It's back!!!

[Pvtgloss]

The tank is a e170. So like 34g display. I'm battling this algae issue. It got pretty bad in the past. A few months ago I had to replace the tank, so I figured it would be a good time to rip clean everything.
I spent a couple of hours on each rock. Scrubbing, scraping with picks, brushing, and a dropper with H202. New sand that I rinsed for hours upon hours.
I added 20 hermit crabs, 10 ceriths, 10 trochus and 5 margarita snails. I have 25 astrea snails but they are so I'm qt right now.
I've been carbon dosing with TM products.
The algae slowly started coming back. So I added a baby Yellow tang, about the size of a half dollar. I'm going to trade him in at my lfs in a few months. But he has no intrest in grazing. No intrest in nori either.
I cut the food down so much that I feel like I'm starving them.
I don't know what else I can do to keep it from getting worst. I'm not even worried about eliminating it. If I could just keep it down.
N02-10
P03-.05
My lights are on for 5 1/2 hours and ramps down for another 2 hours. So a total of 7 1/2 hours.
The intensity of the lights at the highest rock is 200ish par. The Bottom of the rocks 100ish par. But the top rock work barely has any algae. It's all in the bottom of the tank. There's plenty of flow. There's the sump return and the aio chamber return on the back wall. A maxspect 2k gyre and a nero 5 on the side glass.
I'm open to any and all suggestion.
Thanks guys

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Can we see a full tank pic, those look like little tufts of hair algae. Lets see the whole thing please.

Please don't starve your fish, that has nothing to do with it. Feed less food at one time so less is wasted and rots, but feed more often, 2-3-4 times a day.

The lights has nothing to do with it either. I have MH lights on 10 hours a day and I feed 4 or 5 times a day, I have no algae.

How old is the tank? How often you do water changes? Do you have a skimmer? Do you use rodi water? What kind of food do you feed?

Really should send that tang back, the tank is too small. If it gets stressed out and catches disease, it will wipe our your fish and then you have to leave the tank fishless for 2 months. You bought it to eat algae and its not eating algae, send it back.

 

[Pvtgloss]

Tank is 23 months old.

The entire system is 55gal. I do a 10gal WC every week. May not do one this week. I like n03 10ppm and p04 .05 ppm. But I may do a 5gal just to keep coral qt fresh.
I do use RODI. 0 TDS
Reef Octopus 110sss skimmer
No refugium. I took that offline when I did the tank transfer/rip clean.
I was feeding only PE mysis and San Francisco Bay frozen. Few weeks ago I started switching to to dki pellets and CSPro flakes.
The baby tang seems happy enough but if he don't eat algae it's not worth the bioload. I was hoping I could get a baby tang and just switch it out every 2 months.

Edit: in the picture I've started picking out some algae.

 

[ryanjohn1]

You have a couple small tufts of algae. Remember the things our coral thrives on is the same thing ugly algae’s do as well

 

[Red_Beard]

Let it grow, let it grooooow

Really though, couple turbos, let the tufts grow a bit more, pluck the chunks, throw a snail on the bare spot. Brush what they miss the next day.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Wow that’s a nice tank. I feel I was in a similar situation as you a while ago. My answer then and suggestion now is add more coral to those rocky spots. Adding more will add more biodiversity and shade more rock which is less space for algae to grow.

 

[esquare]

Wow that’s a nice tank. I feel I was in a similar situation as you a while ago. My answer then and suggestion now is add more coral to those rocky spots. Adding more will add more biodiversity and shade more rock which is less space for algae to grow.

Along the thought of biodiversity, maybe adding some bacteria in a bottle from different manufactures would help. Also, some pods.

It's a balancing act since, as previously stated, the bad stuff thrives on the same stuff the good stuff does.

 

[GSPClown94]

It would probably help to identify the exact type of algae you’re currently dealing with so you can use that information to develop a management or eradication plan. It’s hard to tell just from the pictures but it looks like some species of Caldophora maybe? If you’re able to get some in focus close up pictures or better yet magnified images with a microscope that would really help with identification.

