Weird brown/golden hairy algae?

[jasonamyers]

What is this and how do I kill it?

 

[Highgrade]

Green Hair Algae. How old is your tank? Clean up crew will help. You can manually remove it. Monitor you parameters and feed less. Shorten length time on you lighting cycle. What type of lighting? You may have a phosphate issue. May want to try Phosgaurd or GFO. Also is that Life Rock? If so I had the same issues with the rock.

 

[jasonamyers]

Tank is about a month and a half old. I had 0s on phosphates for quite a while now. I have 3 snails and 2 hermit crabs, an emerald crab and a cleaner shrimp in there :( It is life branch rock. I'll retest phosphates again, and go from there. What was the deal with the life rock?

 

[Highgrade]

Tank is about a month and a half old. I had 0s on phosphates for quite a while now. I have 3 snails and 2 hermit crabs and a cleaner shrimp in there :( It is life branch rock. I'll retest phosphates again, and go from there. What was the deal with the life rock?

I had issues with a tank that was two years old and established with perfect parameters. I had removed the live rock due to an aptasia infestation and added the branch life rock. I also set up a new tank that was braches as well. Roughly a month or so into the life rock being in both tanks they ended up with a lot of GHA. I had removed all the life rock and scrubbed with a toothbrush in RODI/vinegar bath. Added a little phosgaurd for the next couple of weeks and all the GHA is gone. I think either the rock leachs phosphates or the injected bacteria they put in the rock causes the GHA. I posted to a similar thread not to long ago about my issues with life rock branches. Seems the Life rock has different results than the life rock branches. Could just be the way they're manufactured and what was put into them. Most of the branches I received were broke. They appeared to be actual thin coral branches wrapped/molded with concrete or mortar. This could this be the problem possibly but I wouldn't rule out the paint they use or the bacteria either. I would pull out the branches and scrub them with a RODI and light Vinegar or peroxide mix. Then try added Phosgaurd if your not running GFO. Don't know the size of your tank but maybe add some more clean up crew. Turbo/Margarita snails, scarlet reef crabs and fighting conches should help. There are other snails Astrea,etc... but the ones I mentioned seemed to get the job done the best. Cleaner shrimp wont do anything for the GHA. The GHA may just also be part of the cycle occurring in your tank.

 

[jasonamyers]

It's a 48 gal RS Max E 170 tank. I could pull out the branch rock and deal with it. Odd that my tests are reading 0 (Red Sea Tests), but if it's in the rock no way to beat that exactly... I'm not running GFO, I've got carbon and purigen going ATM.

 

[mcarroll]

On a new tank I would do nothing different for at least a month.

That assumes you're on something like a weekly water change program, the tank is not grossly overstocked or being overfed, skimmer is being cleaned at least weekly, etc, etc...

Algae is not an enemy - it's a normal and healthy part of a functioning reef.

But your reef is only just starting to function, so give it plenty of time. Keep watching and monitoring! :)

 

[jasonamyers]

good idea. I noticed that the red sea reef care program has a nitrate and phosphate control in it. That should be here this week!

 

[Bunnee911]

Test first hon.

 

[jasonamyers]

Test first hon.

Absolutely the a better test kit is in that order. Only had the api test for phosphates