Another Problem Algae Thread (w/pic)

[64Ivy]

Can anyone here even begin to name all of the types of pest algae surrounding my little friend Ollie here? Yes, I am using RO/DI water and yes, I do change it frequently (up to about 40% weekly now). Yes, I do change the cartridges once the TDS reaches 0.01ppm, yes I do skim aggressively, and yes I also employ both gac and gfo, manually remove detritus about once a week, and try not to overfeed. Nevertheless, about 15% of the rockwork surface looks pretty much like this and has for the last 6 months or so. Manual removal requires taking out the rock and scrubbing hard with a brush as trying to simply vacuum or blow it off does not work at all. I'm thinking it came in on the Astrea shells of my clean up crew. Is that possible? Is there something I'm overlooking?

 

[disclosure11]

what are your paramaters and what kind of lighting / flow do you have in the tank?

 

[Mike J.]

Ollie is pretty cool. Sounds like you're trying to do everything right. What a nightmare. One thing you didn't tell us is your nitrate and phosphate levels. If you're using GFO you should be testing for phosphates. I've been where you're at. How do you "employ" the GFO? IME running GFO in a reactor should clear it up. Then you'll have another problem. Dead algae = detritus = more algae. In almost all situations like this it is a phosphate and detritus problem.

 

[TrialandError]

That looks like red slime. Nasty stuff.


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[rufus2008]

Awesome picture, sorry about the algae problem.

 

[64Ivy]

My lighting consists of 6x400W 14K SE MHs. Old school. Circulation is created by Two Hammerheads driving the returns while 6 Tunze Stream 6155's Powerheads are handling the flow. I have them all dialed down to 40-60% but there still is a good amount of random flow most everywhere. This is a 500g tank, btw. My nitrate levels are undetectable and my PO4 levels range everywhere from below acceptable levels (0.02ppm) to slightly above (0.05ppm). This is because I have a Hanna Low Range Phosphate Meter so I never get the same reading twice. My salifert kit will always read 0 so the PO4 is either leaching from the rocks or (as I suspect) it might've come in on the Astrea shells of my clean up crew. I run both my GFO and GAC through mated Jumbo media canisters from BRS.

 

[Mike J.]

It is very possible that the algae came in on the snails. I once put in a frag that had a little sprig of algae on it and thought, oh well, because I never had an algae problem before. It turned into a terrible nightmare like you're having now. It took me over six months to get it under control. The only critters that I know of that are proven to eat that stuff is Mexican Red Leg Hermit Crabs, Scarlet Hermit Crabs and Sea Hares. It would take a massive amount of hermits to help, so I would suggest getting maybe a dozen sea hares. It sounds to me like you're doing everything right.

 

[64Ivy]

Can Sea Hares handle a BB tank?

 

[dorky]

get some turbo snail big one i have algae issue too dropped in 3 big snails in the tank n do their things. them hungry fellas but only problem don't let em land on their shell

 

[mike007]

Try getting a counch they are lawnmowers. In order to have this amount of algae you have excess nutrients whether thats from overfeeding or phosphates. Everyone thinks they are not overfeeding but they are wrong. Algae thrives on nutrients. You have to get them under control with good skimming, circulation, good lighting(maybe new bulbs)water water changes etc.

 

[Mike J.]

I don't have any Sea Hares so I can't personally answer your question. Plus, they can be toxic. I personally have two very large (I've had them for eight years) Turbo Snails and they won't eat the hair algae unless it's really short. They will, however keep it from starting out. My Powder Blue won't touch it either. I have about 20 other snails and some hermits in a 120. I have a Lettuce Sea Slug and it doesn't require sand. It spends most of it's time on the rocks and sometimes on the back glass. From what I've read about Sea Hares they spend most of their time on the rocks. In a 500 gallon tank I think you should have at least 10 turbos and, you know, a very large clean up crew. If you can get the algae short they'll eat it. But, personally speaking, the Scarlet Hermits will eat hair algae; they were my best weapon. I bought 30 of them when I was battling algae.