need help to ID algae

[ducki]

Hi,

I have been having this algae for awhile now, just not sure what it is or how to get rid of it.
Nitrate is around 0.2ppm (Salifert) and Phosphate 0.03 ppm (Hanna).

It only grows on rocks, sand bed is clean. Tank has been running for around a year but this algae doesn't seem to go away.

thanks

 

[Flippers4pups]

Hi,

I have been having this algae for awhile now, just not sure what it is or how to get rid of it.
Nitrate is around 0.2ppm (Salifert) and Phosphate 0.03 ppm (Hanna).

It only grows on rocks, sand bed is clean. Tank has been running for around a year but this algae doesn't seem to go away.

thanks

Can you get a close up of it. I suspect it's not a algae.

 

[ducki]

does this help? this is closest I can get with the phone camera. Don't have a better camera...

 

[ducki]

Hrm.. seems like no one is familiar with this?
I need a name to start searching for info..

I’m suspecting its from acid washing rocks and/or bleach. Cause i just restarted tank earlier this year due to marine ich that took out all my fishes so I bleach/acid wash all the rocks for a new start. Never had this stuff before in the past few years on the same rock.

I tried brush it all off about 2-3 months ago, and they slowly come back. It comes off easily. I thought it was diatoms at first, but diatoms can’t last this long or diatoms should cover sandbed too. It covered almost all my sps and killed it all. Only left with 3 sps frags now. Coralline are only growing on areas not covered by this stuff.

I changed my t5 bulbs around July, changed the colour combination abit, not sure if this plays a part.

Theres bits if cyano or reddish stuff similar to cyano on it too. But overall its a yellowish / brown colour.

 

[ducki]

for anyone interested or experience something similar in the future.. I have taken the few rocks effected and put in a bucket with tank water. Scrub off these stuff in the bucket which I am now suspecting it's bacterial? not algae.

once cleaned, rocks goes back in the tank and have stayed clean for over a month. I am not getting these anymore.

 

[Biocube32]

Weird. If it happens again, i would put a sample under a microscope and put a picture online for possible ID help. If you dont have a scope, but have a friendly veterinarian, they may be able to help you out.