What is wrong with my tank and how can I fix it?

[Chris_Noles]

Hi everyone, I have been fighting this algae for the good part of almost a year. It has wiped out my SPS and has made my tank look horrible. I have been fighting dinos for the good part of 6-8 months but I think this new algae is something completely different. I have attached some pictures of what the tank looks like and also some bubble like algae that has hardened. Also my nitrate and phosphate parameters. My salinity, calcium, alkalinity are all normal.

How can I fix this issue and what type of algae could this be?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Looks like dying GHA and bubble algae. First, pull as much as you can by hand. A root system, will suggest bryopsis. If you see fern like appearance with roots, you MUST remove roots or this stuff will come back. A dental pick or small crochet needle will take roots off easily. Afterwards . . . .
Unfortunately, you will have to remove rock into a separate container with tank water and peroxide and scrub with a firm toothbrush or similar to properly clean it. Afterwards, you can add cleaners such as Ninja star snails, margarita snails, pitho crabs, chiton snails, trochus snails and pencil urchin AND reduce white light intensity and hours of white light.
For bubble algae twist the bubbles and pull off or add a couple of female emerald crabs.

 

[paintman]

Don't be fooled by everyone who is going to tell you it is GHA and dump a CUC in. You may very well have lynbya.

 

[Chris_Noles]

Don't be fooled by everyone who is going to tell you it is GHA and dump a CUC in. You may very well have lynbya.

Never heard of that, what type of algae is that?

 

[Chris_Noles]

Looks like dying GHA and bubble algae.
Unfortunately, you will have to remove rock into a separate container with tank water and peroxide and scrub with a firm toothbrush or similar to properly clean it. Afterwards, you can add cleaners such as Ninja star snails, margarita snails, pitho crabs, chiton snails, trochus snails and pencil urchin AND reduce white light intensity and hours of white light.
For bubble algae twist the bubbles and pull off or add a couple of felame emerald crabs.

Hey vetteguy, what should be the procedure there? I've done the same type of thing for dinos and it solved the problem for a couple of weeks. But they came back even worse a couple of weeks later....

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey vetteguy, what should be the procedure there? I've done the same type of thing for dinos and it solved the problem for a couple of weeks. But they came back even worse a couple of weeks later....

As described above, after doing the scrubbing, follow up with clean up crew. An added step would be to add liquid bacteria at 1.5ml per 10 gallons during the day for 2 weeks and add 1ml of 3$ peroxide at night for a week

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I can't tell from the photos but it may be bryopsis. If so, treatment with flucanozole is the best course of action. See the sticky thread in this forum for how to dose, etc.
As a general comment, you need to raise your nitrates...

 

[Dav2996]

Hi everyone, I have been fighting this algae for the good part of almost a year. It has wiped out my SPS and has made my tank look horrible. I have been fighting dinos for the good part of 6-8 months but I think this new algae is something completely different. I have attached some pictures of what the tank looks like and also some bubble like algae that has hardened. Also my nitrate and phosphate parameters. My salinity, calcium, alkalinity are all normal.

How can I fix this issue and what type of algae could this be?

I also can’t watch your videos but I see bubble algae and hair algae. Notice how your nitrates are 0? It’s because the green hair algae uses it up so it shows 0 on your test.

solution
Blue hermit crabs they love it.
Scrub with tooth brush.
Please whatever you do not use peroxide. That is really dumb because your killing the good algae as well. The good algae uses the same stuff the hair algae uses and you can have the good algae win the battle.

bubble algae
Bubble algae is tricky to remove and emerald crabs spread it making worse. I would replace the rock with bubble algae to be honest.

 

[Dav2996]

Hi everyone, I have been fighting this algae for the good part of almost a year. It has wiped out my SPS and has made my tank look horrible. I have been fighting dinos for the good part of 6-8 months but I think this new algae is something completely different. I have attached some pictures of what the tank looks like and also some bubble like algae that has hardened. Also my nitrate and phosphate parameters. My salinity, calcium, alkalinity are all normal.

