What is going on? How to get control back....

[Charles Belisle]

Hello All... Please help...

Started seeing a break-out of green hair algae several months after the tank had cycled and leveled out. After the GHA; came the purple crusting (spiderweb like) outbreak. This stuff usually will start to peel itself off the rocks after a few days and is easily vacuumed out during water changes. My water levels are: Am: 0, Nitr: 0, Phos: .05 and Nitra: 0. This all started when I started feed my new tangs NORI. I normally feed them (two - Hippo / Brown Powder tangs a 2" x 4" piece daily or every 2 days. Pictures below:


The last picture is a different problem I am now seeing; the front glass is being covered in two days with this brown/greenish algae. Its easy to wipe off; but its back in a few days. Note: protein skimmer is working overtime along with Chaeto.

 

[lapin]

The joys of having a mixed reef tank. Keep at it and the tank should stablize. The nori prob added more nutrients to the water. Prob Po4.

 

[Cell]

Glass cleaning is considered regular, sometimes daily maintenance for reefers.

 

[Jekyl]

Agreed. My tank didn't stop with the uglies until after a year or so.

 

[Charles Belisle]

I am still seeing this outbreaks and honestly about to give up. I do a water change and try to vacuum off all the purplish / red stuff; because it growing on corals and creating issue for them. And the next day; its spread more all over the tank then before I cleaned it. Additionally, I think I had an anemone (bubbletip) die on me. At first, it detached and went behind some rocks. I dig it out and put it in front but it wouldn't attach to anything. Week later it was out of sight again. Came back from a week's vacation and overnight - I lost a hippo tang and torch coral. They was both fine at night when I checked the tank the next day; but were gone. The torch looked like a grey matter covering the white base. (thought if I vacuum off the grey slime) it would come back out. But nope - it melted. Guess I am learning that losing corals / fish is just part of the hobby. Additionally, I got a Dollabella Sea hare to eat up all the green algae out breaks a couple months back and after two weeks took it back to LFS; because green algae was gone. Starting to see signs of it coming back on rocks (my Lawnmower blenny) is fat and happy (belly looks like a melon). I have turned down my lights cutting them back by 50% and shorten the time they are on (by 2 hours) in last day to hopefully reduce the purple / red growth. Sand is constantly dirty looking with brown diatom outbreaks and front glass gets covered back up in two days. Refugium is also struggling as my Chaeto seems to be melting as well. I have put skimmer on timer to shut it off while refugium light is on; trying to push food to the Chaeto. Testing water I am still seeing a cycled tank as Ammo = 0, Nitri = 0, Nitra = 0, PH = 7.8, Phos = 0.5 (first reading above 0), Cal = 480. Zoas, Toatstod coral, are doing fine. Hammer coral has opened fully in a few months; but seem to be doing fine. Other live stock - Powder brown tang, lawnmower blenny, 2 clowns, 4 green chromis, royal gramma, chalk bass, file fish, yellow goby with pistol shrimp, and coral beauty seem fine. Clean-up crew - about 4 emeral green crabs, 5 nitro snails, 15 other small snails - sand stiffing star (dead about 6 weeks ago). - ( I know its a small crew for s 240 gallon reef). - But would more CC help with issue? I have really reduced the amount of Nori - I was feeding - as tangs - were eating the algae off front glass. Have reduced feeding to 2 square frozen meat blocks a day or every other day. (as I attempt to reduce food waste). I don't turn off power heads when I feed; so it does get blown around pretty good - landing all over live rock. Any ideas or help? - or is it just a waiting game?

 

[Pntbll687]

How about some pictures under full spectrum lighting so we can see whats going on a little better?

From your descriptions, it sounds like hair algae and cyano bacteria mostly, with maybe some diatoms.

Manual removal for the hair algae and adding in some clean up crew if needed.

Chemiclean can be added to get rid of the cyano quickly, but you need to find out where the excess in nutrients is coming from.

 

[Charles Belisle]

Here are some pictures of the tank and the growth of the stuff:

 

[Charles Belisle]

Bump - any help?

 

[ying yang]

Im new to saltwater so not much advice to give on solutions to your tank but without trying sound like a jerk which ive no intentions off but your tank doesnt look to bad to me and for me personally i tell myself i will not have a sterile show tank without one spec of algae and algae is free food for my livestock so i try keep few sides of my glass clean and think even algae growing will help take nutrients out of the water and until tank is stabilised and reached equilibrium then i just accept it and if do want to try reduce some algae i can just pull it out or attach toothbrush to a hose and scrub rocks while i do water change or whatever needed.

 

[Revnobody]

ChemiClean will wipe out the "red stuff", cyanobacteria. However, considering the tank is still fairly new, I would just blow it off the corals with a turkey baster and siphon as much as possible during water changes. As far as I can tell you are still dealing with new tank uglies. I wouldn't worry too much, it is fairly normal. Eventually, the tank will stabilize.