What kind of algae is this and how to stop it?

boboyo

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 15, 2020
Messages
263
Reaction score
117
Location
Montreal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi all - newbie here.

i got this green stuff growing over 3 of my LRs (where the light hits the hardest)

Started out with diatoms that really stopped spreading after aggressive water changes (but also my whole cuc was all over diatoms, especially my blenny)

now some spots are becoming green and spreading a little faster than the brown stuff. Could it be green diatoms? Also, my cuc doesn’t seem Te be very interested by the green stuff.

how do I stay on top of this other than the food precautions and wc? What eats the green stuff? Also what’s a good nitrate target to avoid algae? I feel like 0-5ppm will be a long way from happening with only wc unless I have magical nitrate eaters. I turbo cycled my tank without paying attention to trates (also not turning on the skimmer to maximize ammonia food for the bacteria) and I know they’re high, I still have the API cycling test kits which are incredibly innacurate. I have a good kit coming in from Amazon soon!

according to my math it’s 15 10% water changes to reach 10ppm nitrates if you started with 40ppm... I do about a 10-15% wc ever 3 days for now but I’m wondering if I can do anything else to be on top of my early-stage algae blooms.

I have no sump so I can’t have a refugium :(

A579AF5A-D1E6-48FF-A5AC-DB9CE06A3023.jpeg FFC734A7-04AB-4547-A048-374863847F5F.jpeg 2E8F2FCE-E493-4BC3-9588-DD3B8282E700.jpeg
 

Spare time

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
12,037
Reaction score
9,672
Location
Here
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So it’s not the early stage of some green hair or something? Good to know thanks!

Rocks tend to get a pohase of green on them, and then later develop the sl;ower growing corallines and others. You may get a tuft of hair algae or something like that at first buit it is normal. You can always combat this by different bacterial additives and keeping the water clean.
 
OP
OP
B

boboyo

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 15, 2020
Messages
263
Reaction score
117
Location
Montreal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Rocks tend to get a pohase of green on them, and then later develop the sl;ower growing corallines and others. You may get a tuft of hair algae or something like that at first buit it is normal. You can always combat this by different bacterial additives and keeping the water clean.
Yea I guess the additives are a last resort thing, I was just tryna find some preventative measures. I guess its normal. My nitrates are going down with every wc so if I keep going like that the algae will run low on nutrients :)
 

Spare time

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
12,037
Reaction score
9,672
Location
Here
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Yea I guess the additives are a last resort thing, I was just tryna find some preventative measures. I guess its normal. My nitrates are going down with every wc so if I keep going like that the algae will run low on nutrients :)

Phosphates will be the most important one to watch for algae.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 73 37.6%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 66 34.0%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 12.9%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 28 14.4%
  • Other.

    Votes: 2 1.0%
Back
Top