Algae identification and No3 and Po4 balance

[h0ra]

Hello guys,
I have added some more fish, a cleaning crew mix of snails and 4 Entacmea quadricolor anemones a month ago and i have upped the lights a bit, and also the cycle from 10 to 12 hours. The phospates went from 0.35 ppm to 0.59 pp, in the last month and the nitrates from 27.3 to 26.2 ppm. Also the UV pump broke so no UV in this period. In this month these algae has appeared.

 

[mcarroll]

Hello guys,
I have added some more fish, a cleaning crew mix of snails and 4 Entacmea quadricolor anemones a month ago and i have upped the lights a bit, and also the cycle from 10 to 12 hours. The phospates went from 0.35 ppm to 0.59 pp, in the last month and the nitrates from 27.3 to 26.2 ppm. Also the UV pump broke so no UV in this period. In this month these algae has appeared.

Can you be more specific and give some more info as well?

What fish?

What mix of snails and how many of each kind?

What lights do you have, how are they configured (if applicable) and how much is "a bit"?

How old is the tank? How is it cleaned and filtered?

Nutrient numbers still look good, so it seems like this is just a lack of cleanup crew...added too late.

If you can restore function to the UV filter that will slow the spread-rate down so your CUC will have a better shot at keeping the tanks algae free.

Depending on your answers, you might need some other changes too, inlcuding more CUC, but we'll see.

The algae that is already grown out (what you can see) will have to be removed by hand....CUC won't mess with it now. Siphon out the sand with the algae, don't try to separate them. Pluck the algae off the rocks little by little until it's 100% gone....it will help if you focus on a small area (eg 2x2") until it is 100% clean before moving to clean another area.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

How is the flow in your tank? To me, green hair algae growing on the sand is often caused by lack of flow, I'd bet you need a little more flow along the sandbed. To me, nitrates of 20+ is high, your phosphates are high, and I would assume the dissolved organics are also high. I've never had a uv before so personally I would not agree that lack of uv caused the algae growth,

 

[Subsea]

Interesting. Two successful reefers with opposite observations.

OP,
I run high nutrient systems, so I don’t consider your nitrate as high at 25ppm. and while your phosphate is slightly high at 0.6ppm, I would rather that than ZERO.

I have seen little evidence that reducing nutrients eliminates GHA. Low nutrients of inorganic nitrate & phosphate may prevent GHA from growing in the first place. I have seen much evidence that manual removal is required by reef keeper or CUC.

 

[Subsea]

Hello guys,
I have added some more fish, a cleaning crew mix of snails and 4 Entacmea quadricolor anemones a month ago and i have upped the lights a bit, and also the cycle from 10 to 12 hours. The phospates went from 0.35 ppm to 0.59 pp, in the last month and the nitrates from 27.3 to 26.2 ppm. Also the UV pump broke so no UV in this period. In this month these algae has appeared.

@h0ra
I perused your threads and saw a second thread you posted yesterday concerning possible ich on a Blue Tang. Is that the same tank as this thread?

Please post a full tank shot with white light.