Clumpy brown algae

[Tanofthereef]

I've been searching with different keywords for weeks on this topic and have yet to see any similar ID for what I am experiencing. If anyone has any ideas it would be a huge help.

At first all of my rocks were covered in this after the diatom stage of initial cycle, a tiny bit of cyano in other places started to appear until this clumpy brown algae covered everything. I decided to brush it free what I could and suck it out, it breaks free with a brush rather easily. The picture below shows some green film algae or similar to that taking over the exposed rock where I cleaned the brown clumps from.

I have trochus and astraea snails, as well as hermit / emerald crab and I haven't seen any of them eat it.


This is under pure white lights.

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

What’s your PO4 and NO3 levels? I had similar clumps in my nano a while back and it was Dino’s . They thrive in 0 nutrients tanks.

What is the tank size and livestock ?

I was able to get rid it by manual removal , dosing nitrate and phosphate additives . I also added bio diversity by adding pods.

 

[Tanofthereef]

Both read 0, I run chaeto and at one point I removed half of it which caused PO4 to go up to around .05 for a short duration.

It's a 60Gal (including sump) and has been running for about 6 months.

Currently have:
2 Clownfish
2 Wrasse
1 Cardinal
1 Goby
10-20 Misc snails
Emerald crab
pistol shrimp & cleaner shrimp

 

[Tanofthereef]

Update:

I tried the coffee filter test with some of the clumps, I gathered them and shook to break up as best I could, after straining and waiting an hour I have yet to see anything. Could still be dinos? not sure....

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

The best way to ID what it is to use a microscope. A cheap school microscope will work just fine.

There are strains of Dino that Can be defeated by using a UV sterilizer.

 

[Tanofthereef]

I bought a cheap microscope and didn't seem to match up with dinos. From some extra research I think I have a form of chrysophytes.

 

[taricha]

I bought a cheap microscope and didn't seem to match up with dinos. From some extra research I think I have a form of chrysophytes.

Totally possible. Post a pic through the scope?

 

[Tanofthereef]

Had a difficult time getting my phone camera to focus on the more magnified shots. Hopefully its clear enough to see.

 

[taricha]

If you see no cell movement, then I'd agree with the chrysophyte as a tentative ID.

 

[Tanofthereef]

Well I think I've mostly overcome whatever it was, if it was chrysophytes. I've made a lot changes since this post but I think my success came from 3 main things.

1. Time
2. Manual removal
3. New refugium Light.

I was using a big box par38 bulb on a timer, until I switched to the reef builders refugium light. It has been growing much darker green and healthy chaeto, and my pods seem to have a bigger population. The brown clumpy algae would grow on my fuge walls before but no longer do.

My new problem is now cyano on the sand which I'm trying to remedy by removing an inch of existing sand slowly and being more proactive about sand agitation during water changes.

 

[kartrsu]

Any idea what this algae actually was? Chrystophytes? I’m battling it now, and it looks like yours under microscope. Grows back in a couple of days. Any change to lighting?

 

[BranchingHammer]

Had the exact same algae un my tank for a while but never knew what it was. Is it kind of slimy?

 

[kartrsu]

Had the exact same algae un my tank for a while but never knew what it was. Is it kind of slimy?

Yeah it is kind of slimy, breaks up really easily when I was microscoping it. Sometimes traps some bubbles, but honestly can't find any dinos on it.

 

[BranchingHammer]

op, was yours also slimy?

 

[Tanofthereef]

Yeah mine was slimy, for awhile I would remove rocks I could and scrub them in a water change bucket, it looks like gel out of the water. I never changed my lighting as corals didn't seem affected. I focused more on the manual removal over everything else.

 

[BranchingHammer]

I also focused on manual removal, and haven't had it since. I wonder what it is?

 

[kartrsu]

I believe it’s chrysophytes. Atleast for my case, the microscope confirmation matched that of others in the chrysophyte thread. Manual removal and blackout helps, although fluconazole wipes it out.