Brown Algae on sand and rocks.

[Tyberzann]

Good Evening All,

I have been fighting this Algae for the last couple weeks after my nitrates unexpectedly bottomed out.
I have spent the last 2 weeks getting nitrates back up to an acceptable level and have been dosing MB7.

My levels are as follows.

Salinity: 1.026
Ph: 8-8.2
Alk: 8.1 dKH
Temp: 25.4 C
Mag: 1360
CA: 420
Phosphate: 0.11
Nitrates: 9-10 ppm

Any identification help would be appreciated as currently it seems to be growing over my Zoas and they refuse to open when it covers them.
I brush the majority of it off every couple days but its comes back before they open fully.

 

[Gribbles]

The first picture made me think cyano but the others look like additional algae. Your parameters look great to me.

Tank been stable over the past weeks and months? Any deaths, additions? Changes in dosing or additives?

If you could get a closer picture of 2 and 3 preferably under white light, that would help

 

[Tyberzann]

The tank was set up December 2022, I am in the UK so used dry rock as its far easier to get hold of here.

No deaths so far, the tank has 2 clowns, a fire shrimp, Tux Urchin and a bunch of snails who mainly keep the glass clean. Its a Next Wave 60 tank so a 60 litre nano. I do have a protein skimmer in the rear sump aswell.

Other than Nitrate more recently and the MB7 I don't really dose anything as haven't needed to.

I have attached some more pics under white light.

 

[MnFish1]

There was no reason - at your point to worry about low nitrates IMHO - the worry would be high nitrates. I would suggest a couple 30% water changes - siphoning off the algae you're accumulated

 

[Gribbles]

That looks like possibly a combination of algae, but I think you have some dinos.

You'll need to view a sample under a microscope to confirm.

My suggestion would be to manually remove as much and as often as you can. Keep your parameters stable and at your current levels, continue to dose mb7 - it may or may not help but it won't hurt.

Your tank is small enough that a rip clean would be easier than most. You'll need to identify the dino species to really determine your options. Good luck

 

[MnFish1]

That looks like possibly a combination of algae, but I think you have some dinos.

You'll need to view a sample under a microscope to confirm.

My suggestion would be to manually remove as much and as often as you can. Keep your parameters stable and at your current levels, continue to dose mb7 - it may or may not help but it won't hurt.

Your tank is small enough that a rip clean would be easier than most. You'll need to identify the dino species to really determine your options. Good luck

I would just suck out the brown items - replacing with fresh mixed seawater - I would not overcomplicate things

 

[Tyberzann]

It actually looks a bit better under the white light.

I have been removing the stuff on the sand and scrubbing the rocks.

If i try to turnover the sand the stuff comes back within a hour or so.

It is proving very stubborn.

I thought it best to keep nitrates around 10 ppm? This all showed up as soon as Nitrates bottomed out.

 

[MnFish1]

It actually looks a bit better under the white light.

I have been removing the stuff on the sand and scrubbing the rocks.

If i try to turnover the sand the stuff comes back within a hour or so.

It is proving very stubborn.

I thought it best to keep nitrates around 10 ppm? This all showed up as soon as Nitrates bottomed out.

I do not think nitrates are the issue. It is time

 

[Gribbles]

I would just suck out the brown items - replacing with fresh mixed seawater - I would not overcomplicate things

Problem is it returns quickly. I'm not asking him to make it complicated. He already doses mb7.

Offering a suggestion of properly identifying what it is.

 

[Troylee]

It actually looks a bit better under the white light.

I have been removing the stuff on the sand and scrubbing the rocks.

If i try to turnover the sand the stuff comes back within a hour or so.

It is proving very stubborn.

I thought it best to keep nitrates around 10 ppm? This all showed up as soon as Nitrates bottomed out.

Sounds and looks identical to Dino’s… plenty of threads and support groups to help out.. sorry..

 

[Tyberzann]

I thought it might be Dino's, but there are no bubbles in the mats

 

[Gribbles]

I thought it might be Dino's, but there are no bubbles in the mats

On your second set of pictures, the first one has many bubbles. Microscope would confirm. Can use a cheap one off Amazon

 

[Tyberzann]

It looks like bubbles in the pic because of a bit of blur but i think its just sand that's been disturbed.

 

[Troylee]

I thought it might be Dino's, but there are no bubbles in the mats

Not all Dino’s gas off… the more toxic ones do in my experience… I’ve dealt with 3 different ones myself.

 

[Tyberzann]

Any recommendations on trying to treat them?

See a lot of people recommend bac dosing and a blackout period.

 

[Troylee]

Any recommendations on trying to treat them?

See a lot of people recommend bac dosing and a blackout period.

That along with a uv light and dose silicates to start a diatom bloom which will take over and be easier to eradicate..

 

[Tyberzann]

not sure how I would hook up a UV to my little nano, certainly don't have one currently and I only have a small rear sump on the back of the tank.

Finding a silicate to dose in the UK may be a challenge to.