Maroon string-like Algae taking over rock
- Thread starter KSum89
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Ive had that before, but it went away so I never looked into it. I hope someon else can help.
Troylee
all about the diy!!!!!
cyano bacteria yeah its bad.... i would siphon it out and get some more flow in that area.... also means you have a nutrient issue :sad:
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KSum89
Community Member
Aroud 4 months Old.
Variety of Clean up crew.. Snails crabs. 2 shrimp 1 peppermint 1 cleaner. 2 perc clowns, 1 six line wrasse and a randalls goby. Im feeding flakes every other day that i dont fedd new life pellets. I feed some frozen food every other day.. Mysis and cytopleeze.
Could it be my lights are going bad - 4 bulb nova current
0 ammonia and 5ppm nitrates
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KSum89
Community Member
Heres my tank, should i position the powerheads differently? I have them crrating movement at the top. I plan on removing the mechanical filter now that my skimmer is broken in and pulling on some junk.
Theres also a bta in here too.
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Do you have a phosphate test kit? That might be the cause. If your bulbs are only 4 months old, they last a year btw. It looks like you have penguin bio wheel filters by the intakes, do you have a protein skimmer?
Troylee
all about the diy!!!!!
I would move the power heads down make them about center on the sides... You want them to stir up stuff and keep it in the water colum so the skimmer can do it's job... Just make sure they don't blow your sand around..
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KSum89
Community Member
Yes i have a nac 3.5 bubble magus in my sump. I may be removing it tommorow. I just bought a phosphate test kit i will do that sometime soon when i finish cleaning. Im just afraid if i move the powerheads lower my anemone will get into a accident.
Oh and i just recently bought the light fixture from someone on my club here. They werent sure how long the bulbs were used for either.
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Oh and i just recently bought the light fixture from someone on my club here. They werent sure how long the bulbs were used for either.
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Oh I see the overflow now. I would use that test kit asap.
Well cyanobacteria is common in a tank that is relatively new. Also for 4 months old that is allot of livestock.
You do not need a phosphate test kit. They only measure one type of phosphate anyway (ortho) so you never really know how much you got.. Most retail ones do not measure low enough and you need a really good one like merck or hach to be any good anyway. Anyway you have algae issue, you have a phosphate problem.
It look like you may have used base rock or dead rock and this is also common on them for a while during the first few months. They need longer to cycle because of lack of bacteria, cyno will be the first to coat a rock. It eventually goes away.
You have bta in a 4 month old tank…
Again you are moving to fast and not allowing you biological filter to catch up.
Dave Polzin
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KSum89
Community Member
Yeah i heard wait at least 8 months for tank to age. But a trusted, very trusted lfs told me i should be okay. (i know most salesman would sell you anything to make the money and let you be) He even told me i can return it if any problems rise. Hes trusted in the mtrc so i listened ans bought it. Its a 55 gallon tank
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Well 4 fish in a 55 aint to bad but a little fast... Clean up crew is good. Was it dry rock used because that takes longer to cycle.
Still to soon for a anemone but btas are extreemly hardy.
Dave Polzin
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KSum89
Community Member
Thanks for all your help everyone. Im going to try to siphon some out and hope it goes away on its on. Also im going to move the powerheass down. Its mainly on the peice of live rock i bout from my lfs. And spreading all over my now live rock, which was dry base. By moving the powerheads down i will still have water oxygenated right? I want to remove the bio wheel filter tommorow.
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That explains it. Dry rock will take longer to cycle because they lack the proper bacteria, but you don’t have a normal cycle either because there is no die off so you do not get a ammonia and nitrate spike. You just need to add stuff very slowly to the tank and allow the bacteria population to grow based on the amount of waist add to the tank.
Dry rock usually first gets coated in diatoms and then cyano. Eventually other forms of bacteria and algae will coat the rock.
Dave Polzin.
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KSum89
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So this 4 month cycle is normal? I have the maroon string algae growing and the purple corraline both spreading.
Im feeling bad that this ugly maroon algae is spotting up in alot of places...
I also have diatoms on the sandbed, it was all over the glass about a week ago but u removed it and havent seen too much lately
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Im feeling bad that this ugly maroon algae is spotting up in alot of places...
I also have diatoms on the sandbed, it was all over the glass about a week ago but u removed it and havent seen too much lately
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Dave3112
2500 Club Member
Turn the lights out for 3 days and it will be gone. I have done this when I had it in my tank when it was "young" and it works. I still get a very small patch of it here and there once in a while but I also feed heavily. I even wrapped a blanket around the front and sides of my tank to keep the room light out.
Dave3112
2500 Club Member
It should be. But I don't keep a nem so I can't say for sure. I will say I have never lost a coral doing this ( I have done this to my wifes tank too). I keep mostly SPS and Chalices but I do have clams too and nothing was bothered by it. Just run the lights for 1/2 the time you usually do for a day or two afterwards if you go this route.
