Algea help

brownsalt92 · Sep 18, 2015

What is this in my sand and how do I get rid of it? Thanks in advance!!

cloak · Sep 18, 2015

Is it slimy? If so, Cyanobacteria doesn't always have to be that maroon/burgundy color were all so used to seeing.

brownsalt92 · Sep 18, 2015

Yea slimy how to rid it?

cloak · Sep 18, 2015

Check this out.

http://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide

brownsalt92 · Sep 18, 2015

So its either blue green cyno or/ green film algea. If I scrub rocks/ frag plugs with tooth brush like it says and pickup some of the sand with it that would help correct?

cloak · Sep 18, 2015

Yeah... Manual removal, keep things like phosphates and nitrates as low as possible & increasing the amount of flow you have in the tank will all help.

brownsalt92 · Sep 18, 2015

Okay I scoped scraped brushed adjusted one power head cleaned protein skimmer and changed filter pads so I think I'm in the right direction. Would it help if I skimmed a little on the wet side?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 19, 2015

They best ways to decrease cyano include reducing nutrients, especially phosphate, reducing organics (skimming more or dosing less; wet skimming may help), increased flow, and manual removal.

There are many ways to accomplish reducing nutrients, such as growing macroalgae or an ATS, organic carbon dosing, phosphate binders, and various types of denitrators.

In desperation, antibiotics can be used.

brownsalt92 · Sep 19, 2015

I part time skim 4 times a day for 3 hours each Time by dosing less. Dosing less is that the vinegar and vodka?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 19, 2015

brownsalt92 said:
I part time skim 4 times a day for 3 hours each Time by dosing less. Dosing less is that the vinegar and vodka?

Yes, if you get cyano when organic carbon dosing, backing off or stopping may help if you have developed a problem cyano that can consume the organics.

brownsalt92 · Sep 29, 2015

So I took 1/4 inch tubing u had and decided to suck the green cyno out BC there was a spot starting to turn red. My sand is a course almost like crushed live rock so it would clog the house a little. I sucked out alotttt of the green cyno so I just need to keep on sucking out the cyno and eventually it will disappear?? I am going to get a phosphate test kit BC my dad's is missing the çhart for the phosphate the algea just looks like crap on the sand bed. But where their is still some green on the crushed live rock will it just continue to grown off of that? .

ngvu1 · Sep 29, 2015

you might want to try 1 or 2 tiger conch snails. They love this slimy stuff. They wipe out that stuff fast and might be starving to death

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 30, 2015

brownsalt92 said:
So I took 1/4 inch tubing u had and decided to suck the green cyno out BC there was a spot starting to turn red. My sand is a course almost like crushed live rock so it would clog the house a little. I sucked out alotttt of the green cyno so I just need to keep on sucking out the cyno and eventually it will disappear?? I am going to get a phosphate test kit BC my dad's is missing the çhart for the phosphate the algea just looks like crap on the sand bed. But where their is still some green on the crushed live rock will it just continue to grown off of that? .

Sucking out the cyano is a big help, both in exporting nutrients and in taking away the "breeding stock" of cyano.

But it won't necessarily solve the problem if the nutrients continue to be added (via foods) without sufficient export. Finding something that eats a pest is usually a big win, but that's not always easy with cyano.