Dino or cyano? What am I up against?!

[Kasey]

Parameters are all on point, tank is about 6 months old. phosphates were reading at 5, I’m slowly working that down at the moment. Any ideas?

 

[sfin52]

looks like both

 

[KJ]

Cayanobacteria.

 

[Yuri Prigodich]

Cayno

 

[Mastiffsrule]

I’m going against popular opinion. I hate saying the word, and just my opinion but I think more towards Dino. Or like @sfin52 said both. The second pix of rock makes me think Dino. Cyano does come in various forms, but I usually see it more as a mat than a string.

Does it disappear at night and come back an hour or 2 with lights, and not grow in shade? Not a perfect diag since cyano can do that too, but putting together alike symptoms may help In absence of a microscope.

But I am optimist so let’s say colorful algae that good flow and a CuC will wipeout in-no time

 

[sfin52]

did you start with dry rock and what's the nitrate in the tank.

 

[Kasey]

I’m going against popular opinion. I hate saying the word, and just my opinion but I think more towards Dino. Or like @sfin52 said both. The second pix of rock makes me think Dino. Cyano does come in various forms, but I usually see it more as a mat than a string.

Does it disappear at night and come back an hour or 2 with lights, and not grow in shade? Not a perfect diag since cyano can do that too, but putting together alike symptoms may help In absence of a microscope.

But I am optimist so let’s say colorful algae that good flow and a CuC will wipeout in-no time

It does have some hair like algae on the sandbed, there’s lots of matting too. I’ve been battling it for a few weeks lowering phosphates, cutting lights, etc. I’m going to do a round of chemiclean tomorrow, 3 days lights out, and a 25% WC. I’ve got a few each of Astraea/cerith/nassarius/trochus/turbo snails but I’m gonna nab some more from my LFS next week!

 

[Kasey]

did you start with dry rock and what's the nitrate in the tank.

I did 30 pounds dry and 17 live from Gulf Live Rock. Nitrate was at zero last week and just barely detectable yesterday with Salifert

 

[sfin52]

how

It does have some hair like algae on the sandbed, there’s lots of matting too. I’ve been battling it for a few weeks lowering phosphates, cutting lights, etc. I’m going to do a round of chemiclean tomorrow, 3 days lights out, and a 25% WC. I’ve got a few each of Astraea/cerith/nassarius/trochus/turbo snails but I’m gonna nab some more from my LFS next week!

If it is dino lower phosphates won't help. Stop all nitrate and phosphate removing agents.