Algae outbreak - black stringy stuff

[Mattie H.]

My tank is about ten months old. 75 gallon with a sump, about 85 gallons total. It was pretty perfect for the first six months or so. This past February, I upgraded the lights to T5s from some cheaper LED fixtures because I had recently added my first corals and they had rather quickly lost their bright colors. With the install of the Ts, however, came a GHA explosion!

I should add that my levels have always been fine. Nitrates at 5pm, phosphates at virtually 0.

After the GHA came, my corals all bit the dust, including even my zoas. Fish are all fine. Since then, I've fought the algae hard. I've invested in turbos and a sea hare. I've done countless water changes, 1/3 or so each time. I added a BRS dual reactor with carbon and GFO. Seemed to be getting under control for a while, so I decided to treat the tank with algaefix to kill off the stubborn crap and remained. Within days, the GHA came back! I guess in killing the algae that was left, phosphates were released back in the tank. I need help with this.

Furthermore, now I have this black stringy stuff everywhere, even on the sand bed (see pic). This is something new! It's not the GHA I'm used to seeing. What is it?

Any advice, I would so greatly appreciate. Thanks so much!

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

Sounds like a case of cyano mine was black in color used chemiclean 3 days later it was gone.

 

[Ivan75]

I had a similar issue & left all lights off for 3 days. Then I did a water change & sucked junk off rocks & sand. When I started again, I turned lights down & slowly increased until I found the right balance of keeping corals healthy & algea growing. I also reduced the amount of food & backed of feeding schedule.

 

[mcarroll]

This past February, I upgraded the lights to T5s from some cheaper LED fixtures because I had recently added my first corals and they had rather quickly lost their bright colors. With the install of the Ts, however, came a GHA explosion!

I'd suggest getting a handheld lux meter to have around for all your lighting changes. You zapped you corals with too much light and you had no PO4 in the water.....PO4 is crucial for the health of most reef organisms. Especially corals that are trying to adapt to brighter light.

I should add that my levels have always been fine. Nitrates at 5pm, phosphates at virtually 0.

Typical, yes. Fine, no.

Zero PO4 is almost assured to cause problems sooner or later. Adding carbon dosing and GFO are almost the opposite of what you wanted to do, which is to have some PO4 in the water.

Check out some of these search results on my blog:
https://reeformadness.wordpress.com/?s=coral+stress

Furthermore, now I have this black stringy stuff everywhere, even on the sand bed (see pic). This is something new!

You've followed the perfect recipe for causing a harmful algae bloom, taking the tank from a normal algae bloom to dinoflagellates. Not good.

1. I would take the carbon dosing and GFO offline now.
2. Since your tank sounds like it has a history of zero PO4 you should get a PO4 supplement to use at least in the short term. Brightwell and Seachem both make one. I'm sure others too. Any should work.
3. Does it seem to be bothering anything (corals, cleanup crew, etc) or is it just ugly so far?

 

[mcarroll]

Also check out some entries under the Algae section on my blog too.

In particular:
Bacterivory in algae: A survival strategy during nutrient limitation
Putting the N in dinoflagellates

 

[Mattie H.]

I'd suggest getting a handheld lux meter to have around for all your lighting changes. You zapped you corals with too much light and you had no PO4 in the water.....PO4 is crucial for the health of most reef organisms. Especially corals that are trying to adapt to brighter light.

I was worried that this is what happened. I did a long acclimation to the new Ts over many weeks using layers of nylon screen, removing a layer each week or so. I also gradually increased the time the Ts were on. I guess maybe I did it too fast anyway?

Typical, yes. Fine, no.

Zero PO4 is almost assured to cause problems sooner or later. Adding carbon dosing and GFO are almost the opposite of what you wanted to do, which is to have some PO4 in the water.

Wow, that's almost opposite the advice I've received about dealing with the GHA. Is it either one or the other, dinos or GHA, or is there a way to get rid of both and have a clean tank?

You've followed the perfect recipe for causing a harmful algae bloom, taking the tank from a normal algae bloom to dinoflagellates. Not good.

1. I would take the carbon dosing and GFO offline now.
2. Since your tank sounds like it has a history of zero PO4 you should get a PO4 supplement to use at least in the short term. Brightwell and Seachem both make one. I'm sure others too. Any should work.
3. Does it seem to be bothering anything (corals, cleanup crew, etc) or is it just ugly so far?

Sigh. I think you're right on the money. dangit, this tank just keeps getting worse and worse. It's disheartening.

I'll discontinue the carbon and GFO now, but I'm worried about the GHA! I was thinking of blacking out the tank for several days - do you think this would help get rid of both?

CUC consists of just the one sea hare. I've been afraid to add anything else like snails, and I can't add hermits or shrimp because I have a leopard wrasse who will eat them rather quickly.

What else can I do to fight both of these problems? I have a nice reef octopus skimmer, should I crank it up? Smaller micron socks? UV? Should I up my water changes, or stop them?

Thanks so much for the advice, I really can use all the help I can get.

 

[mcarroll]

I was worried that this is what happened. I did a long acclimation to the new Ts over many weeks using layers of nylon screen, removing a layer each week or so. I also gradually increased the time the Ts were on. I guess maybe I did it too fast anyway?

Sounds like a good process, but your chemistry being off might have made acclimation impossible, or at least very extended. PO4 is crucial.

Wow, that's almost opposite the advice I've received about dealing with the GHA. Is it either one or the other, dinos or GHA, or is there a way to get rid of both and have a clean tank?

Stop trying to starve the tank.....those are bandaids for putting too much nutrients into the tank and they don't really work as expected.

Thankfully, having nutrients isn't so much a problem as it's made out to be.....most of the problem is in the anti-nutrient "battle". Algae isn't even a problem in almost all cases....we're just trained to think a sterile-looking tank is ideal for whatever reason. But it's not.

CUC consists of just the one sea hare. I've been afraid to add anything else like snails, and I can't add hermits or shrimp because I have a leopard wrasse who will eat them rather quickly.

This is something to consider....you might have to get OK with the algae being around....just keep it healthy! Or if you can consider moving or getting rid of the fish while the tank recovers....

Or stock up some snails and see what happens....maybe he'll leave them alone.

What else can I do to fight both of these problems? I have a nice reef octopus skimmer, should I crank it up? Smaller micron socks? UV? Should I up my water changes, or stop them?

Skimming should be OK....keep it cranking.

UV and/or diatom filtration might help....i'm not sure I'd buy a new filter just for this (up to you), but if you have one definitely use it.

Micro filter socks might help.

Water changes do not seem to help...but siphoning them out does – especially if they're toxic. (You still have pods in the tank?) So use judgement here.

Same with blackouts...might help...won't cure.

Lotsa "might helps" but only one cure.

Nutrients, nutrients, nutrients, nutrients, nutrients.

Shoot for 0.05 ppm/5 ppm of PO4/NO4 in the short term....use NO3 and PO4 fertilizer as-needed to keep both parameters from going to zero.

 

[travisty282]

Dealing with the same nasty black slime. Set up UV, added chemi-clean, got my phosphates up to .02(for now, aiming higher, just doing it slow), and cut my lights back. Trying hard over here. I'll let you know if it works on any noticeable level.