How can I fix this issue and what type of algae could this be?

Hermit crabs will not help without cutting all the stocks down as well. They can’t eat the hair algae when it is long.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

I would treat with fluconozole. It's likely bryopsis and keeping low nutrients won't work and only urchins and crabs will eat it.

I would manually remove as much as possible, treat with reef flux, keep nutrients in check with water changes (add fluconozole to water change water) and up your cleanup crew. A tuxedo urchin works wonders and looks cool to boot.

 

[Chris_Noles]

Hi everyone, here are some better pictures of the current state of the tank.

 

[Chris_Noles]

I would treat with fluconozole. It's likely bryopsis and keeping low nutrients won't work and only urchins and crabs will eat it.

I would manually remove as much as possible, treat with reef flux, keep nutrients in check with water changes (add fluconozole to water change water) and up your cleanup crew. A tuxedo urchin works wonders and looks cool to boot.

It doesnt look like bryopsis I dont see any fern like algae in there. I just posted some other pictures….I think a tuxedo urchin might be the way to go, but my tank is only a 25 gallon so would that be too small?

 

[Chris_Noles]

Don't be fooled by everyone who is going to tell you it is GHA and dump a CUC in. You may very well have lynbya.

I think this might be what I have in here…

 

[Chris_Noles]

I also can’t watch your videos but I see bubble algae and hair algae. Notice how your nitrates are 0? It’s because the green hair algae uses it up so it shows 0 on your test.

solution
Blue hermit crabs they love it.
Scrub with tooth brush.
Please whatever you do not use peroxide. That is really dumb because your killing the good algae as well. The good algae uses the same stuff the hair algae uses and you can have the good algae win the battle.

bubble algae
Bubble algae is tricky to remove and emerald crabs spread it making worse. I would replace the rock with bubble algae to be honest.

I have a handful of blue hermit crabs but they have done nothing…

 

[MoreReef]

Well... dang... I would empty. Dry out. Restart... or run a bunch of carbon first. Chemipure maybe ?

 

[Chris_Noles]

Well... dang... I would empty. Dry out. Restart... or run a bunch of carbon first. Chemipure maybe ?

I’m running both chemipure and carbon

 

[MoreReef]

I’m running both chemipure and carbon

Well yeah... I would empty. Dry. And restart... ugh that looks like a headache to clean without nuking that thing with somekind of chemical... bummer man

 

[Chris_Noles]

Well yeah... I would empty. Dry. And restart... ugh that looks like a headache to clean without nuking that thing with somekind of chemical... bummer man

Maybe an urchin can mow it down? Idk but a restart might be my only option since I cannot get this tank algae free for the good part of almost a year

 

[MoreReef]

Maybe an urchin can mow it down? Idk but a restart might be my only option since I cannot get this tank algae free for the good part of almost a year

Yeah... no I mean unless you want to keep dumping money and time and hope it solves itself then I'd say go for it... but if it's been that long I'd just restart... restarts are good sometimes. New slate... good luck man on whatever you choose to do.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

It doesnt look like bryopsis I dont see any fern like algae in there. I just posted some other pictures….I think a tuxedo urchin might be the way to go, but my tank is only a 25 gallon so would that be too small?

If you grab a chunk of it and it slides right off the rock, you could be looking at GHA or lyngbya. If it rips or does not come off easily, it's either turf or bryopsis.

Fluconazole has very little in the way of possible side effects, so I personally would just treat it like bryopsis anyway.

You do need to get at the root of your nutrient issue anyway, but this will at least give you a month of an algae free tank to export as many nutrients as possible with manual removal and water changes.

25 is probably too small for an urchin unless you plan to sell it back to the LFS after its done its job. It could maybe be okay if you feed pretty heavily and keep the rest of your cleanup crew small.

The larger hermit varieties like zebra hermits could work here. An army of 10 plus 5 trochus would be a good start. Emerald crabs are also another option.