Algae Id/eradication help

[o0jmadr0x0o]

This stuff is just will not go away. Phosphates are zero and it still grows like crazy. Been dealing with it for months. It's beginning to smother and kill corals even with constant manual removal. What is it and what's the nuke option to get rid of it?

 

[Mebbid]

Hard to tell under that light, Bryopsis maybe?

 

[PharmrJohn]

White light please.

 

[o0jmadr0x0o]

Sorry, hope this is better

 

[Subsea]

Those fronds look like Caulerpa.

What does “nuke option” mean to you? I suggest you leave algecide, herbicides or fungicides out of the nuke option.

First, why are you running zero phosphates and what are the other parameters?

What herbivores are in your system: tangs, urchins & crabs? Everyone of those guys should eat that macro algae clean.

 

[o0jmadr0x0o]

Those fronds look like Caulerpa.

What does “nuke option” mean to you? I suggest you leave algecide, herbicides or fungicides out of the nuke option.

First, why are you running zero phosphates and what are the other parameters?

What herbivores are in your system: tangs, urchins & crabs? Everyone of those guys should eat that macro algae clean.

The zero phosphate was in an attempt to battle this algae, I added GFO and have been doing manual removal but it comes back strong as ever. Nitrates are at 10.
I have two tangs and a foxface. Also have some blue leg hermits but none of them touch this stuff.

 

[Subsea]

The zero phosphate was in an attempt to battle this algae, I added GFO and have been doing manual removal but it comes back strong as ever. Nitrates are at 10.
I have two tangs and a foxface. Also have some blue leg hermits but none of them touch this stuff.

Get an urchin. However, it will consume your coralline algae as well.

Fish that are well fed don’t always graze heavy on algae.

 

[slingfox]

Urchins and snails should help keep the algae under control. What type of urchins depends on size of your tank and aesthetic preference. Turbo snails eat the most algae of snails but they can get large so it’s good to get a mix of species. You will still need to do manual removal since the CUC do a batter job at preventing algae from getting too long. Once it is that long the CUC has a tendency to ignore.

You should take the GFO offline since you want to avoid zero’ing it out. It may be zero due to the algae growth so monitor it carefully.

Algaefix would likely rid the tank of the algae but that carries its own risk which you should look into in order to make an informed decision. I would try the natural route first.

 

[Subsea]

Hard to tell under that light, Bryopsis maybe?

I agree with this guess because

Opportunistic algae’s like Cyanobacteria and Bryopsis, with various feeding strategies, thrive when competition suffers from low nutrients. ESPECIALLY Bryopsis if both phosphate & nitrate are limited.

 

[slingfox]

I agree with this guess because

Opportunistic algae’s like Cyanobacteria and Bryopsis, with various feeding strategies, thrive when competition suffers from low nutrients. ESPECIALLY Bryopsis.

Agreed it looks like it could be Beyopsis but I am far from an expert. If Byopsis then fluconazole is IMHO a safer, potentially less disruptive alternative to Algaefix if for some reason manual removal and CUC don’t work.

 

[Subsea]

“Urchins and snails should help keep the algae under control. You will still need to do manual removal since the CUC do a batter job at preventing algae from getting too long. Once it is that long the CUC has a tendency to ignore.“

Kudos to this!

 

[Subsea]

Know this about Bryopsis, when deprived of both
P & N, Bryopsis morphs into a toxic algae that can causes “red tide” in coastal regions.

Bryopsis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

“Bryopsis, often referred to as hair algae,[2] is a genus of marine green algae in the family Bryopsidaceae.[1] Species in the genus are macroscopic, siphonous marine green algae”

 

[o0jmadr0x0o]

So it is Bryopsis? Is Fluconazole still a good form of treatment?