Algae(?) ID please

[mermaid_life]

Can I get some help identifying this algae, if it is an algae?

Description - looks like dark brown turf algae with white-ish fuzz. Fuzz can come off with a toothbrush but dark brown foundation only comes off with scraping.

At first it was mild and did not affect anything, but it's starting to affect some of my frag plugs and smothering corals that are trying to heal.

Looking for some ID so I can deal with it appropriately. TIA!

 

[mermaid_life]

 

[BigBundee69]

I have been getting this a little bit on some of my live rock in super high flow areas and i want to say its cyano but im not sure yet nothing meets the descriptions

 

[Mrsadat]

I have the same brown algae in my tank. I believe it’s due to low nutrients, my tank has been running for 4 years now.

 

[mermaid_life]

I have the same brown algae in my tank. I believe it’s due to low nutrients, my tank has been running for 4 years now.

That's interesting! My tank is very clean aside from this. Perhaps you are right. Are you trying to get rid of it or just let it be?

 

[BigBundee69]

I have the same brown algae in my tank. I believe it’s due to low nutrients, my tank has been running for 4 years now.

I would completely understand this as my tank is too clean and ive been dosing nitrate and phosphate to keep from bottoming out

 

[Mrsadat]

That's interesting! My tank is very clean aside from this. Perhaps you are right. Are you trying to get rid of it or just let it be?

I want it gone it’s spreading all over the sand bed. I believe it’s cyano because it has a deep red color, when I clean it up it’s back within a day or two, I’ve tried cemiclean as well and it helped a little and once I did my water change using RO water it was back again.

 

[BigBundee69]

I want it gone it’s spreading all over the sand bed. I believe it’s cyano because it has a deep red color, when I clean it up it’s back within a day or two, I’ve tried cemiclean as well and it helped a little and once I did my water change using RO water it was back again.

What are your nutrient levels???

 

[vetteguy53081]

Its slime along wirth diatoms and thrive best where there is water movement. You should be able to remove it easily with a simple sponge

 

[Mrsadat]

What are your nutrient levels???

Levels are horrible all of a sudden everything is out of wack
dkh- 11
Ca- 495
Mag- 1260
Phosphate- 0.02
Nitrate- 25.6

 

[TokenReefer]

Levels are horrible all of a sudden everything is out of wack
dkh- 11
Ca- 495
Mag- 1260
Phosphate- 0.02
Nitrate- 25.6

Mg slightly low I suppose; not out of whack to me fwiw

 

[Mrsadat]

Mg slightly low I suppose; not out of whack to me fwiw

I’m running a mixed reef, shouldn’t the Nitrate levels be closer to 10 and my dkh I like it around 8.5

 

[TokenReefer]

I’m running a mixed reef, shouldn’t the Nitrate levels be closer to 10 and my dkh I like it around 8.5

This is ripe for endless debate but not sure where those exact numbers come from. The way I see it is simply you have higher alk (I've run that high as io mixes at 11 dkh) but you also have enough N and P concentrations that would support the growth that higher alk promotes. I don't see an issue if you're algae free (more of an issue if you have gha present for example), but that's just my humble opinion. Mg slightly low but above the low range I follow is all...

Edit : especially if ph is good

 

[BigBundee69]

Its slime along wirth diatoms and thrive best where there is water movement. You should be able to remove it easily with a simple sponge

thank you vetteguy, this makes more sense because the slime i had was directly in front of a powerhead. and i had to use a wire brush to get it off

 

[BigBundee69]

I’m running a mixed reef, shouldn’t the Nitrate levels be closer to 10 and my dkh I like it around 8.5

I agree with tokenreefer about parameter debate from my reading and minimal research compared to other more veteran hobbyists. I think the fact that you have some nutrients help as well as not completely over the top. my nutrients kept bottoming out and were giving me more issues than with a nitrate reading of 10-20 and phos .06
my what my ideal params are right now besides my ph which im slowly getting to 8.3 is
temp 78.6
sal 1.026
alk 11
mg 1500
nitrate 10-15
phos .06
calcium 482

Since ive started dosing nitrate and phos when needed to keep from bottoming out i havent had an issue with the algae or anything else for that matter

 

[vetteguy53081]

I agree with tokenreefer about parameter debate from my reading and minimal research compared to other more veteran hobbyists. I think the fact that you have some nutrients help as well as not completely over the top. my nutrients kept bottoming out and were giving me more issues than with a nitrate reading of 10-20 and phos .06
my what my ideal params are right now besides my ph which im slowly getting to 8.3 is
temp 78.6
sal 1.026
alk 11
mg 1500
nitrate 10-15
phos .06
calcium 482

Since ive started dosing nitrate and phos when needed to keep from bottoming out i havent had an issue with the algae or anything else for that matter

Be careful dosing nitrate and Phos as often per belief it will reverse the action but in essence feed the problem. Those levels reach Zero because something is consuming it and when you see the low numbers, there has been a nutrient instability.
Regarding your numbers- youre at limits at this point and need to stop dosing alk-CA-MAG and monitor them to assure they are dropping in the absence of dosing. Nitrate will also be one to watch.
Small water changes would lower each of those higher values. Assure your salt mix is NOT high in Alk and Calcium.

 

[BigBundee69]

Be careful dosing nitrate and Phos as often per belief it will reverse the action but in essence feed the problem. Those levels reach Zero because something is consuming it and when you see the low numbers, there has been a nutrient instability.
Regarding your numbers- youre at limits at this point and need to stop dosing alk-CA-MAG and monitor them to assure they are dropping in the absence of dosing. Nitrate will also be one to watch.
Small water changes would lower each of those higher values. Assure your salt mix is NOT high in Alk and Calcium.

Yes sir i have been keeping up with water changes im hoping that adjusting my PH up slowly my corals will begin to consume more. Co2 media arrives in the next few days so hopefully that will allow my tank to take a deep breath of very needed minerals and nutrients.