Not sure what this is, brown algae ??

[Johnic]

I’ve been battling dino for over a year and finally over it. I have my nitrates at 16 and phos at .07. The rock has small tuffs of brown what looks like hair algae and the back wall of the overflow which had nice coraline on it is now covered in a pretty stubborn crusty like brown stuff that is actually covering the coraline.

Can some help ID and help tell me what to do to get rid of it.

See pics.

 

[unclejed]

It does appear to be algae. If you can, try and brush some of it and see if it comes off easy. If it does, when you are going to do your next water change, brush off as much as possible to get it free in the water and you will get rid of a lot of it that way.

 

[Johnic]

It does appear to be algae. If you can, try and brush some of it and see if it comes off easy. If it does, when you are going to do your next water change, brush off as much as possible to get it free in the water and you will get rid of a lot of it that way.

Unfortunately, it doesn't come off...very tough. The hair algae doesn't come off.

 

[unclejed]

Well then, we have eliminated that. The hair algae may need an algaecide. The other "hard" stuff could be a form of Coraline.
Excerpt;
Coralline algae are red algae in the order Corallinales. They are characterized by a thallus that is hard because of calcareous deposits contained within the cell walls. The colors of these algae are most typically pink, or some other shade of red, but some species can be purple, yellow, blue, white, or gray-green. Coralline algae play an important role in the ecology of coral reefs. Sea urchins, parrot fish, and limpets and chitons (both mollusks) feed on coralline algae.

 

[Johnic]

Well then, we have eliminated that. The hair algae may need an algaecide. The other "hard" stuff could be a form of Coraline.
Excerpt;
Coralline algae are red algae in the order Corallinales. They are characterized by a thallus that is hard because of calcareous deposits contained within the cell walls. The colors of these algae are most typically pink, or some other shade of red, but some species can be purple, yellow, blue, white, or gray-green. Coralline algae play an important role in the ecology of coral reefs. Sea urchins, parrot fish, and limpets and chitons (both mollusks) feed on coralline algae.

Interesting. I wonder if the brown Coralline and hair algae is brown because of a high level of something ??