Algae ID

[Mickie]

Hi! Here is my tank set up and what's going on...oh, and LFS told me to let it fun its course (I'm in the ugly period)

Tank is 1 month old and just cycled.

60gallons
pH 8.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 10-20
Salinity 1.025
Temp 78

Live rock/dry rock 50/50 with live sand.
Just got through a diatom bloom.
3 clowns fed once a day
13 snails, 8 hermits
Skimmer, Aquaclear filter and powerhead

Currently have a bacterial bloom making the water look slightly cloudy/floaties

I have algae on the tank walls...but it's pretty much leaving my rock alone.

Just changed carbon filter and did 20% water change.

What is the algae I've got going on?

Thank you!

 

[Mickie]

Oh, and LOTS of copepods and 2 bristle worms.

 

[Mickie]

Crap. And I have 2 hydra HD LEDs. 12 hours 330 ramp up. 50% acclimation mode

 

[ahiggins]

Im not sure about the hydra lights but I know 50% for my AI is really strong to use for 12 hours. Even with a ramp up/down.
I have my AI prime set to 8 hours with 1.5 hr ramp up and down-set to 20% intensity.
Also, the stuff on your glass looks like just plain ol hair algae. Have you not scraped your glass for a while? It sort of has the "fronds" that look like bryopsis but I could be over-paranoid because Im fighting it right now. I dont think bryo can attach to glass-mine hasnt at least.
You can scrape it with a razor blade or a algae magnet. anything with a rough surface.

One point-whats your phosphates? When I used tap water with conditioner to make my new SW, I had tons of algae forming on the glass. I came back to a forest after a 4 day vacation LOL
Since switching to RODI, I dont have that problem at all.

Off topic, the copepods are good for some detritus removal and will eat dead/withering coral. Personal preference-get a wrasse or something that eats them. I dont like having enough pods that I can see them. I have a wrasse in every tank I have.

 

[Mickie]

Does it help to say that the root systems are suuuuuuuper shallow? Even in my sand bed it has shallow roots.

 

[ahiggins]

that seems like complete oposite of bryopsis. That has a massive root structure.
@twilliard do you think you might be able to identify this? Im still thinking hair algae...

 

[twilliard]

bryopsis babies
Now is the time to get serious about algae eradication

 

[ahiggins]

noooo! not babies!!!!
Ive never seen them on glass before....quick, get them out!!

 

[twilliard]

Yup I grew mine on acrylic sheets in high nutrient flow.

OP to warn this stuff will grow FAST

 

[Frop]

I don't know about saltwater but on freshwater some times waterflow and too much lighting cause algae outbreaks in the glass.

 

[recess62]

I vote for bryopsis

 

[alyee5]

yeah, if you look at the other picture @Mickie posted under the critter/hitchhiker forum...it does look like baby bryopsis....ie small fern-like growth...

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/algae-id.264765/#post-3160938

 

[ahiggins]

Well there ya go....good luck-youre gonna need it :/

 

[recess62]

I had a few baby Bryopsis patches in my overflow. I threw in a Mexican turbo and it took care of it

 

[Mickie]

So, called my LFS(again) sent a picture cuz they for CERTAIN it was just hair algae cuz there was no way in a tank a month old there would be bryopsis.

It's bryopsis.

Their mg test kits are over $50...they are over an hour away from me...I'm pregnant and I have a toddler... It's literally feat to get there.

At this point, can I just Amazon order all the **** I need and get it next week? I mean, this stuff is already all over my tank walls. Will it hurt to wait those few days?

 

[recess62]

Seems like you have no real choice but order from Amazon. Driving 2 hrs round trip with a toddler seems a little over the top. The question is whether to manually remove as much as you can or not. Some say it is ok while others think that it will only cause the pest to further spread. One thing you can do is leave the lights off

I have a small outbreak in my 6 week old tank. The ones in the overflow were taken of by the turbo snail. The few I had in my sump I removed with my fingers. This was a couple weeks ago and so far no more has appeared

 

[Mickie]

I wanna vomit and punch something. Lol.

 

[recess62]

Don't do that. You might induce labor

 

[Mickie]

True. Awesome birth story though. "You were born cuz your mom got ticked off about some algae and gut punched some random person."

 

[Mickie]

It keeps censoring me. Stop censoring my colorfulness!