Help ...

nanchil · Jun 22, 2019

Can someone please help me with this Algae ? I am battling with this for more than 6months... My tank is around 18 months old... It is like dark green mat on the surface of the sand ... Its easily removable ( Can be rolled and thrown away) but comeback right away within couple of days ... I have enough water flow ( 2 MP40) 0n 525 XL ... Enough cleanup crews ... I am dosing red sea NOPEX ... Had a out break of BA but it is completely gone now ( Used Vibrant ) .. Hope someone can identify this algae and help me with this. Thanks everyone for your help ... I have attached a pic... I have a small video clip too .... How can I upload the video file here ? Here is the Youtube link ...

My water parameter :

Phosphate - 0 (Salifert)
Nitrate - 0.25 ( Salifert)

nanchil · Jun 22, 2019

More pictures ..

nanchil · Jun 23, 2019

Anyone?

Bryson.bobby · Jun 23, 2019

Looks like some sort of cyano to me

Subsea · Jun 23, 2019

Turn the blue lights down if you want us to identify. Cyno comes in many colors.

PS:
In viewing your video, the thick mat you rolled off your substrate is cyno.

Understand this about cyno, it scavenges it’s nutrients. Nitrogen fixation is a unique property of cynobacteria in which inert nitrogen gas is converted to ammonia then consumed as a source of nitrogen. @Randy Holmes-Farley described a process in which cyno converted inorganic calcium phosphate into organic phosphate.

The mat of cyno you rolled off in the video took more than a few days to grow. I suggest you up your sandbed maintenance.

nanchil · Jun 23, 2019

Thanks for that. I will read more about Cyno. I do 10% water change every other week. The mat in the video is two weeks growth. And I do have lot of nasuri snails and one sand sifting star. Will read more about this and if needed will add more. Thanks again.

Subsea said:
Turn the blue lights down if you want us to identify. Cyno comes in many colors.

PS:
In viewing your video, the thick mat you rolled off your substrate is cyno.

Understand this about cyno, it scavenges it’s nutrients. Nitrogen fixation is a unique property of cynobacteria in which inert nitrogen gas is converted to ammonia then consumed as a source of nitrogen. @Randy Holmes-Farley described a process in which cyno converted inorganic calcium phosphate onto organic phosphate.

The mat of cyno you rolled off in the video took more than a few days to grow. I suggest you up your sandbed maintenance.