This algae is a nightmare

[Visuals]

I had great success recently with brightwell razor in combination with microbacter 7. I would also toothbrush my rocks every night. My tank has never looked better its quite amazing The before and after shots are night and day different and dramatically better !!

Time to look for a brush, I hope i don't get attacked by them bristle worms.

 

[czoolander]

Time to look for a brush, I hope i don't get attacked by them bristle worms.

Rubber gloves are your best friend ! and the tooth brush !!

 

[Visuals]

Rubber gloves are your best friend ! and the tooth brush !!

Is there a name for this other algae that looks like green hair algae but is like purple-brown? It comes off easier but when it does detach its like a glob.

 

[dvgyfresh]

You can rent a diabolla sea hare , will strip rocks of all algae just need to re home once complete otherwise it will starve, or urchin

 

[zalick]

Algae can grow in very low nutrient environments.

So aside from making sure all your parameters are within reason, keeping the algae short with a brush and adding lots of turbo and trochus snails will likely make short work of the algae.

 

[anthonygf]

Time to look for a brush, I hope i don't get attacked by them bristle worms.

Yeah, with a little elbow grease and sucking out most algae with lots of small water changes you will get back to good health soon.

 

[Visuals]

You can rent a diabolla sea hare , will strip rocks of all algae just need to re home once complete otherwise it will starve, or urchin

Not sure where I can find one of those and I don't think my tank can keep inverts its off-balance on the params

Yeah, with a little elbow grease and sucking out most algae with lots of small water changes you will get back to good health soon.

Got lots of work ahead of me for this weekend. Thanks for the advice!
.

 

[Visuals]

Scrubbed down rocks and did water change, but I still get this algae that grow on my sand the next day after it was all clean. Also added matrix carbon, and have a chaeto reactor set up now.

 

[Unregistered1]

The dreaded emerald crabs! Lol
D

throw in a bunch of peppermints shrimps just in case

 

[Brady4000]

That doesn’t look like algae on your sand, that looks like red slime (Cyano bacteria) can you take a clear photo with just whites? To confirm.

If it is red slime I suggest, using:

Amazon product ASIN B001EUG8PG
I had it once, this will definitely clear it up like magic in a couple days. Only issue is your going to have to qt your cheato when you treat so it doesn’t hurt it.

Red slime is caused by high nitrates, and bad water quality. So this is just a temporary fix, “kinda”. I say kinda because you can just do it again lol.

Edit: I also used the brand “Red Slime” with just as much success. If that’s all your LFS has, most the time they carry one or the other.

On a good note, your cheato reactor should do good work at keeping your nitrates low. Also make sure not to over feed.

looking at your photo again I am like 90% sure it’s red slime.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

You ph and o2 will plummet when u use that. Like a bandaid on a open sore hole in your head.
D

 

[Brady4000]

I wonder if that first stuff was Lyngbya. You did good by scraping it off.

Was reading this thread and it kinda looks the same. Has some good videos for you to confirm.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/algae-problem.813159/
The stuff you have now on the sand, I still think is red slime.

 

[Visuals]

That doesn’t look like algae on your sand, that looks like red slime (Cyano bacteria) can you take a clear photo with just whites? To confirm.

If it is red slime I suggest, using:

Amazon product ASIN B001EUG8PG
I had it once, this will definitely clear it up like magic in a couple days. Only issue is your going to have to qt your cheato when you treat so it doesn’t hurt it.

Red slime is caused by high nitrates, and bad water quality. So this is just a temporary fix, “kinda”. I say kinda because you can just do it again lol.

Edit: I also used the brand “Red Slime” with just as much success. If that’s all your LFS has, most the time they carry one or the other.

On a good note, your cheato reactor should do good work at keeping your nitrates low. Also make sure not to over feed.

looking at your photo again I am like 90% sure it’s red slime.

Oh thanks for the advice, I don't have any way to qt my chaeto unfortunately. Can I keep changing water to rid that red slime or do I need to does that stuff?

 

[Brady4000]

Oh thanks for the advice, I don't have any way to qt my chaeto unfortunately. Can I keep changing water to rid that red slime or do I need to does that stuff?

5G bucket a cheap heater is all you need to qt your cheato. You might even get away with not using a heater. Cheato is extremely hardy. Just doesn’t do well with chemi clean.

you can add to back in about 3-5 days after treatment.

I really suggest using Chemi Clean or Red Slime. Will take care of your issue in literally a few days to a week. I never tried to manually remove it, due to its so easy to just toss that in there and call it a day.

 

[Visuals]

5G bucket a cheap heater is all you need to qt your cheato. You might even get away with not using a heater. Cheato is extremely hardy. Just doesn’t do well with chemi clean.

you can add to back in about 3-5 days after treatment.

I really suggest using Chemi Clean or Red Slime. Will take care of your issue in literally a few days to a week. I never tried to manually remove it, due to its so easy to just toss that in there and call it a day.

Oh ok! Let me go pick that up! And my rbta will be alright with this?

 

[Brady4000]

Oh ok! Let me go pick that up! And my rbta will be alright with this?

That’s a good question lol, IDK, I don’t have anemones. Hopefully someone with the answer can chime in.

@vetteguy53081 He has always helped me out, and can give you ALOT more information than I can give you.

 

[dvgyfresh]

I’d still recommend urchin over chemicals, Chemi clean will work but if root cause of red slime isn’t fixed it could come back and who knows how anemones will react

 

[vetteguy53081]

Confirmed cyano. Chemiclean is an alternative and not long term solution.
Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

 

[Visuals]

Confirmed cyano. Chemiclean is an alternative and not long term solution.
Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

I'll do another water change later in the day, what kind of liquid bacteria would you recommend? How is the Chemi-pure elite stuff? I've used a GFO reactor in the past and that stuff scared me since my anemones got bleached from it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I'll do another water change later in the day, what kind of liquid bacteria would you recommend? How is the Chemi-pure elite stuff? I've used a GFO reactor in the past and that stuff scared me since my anemones got bleached from it.

Bacter 7 is very good. CP elite is very good and keeps water polished and PO4 and NO3 in check