Algae issues

[allof fish]

Hey everyone. My alage issue is slowly starting to build up over time. My tank is 6 months old and I know it’s probably still apart of the ugly stages but my tank have started to build up stringy hair algae of some sort. Also there’s bits and pieces of alage that looks like little lettuce leaves. I have had issues with my phosphates being too high. Last week they were at .36 but added phosguard and got them to .08. Main reason was because a few of my torches have reclined last few months. Nitrates usually sit around 10 but just added 4 more fish today so we’ll see where they are after. I do have 2 tangs and they do an okay job but thinking about stopping nori so they can help more. What else can I do to help with it or is this just a more of continue to ride it out thru first year. Thanks all

 

[Red_Beard]

What does your CUC sitch look like? Turbo snails and short spine/tuxido urchins are awesome for GHA. That and letting it ride until you can pull it all in big clumps. Keep doing that for a month or 2 with good water chemistry and normal maintenance and you will pull through.

 

[Red_Beard]

the lettuce looking stuff is probably ulva. most herbivores love it.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Do you have photos of it?

 

[allof fish]

What does your CUC sitch look like? Turbo snails and short spine/tuxido urchins are awesome for GHA. That and letting it ride until you can pull it all in big clumps. Keep doing that for a month or 2 with good water chemistry and normal maintenance and you will pull through.

Got a bunch of red/blue legs. Probably 10 or so nassasuius snails and probably 6-8 asteria snails. I had a sea hare since it was getting out of hand but had to take him out since he always knocked corals over and figured tangs could do a good job. I’ll stick with normal maintenance

 

[allof fish]

the lettuce looking stuff is probably ulva. most herbivores love it.

Funny to say I don’t think I really see my tangs eat it lol

 

[allof fish]

Do you have photos of it?

Yes. Like this all over rocks. I did start with dry rock so I figure might be easier for it to be on their until it really matures

 

[BryanM]

A little hard to tell with the ultra blue pics, but I'd guess an urchin might mow that stuff down.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

If you can post a pic in white lights only it will help. But I see a gazillion spirobid worms and I think I see bubble algae on the glass. I get the feeling you must have a high level of dom and pom to have filter feeder population and algae explosion. Do you have a skimmer? What is your filtration system like? How is the flow in the tank? Do you do water changes?

 

[allof fish]

If you can post a pic in white lights only it will help. But I see a gazillion spirobid worms and I think I see bubble algae on the glass. I get the feeling you must have a high level of dom and pom to have filter feeder population and algae explosion. Do you have a skimmer? What is your filtration system like? How is the flow in the tank? Do you do water changes?

So that’s what those are. I have some on corals, is that something that can irritate them. Can I scrape them off? Skimmer runs 24/7 also have a filter socks and do water changes every 2 weeks. Nitrates sit around 10, phosphate was just .08. I have good flow 2 gyres running pretty fast

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey everyone. My alage issue is slowly starting to build up over time. My tank is 6 months old and I know it’s probably still apart of the ugly stages but my tank have started to build up stringy hair algae of some sort. Also there’s bits and pieces of alage that looks like little lettuce leaves. I have had issues with my phosphates being too high. Last week they were at .36 but added phosguard and got them to .08. Main reason was because a few of my torches have reclined last few months. Nitrates usually sit around 10 but just added 4 more fish today so we’ll see where they are after. I do have 2 tangs and they do an okay job but thinking about stopping nori so they can help more. What else can I do to help with it or is this just a more of continue to ride it out thru first year. Thanks all

Tangs will eat short hair algae and not mow down thick stuff as hoped for.
Pull off what you can by hand and place rock in a container of tank water and scrub the rest with a firm toothbrush and some 3% hydrogen peroxide.
Return rock to tank, reduce white light intensity slightly for about 5 days and number of hours of white lighting and add some snails such as :
Astrea
cerith
turbo grazer
trochus

A Pencil urchin

8-10 Caribbean blue leg hermits

Are you using RODI water or tap water from the faucet ?
What is your phosphate level?
Is tank at or near a window?

 

[allof fish]

Tangs will eat short hair algae and not mow down thick stuff as hoped for.
Pull off what you can by hand and place rock in a container of tank water and scrub the rest with a firm toothbrush and some 3% hydrogen peroxide.
Return rock to tank, reduce white light intensity slightly for about 5 days and number of hours of white lighting and add some snails such as :
Astrea
cerith
turbo grazer
trochus

A Pencil urchin

8-10 Caribbean blue leg hermits

Are you using RODI water or tap water from the faucet ?
What is your phosphate level?
Is tank at or near a window?

Using rodi water. Phosphates are .08 tank is not near window. I’ll lower light and light schedule

 

[JTP424]

Got a bunch of red/blue legs. Probably 10 or so nassasuius snails and probably 6-8 asteria snails. I had a sea hare since it was getting out of hand but had to take him out since he always knocked corals over and figured tangs could do a good job. I’ll stick with normal maintenance

Apologies if this has already been stated, how big is your tank?

 

[Red_Beard]

Yes. Like this all over rocks. I did start with dry rock so I figure might be easier for it to be on their until it really matures

That looks like a combination of algae types, like a tubular algae covered with a finer green slime algae. Not ulva.

 

[allof fish]

Is This something that I just need to continue to fight and wait it out to get through ugly stages

 

[Red_Beard]

I would lean toward yes, but there has to be something that is continually removing it for that to really be effective, or it may keep its foothold. That can be any combination of manual removal by pulling/scraping/brushing and things that have an ability to keep rock scraped clean like chitons/urchins/larger snails. I would be a good idea to identify specifically what kind of algae or family of algae you are fighting though too if you can to get a better idea best approaches to take specific to what you are trying to get rid of.

 

[Red_Beard]

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