I.D. this algae that is taking over my reef tank! HELP PLEASE!

[Reefer9871]

What is this that is taking over my tank!? These are the best pictures I could get with my son’s microscope. But I figure someone out there might be able to I.D. what it is…. At first I thought dinos or diatoms because they came back worse when I cleaned them and did water changes. After looking at the microscope I was thinking GHA….. I have no idea. I feel like I’ve been in a losing battle since it started. I just want to know what it is so I can make a Plan of Action and get these things under control!

 

[ChiCity]

a regular (non-microscopic) shot
would help immensely…

but my gut tells me you’re dealing with gha or turf

 

[Reefer9871]

a regular (non-microscopic) shot
would help immensely…

but my gut tells me you’re dealing with gha or turf

 

[BostonReefer300]

Looks like hair algae. Does it mostly turn into dust when you scrape it with your finger?

 

[taricha]

What is this that is taking over my tank!? These are the best pictures I could get with my son’s microscope.

The first 4 pics are clearly diatoms. The other pics - not sure.

 

[Reefer9871]

Looks like hair algae. Does it mostly turn into dust when you scrape it with your finger?

Yes it is easily brushed off with a soft toothbrush and easily broken apart. It looks like it congregates near high flow areas

 

[Reefer9871]

The first 4 pics are clearly diatoms. The other pics - not sure.

The pictures are of the same sample. I took some pictures of the big glob of it then I pulled it apart into tiny pieces to try and see the cells better

 

[BostonReefer300]

OK. Sounds like green hair algae on the rocks and some diatoms (primarily on the sand). Diatoms will go away on their own assuming you're using RODI water for your water source and are not introducing silicon into your system some other way. The GHA is a common nuisance. You can read about both in the nuisance algae forum under the "ID" sticky thread. Just follow the advice in there and you'll be fine. Most important: don't panic!

 

[Reefer9871]

OK. Sounds like green hair algae on the rocks and some diatoms (primarily on the sand). Diatoms will go away on their own assuming you're using RODI water for your water source and are not introducing silicon into your system some other way. The GHA is a common nuisance. You can read about both in the nuisance algae forum under the "ID" sticky thread. Just follow the advice in there and you'll be fine. Most important: don't panic!

I got a better microscope and was able to take these pictures. I think you’re right about it being GHA. There’s a few pictures that have a diatom or 2 in it but the bloom is GHA. Thank you for responding and helping me out!

 

[BostonReefer300]

I got a better microscope and was able to take these pictures. I think you’re right about it being GHA. There’s a few pictures that have a diatom or 2 in it but the bloom is GHA. Thank you for responding and helping me out!

Of all the problems to have, that's an easy one! One piece of advice: don't go nuclear and do a bunch of things at once that drop your NO3 and PO4 to zero. If you do that, you're begging for a dino and maybe cyano explosion. Aim for ~ 10 ppm NO3 (although many feel much higher than that is fine) and 0.1 - 0.2 ppm PO4. GHA is also a great reason to buy tangs!