 

[Pvtgloss]

Wow that’s a nice tank. I feel I was in a similar situation as you a while ago. My answer then and suggestion now is add more coral to those rocky spots. Adding more will add more biodiversity and shade more rock which is less space for algae to grow.

Thanks man. I have a few corals in qt right now and an order from topshelf coming in. I think me and Mr Tang will take a drive to the lfs tomorrow, lol.

 

[Pvtgloss]

Along the thought of biodiversity, maybe adding some bacteria in a bottle from different manufactures would help. Also, some pods.

It's a balancing act since, as previously stated, the bad stuff thrives on the same stuff the good stuff does.

Have you ever used Brightwell Razor? I've been tossing around the idea.
I figured I destroyed my pod population when I rip cleaned so I added a ridiculous amount of pods. Dinkins had a sale. I think I added 1/2 gal and a 32oz bottles,lol. Then I threw the other 32 oz in a deskmate. Lol.

 

[Pvtgloss]

It would probably help to identify the exact type of algae you’re currently dealing with so you can use that information to develop a management or eradication plan. It’s hard to tell just from the pictures but it looks like some species of Caldophora maybe? If you’re able to get some in focus close up pictures or better yet magnified images with a microscope that would really help with identification.

I have a 1200x, 600x, and 300x microscope. Will that be efficient enough? I can get you some pics here in a few.

 

[esquare]

Have you ever used Brightwell Razor? I've been tossing around the idea.
I figured I destroyed my pod population when I rip cleaned so I added a ridiculous amount of pods. Dinkins had a sale. I think I added 1/2 gal and a 32oz bottles,lol. Then I threw the other 32 oz in a deskmate. Lol.

I have no experience with Razor. There has to be a fish you can add that's appropriate for that size tank that can help. May you can ask in the fish forum.

 

[esquare]

Maybe an Algae Blenny

 

[Pvtgloss]

Maybe an Algae Blenny

Like lawnmower blenny? I bought one before the rip clean. Didn't touch any algae. Then I did some research. Apparently, contrary to their name, they don't even eat algae. Atleast not part of their staple diet. They just go around scrapping calcium and micro fauna off of rocks. His stomach started pinching in so him and I took a drive to the lfs .

 

[esquare]

Like lawnmower blenny? I bought one before the rip clean. Didn't touch any algae. Then I did some research. Apparently, contrary to their name, they don't even eat algae. Atleast not part of their staple diet. They just go around scrapping calcium and micro fauna off of rocks. His stomach started pinching in so him and I took a drive to the lfs .

Wow, I thought they ate algae. How about a tuxedo urchin?

 

[GSPClown94]

I have a 1200x, 600x, and 300x microscope. Will that be efficient enough? I can get you some pics here in a few.

Awesome! Yeah, 300x should work. If yours has lower magnification that would also be helpful to get some 40x or 100x images too.

 

[Pvtgloss]

Wow, I thought they ate algae. How about a tuxedo urchin

I might try that tomorrow. Swap out the tang for an urchin and a test kit or something.

 

[Pvtgloss]

Awesome! Yeah, 300x should work. If yours has lower magnification that would also be helpful to get some 40x or 100x images too.

Here's 300x. Kind of a bad picture. I'll try to take another one.

Here's 600x

And here's 1200x

Edit: I think those are both 600x

 

[Pvtgloss]

Awesome! Yeah, 300x should work. If yours has lower magnification that would also be helpful to get some 40x or 100x images too.

Here's another 300x

 

[GSPClown94]

Here's 300x. Kind of a bad picture. I'll try to take another one.

Here's 600x

And here's 1200x

Edit: I think those are both 600x

Thanks! it looks more like Derbesia under the microscope but still hard to see. I know getting good pictures through the lens of a microscope can be hard. If you are able to see any sporangia(raindrop looking things like in this thread) attached to the filaments that might help narrow it down.