Are these diatoms?
- Thread starter msavoy
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BostonReefer300
Valuable Member
That looks like cyano to me.
vetteguy53081
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Its cyano which is a bacterial algae. It generally occurs when Phosphate and nitrate becomes elevated along with bright lights.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate. When the protein skimmer does not output the best efficiency or you do not have the suitable protein skimmer to cover the tank, the air bubbles created by the skimmer might be insufficient. And this insufficiency of air bubbles can trigger the cyano to thrive.
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development
I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.
After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate. When the protein skimmer does not output the best efficiency or you do not have the suitable protein skimmer to cover the tank, the air bubbles created by the skimmer might be insufficient. And this insufficiency of air bubbles can trigger the cyano to thrive.
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development
I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.
After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.
msavoy
Active Member
It was a year last October. Everything has been going great the past few months, I got rid of turf algae and also green algae. Now this slowly started popping up. Any idea how to get rid of it? My phosphates are around 0.04 and nitrates around 15.
msavoy
Active Member
Awesome, thank you so much for the info. My skimmer seems to be working well. I do 20% water changes every 2 weeks, maybe I should up that a bit for the next month to try and bring my nitrates down from 15. Phosphates at 0.04 should be fine.
damsels are not mean
Valuable Member
Cyano is normal, it comes and goes. It tends to grow in areas with lower flow or deadspots where waste ends up decaying. Eventually it exhausts itself, typically. Anything crazy you do to try to remove it is probably going to do more harm than good. A little patch like that? I would bet a lot of money that I could find one in absolutely anyone's tank, unless they run a barebottom and intentionally very sterile system.
msavoy
Active Member
Ok that’s good to know. I was hoping it wasn’t harmful to the corals or fish so I’m glad to hear it’s safe. Just a bit unsightly but if it eventually will run it’s corse I’m fine with that. Thanks for the info.
