Algae ID and removal

[sgriesbach]

Hi im just starting with a reef tank so basically last week this algae started appearing on the rocks, glass and sand, i got some of it off but a lot is till in there and won’t come off easily. im not sure if its just hair algae because the other day it had some kind of bubbles on it. How can i remove it because my cleanup crew wont eat it

 

[sgriesbach]

also, would it be safe to add coral with that algae still there or should i wait until it’s completely gone?

 

[Iggy305]

I’m pretty new at this myself, but what I’ve found is that the Algae can really throw off testing as it also consumes what you’re testing for. You may think your parameters are fine and you put some coral in while you clear up the Algae. The Algae clears and corals start to die off because Nitrate and Phosphate shoot up because algae isn’t there to consume it. Personally I wouldn’t risk coral if it’s not in there already, granted everyone’s situation is different. I would post your parameters on here and I’m sure some of the vets in here will point you in the right direction.