Algae ID

[TylerJaid]

I just recently set up a sump on a tank that has been running for two years just looking to see if this is crycophites or gha, thanks! It’s also in my chaeto ball

 

[CoralB]

I just recently set up a sump on a tank that has been running for two years just looking to see if this is crycophites or gha, thanks! It’s also in my chaeto ball

Looks like sponge . I’m seeing bubbles you may have Dino’s . Check you phosphates and nitrates make sure there not near zero

 

[TylerJaid]

I just recently set up a sump on a tank that has been running for two years just looking to see if this is crycophites or gha, thanks! It’s also in my chaeto ball

Looks like sponge . I’m seeing bubbles you may have Dino’s . Check you phosphates and nitrates make sure there not near zero

They have always read zero nitrates .02 phosphates but I have gha pretty bad in display so I think that has always messed with my readings… I have never been able to wipe gha out I recently got a sea hare and he has been going to town for the last few weeks with little to no impact so far, very frusturating for me.

I have always had that brownish colored stuff with little bubbles on my gha if it’s not.. thanks for your help, I’m going to add a small Wavemaker to the sump to see if that helps and a couple gyres to the display. I’m trying to get rid of everything naturally

 

[TylerJaid]

I forgot to add there are a lot of micro bubbles in that part of sump due to the skimmer… they don’t get into display like that tho

 

[CoralB]

Nitrates should be between 10-20 phosphates should be between .05 - 1.0 . Should never let them go to zero .

 

[CoralB]

I forgot to add there are a lot of micro bubbles in that part of sump due to the skimmer… they don’t get into display like that tho

Those aren’t from skimmer and not micro bubbles

 

[TylerJaid]

Nitrates should be between 10-20 phosphates should be between .05 - 1.0 . Should never let them go to zero .

Will I still read nitrates even if I have a lot of gha, it has been at that for a long time but the gha grows like wildfire and I can’t seem to ever get rid of it… so if I dosed nitrates would I feed the gha or would it eventually “balance”? I’ve been doing this a while but still definitely new, I appreciate your help

 

[fish_collector]

Many types of algae will generate bubbles like that and it’s not necessarily dinoflagellates. Im not so sure ones nitrate and phosphate levels have any impact on GHA growth. My SPS tank has nitrate at 40 and phosphate well over 0.4 and I don’t have any nuisance algae.

With GHA, not too many creatures will eat it, some are reported to but I haven’t stumbled across any of them yet. You gotta manually pull it out and/or scrub it off, then let some big snails keep it mowed down. They’ll eat the green algae for sure but not after it’s filimentous. I’ve had good luck with zebra turbos, very specifically gotta be zebra turbos. They live a long life and get as big as tennis balls, and although they’ll stay in the same spot for several days and sleep, seemingly doing nothing, when they become active again they’ll clear out huge patches of algae. Sometimes mine discover the nori clip

I have some algae that will grow in sheets over the rocks in my FOWLR, I dunno what it is but it will generate bubbles. It siphons out pretty easily so I don’t sweat it too much.

 

[TylerJaid]

Many types of algae will generate bubbles like that and it’s not necessarily dinoflagellates. Im not so sure ones nitrate and phosphate levels have any impact on GHA growth. My SPS tank has nitrate at 40 and phosphate well over 0.4 and I don’t have any nuisance algae.

With GHA, not too many creatures will eat it, some are reported to but I haven’t stumbled across any of them yet. You gotta manually pull it out and/or scrub it off, then let some big snails keep it mowed down. They’ll eat the green algae for sure but not after it’s filimentous. I’ve had good luck with zebra turbos, very specifically gotta be zebra turbos. They live a long life and get as big as tennis balls, and although they’ll stay in the same spot for several days and sleep, seemingly doing nothing, when they become active again they’ll clear out huge patches of algae. Sometimes mine discover the nori clip

So in your opinion as well I should probably dose some nitrates or feed more and maybe order some zebra snails as well?? I have manually removed all of it so many times but just flies right back!!

 

[fish_collector]

I reread your original questions, and no, nutrients that are sequestered away in algae shouldn’t have any effect on a test reading. When you harvest the algae that is the nutrient export. If there are enough fish in the system your nutrients will rise. I used to have to add nutrients to my tank until I added some more fish and began feeding more.

And “they” say to not let your phosphate zero out or else dinos will show up. Perhaps that has some merit but I dunno I’ve not experienced that. The mechanism behind that theory is that with zero phosphate all of the Dino’s competitors will die off and allow them to flourish, but algae is pretty darned good at finding food even in a nutrient limited environment so I’m not 100% on board with that. I’m not saying it’s false but there may be more to it than that. I just don’t know.

Finding the balance in your tank is the hardest part of keeping it healthy. Often times it’s trial and error, and not just the “rules of reefkeeping”. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa. I’ve had great luck letting my nutrients become elevated and using zebra turbos, but I do have a tank literally full of corals and in certain instances that does matter.

I hope my rambling has helped some.