Algae covering coralline on walls

[Tuffloud1]

So I have ZERO algae on my rock which is completely covered with healthy coralline.

I only clean my front glass once per week. I let the back wall go with coralline but it has been covered with the same algae that grows on the front glass that I clean off every week.

NO3 - 10-20 ppm

PO4 - .02-.1

Any ideas how inhibit this algae from drowning out the coralline? It is strange because my rock is completely free of algae, nothing but purple.

 

[CoralClasher]

Looks like diatom? Have you tried yeast?

 

[CoralClasher]

 

[schuby]

I have the same thing in my tank. For me, my fish don't graze on the back wall like they do the rock. It is the snails that eat from the back wall, just not as much as I'd like them to do. I'd get more snails if I wanted my back wall to be more clean, or help more of the existing snails over there since they don't seem to go to the back wall much on their own.

 

[Tuffloud1]

I have the same thing in my tank. For me, my fish don't graze on the back wall like they do the rock. It is the snails that eat from the back wall, just not as much as I'd like them to do. I'd get more snails if I wanted my back wall to be more clean, or help more of the existing snails over there since they don't seem to go to the back wall much on their own.

Yeah it’s a drag because my tank is in wall, so the back and left panels are blacked out and the plan was to just have coralline cover them. The algae is to the point where I can’t wipe it off, it actually would need to be scraped down which will also remove the coralline.

Is your algae like that too? Not sure if snails can really do much about this stuff.

 

[Tuffloud1]

Thank you for this. I’ve never heard of using yeast. I’m going to do some reading!

 

[schuby]

My back wall isn't completely covered with coralline. I have several large Mexican Turbo snails that occasionally find the back wall and make a big dent in the film algae that grows there (same as grows on my glass), both on and off the coralline. They are very effective. You might try some of them and "help" them find your back and side walls.

Something else I might try if my snails were not enough is this: increase my import and export of nutrients so that the typical measured value was lower. I'd do this by feeding more (higher input) and keeping a larger ball of chaeto in my sump/refugium (higher export). I think this would be more successful than trying to starve out the nuisance algae by feeding less (don't want to starve the corals). Just my opinion.

 

[CoralClasher]

I’ve found that if the cleanup crew won’t touch the algae there is a bacteria problem. I don’t do any algae cleaning my self until I see the snails starting to eat it then I’ll help them out and clean better than the snails.

 

[Tuffloud1]

Here are a couple more pictures. You think it’s diatoms?

 

[CoralClasher]

Definitely looks like a healthy tank!! Green hair algae with some diatom. Do you have a microscope?

 

[CoralClasher]

I wouldn’t do anything to drastic just try the yeast for a week.

 

[CoralClasher]

I don’t know the magic behind the yeast but it helped me with some pesky diatoms.

 

[Tuffloud1]

Yeah, I’m not worried about the algae on the glass, it would just be ideal without it!

 

[CoralClasher]

How old is that tank? It looks really nice to me. For green algae I like hydrogen peroxide but that would be a lot of work to drain the tank spray peroxide then fill back up.

 

[Tuffloud1]

How old is that tank? It looks really nice to me. For green algae I like hydrogen peroxide but that would be a lot of work to drain the tank spray peroxide then fill back up.

I started it up about 4-5 months ago. I transferred my 6 year old rock and livestock over as well as added new rock.

 

[CoralClasher]

I think the back wall will start looking better if you do nothing but what you are doing. I didn’t see anything bad from the little yeast I used. Just don’t try to starve it out and you will be good. Maybe add some pods after the wrasses go to sleep.

 

[schuby]

I think your tank looks really nice! Don't let a minor nuisance make you do something drastic that could damage the rest of your tank.

Where in CA are you located? I'm in Orange County.

 

[Tuffloud1]

I think your tank looks really nice! Don't let a minor nuisance make you do something drastic that could damage the rest of your tank.

Where in CA are you located? I'm in Orange County.

I’m up north near Roseville.