did end up removing my chaeto bed...due to the light spectrum (and possibly flow) )in the sump the Dinos were crazy in the sump and grew all over the chaeto etc.

 

[Keoki18]

I'm not as convinced that it is Dinos, definitely not diatoms. Could be a species of Ulva as mentioned before. The lobes lead me to believe this is a macro algae. What do you have in the ways of cuc? what did you change before this happened (you said it was up for year, I'm assuming this time frame was algae free until now). Your parameters seem to be immaculate, I would hate for you to tear down a system if it could be avoided.

 

[sahin]

I'm not as convinced that it is Dinos, definitely not diatoms.

Looking at the pics now that I am at home on a larger screen...I'm not sure they are Dinos either.

I have a few links to old sites with nuisance algae etc...will see if I can see anything similar.

 

[fraggin corals]

I am not sure what it is either as I have searched through old posts. A good water change knocks it back for about three or four days but it does come back. I can easily blow it off the rocks in the tank and filter it out via filter sock but it doesn't seem to die off.

I am using a six stage RO/DI water filter that has Chloramine carbon blocks in place and dual DI resins. I am also using a booster pump as I have city water and low incoming water pressure (around 45-50 psi).

If I go with a 72 hour lights out, how will that affect my sps? I have mainly Acros that are doing very well with good color and great PE.

 

[Relativity]

.cloudy days is all do two days an again if scared

 

[fraggin corals]

Relativity must have changed your original post as this one does not match what was sent to my email.

Laziness aside, I'll see what happens over next few weeks.