Algae and other annoyances! Plus how to get rid of them!!!

Captain Nemo · May 9, 2011

Ok guys, let me preface this by saying that my tank has been up for over a year now and I got a bloom of some red nasty slime the other day. started out small and then it got bigger, covering my entire sand bed. I have 4 Koralias running on a red sea wavemaker for flow plus my return pump. I dont know where it has come from or why. I feed only every other day or once a day. So I cleaned it up and it came up in sheets this weekend. I repositioned my powerheads to direct morew flow towards the SB. Anyways, I think it was red slime, however I am unsure, could be diatoms as it had a few air bubbles trapped. Suggestions?? Thoughts?? anyways, i think that we should not limit this to simply my tank or the responses to my tank, but I wanted to get the anwser while I was typing this, but we should discuss the different types of algae and how to identify them, the nuissance kind, and how to treat them . Thanks guys!!:nerd:

-Logzor · May 10, 2011

Are you able to measure your nitrate and phosphate levels?

Sounds like you have typical cyano, red slime with bubbles in it...

I find that I get this type of algae when I have excess detritus buildups. I am running a big temporary (going on a year now....) stock system, so it's difficult to find all of the detritus, as the sides are opaque. I discovered an area where all of my fish were pooping, the stuff was over an inch think and covered a 5" by 7" area. Keep in mind my nitrates and phosphate measured zero. Once I sucked the detritus out I saw an immediate decline in the cyano.

I would recommend placing a powerhead in your sump area and blowing off your rockwork with a small powerhead or turkey baster.

florida reef · May 10, 2011

I agree, it does sound like cyano. The out of the blue cyano indicates something has changed in your routine, though you may be unaware it has. Where do you get you top off water and salt water? If LFS, check it for PO4 and Nitrate. If you have a RO/DI check the TDS. Also, have you noticed any fish missing? Do you have a good sized clean up crew? Think about all of the possible sources of PO4 and Nitrate.

Captain Nemo · May 10, 2011

I make my own ro/di, but I believe the problem has been found, I lost my green mandarin....... I am heart broken.... he was green with red, gorgeous fish! Very sad day today......:cry: