Please help identify this algae

[juzik]

Hello reefers. I am very new to reef world, so please don’t blame too hard. I have tank set for 2 months. It has cycled with pure ammonia + bacteria 1 month ago. I used to have distinct brown diatoms bloom, covered all rocks, a little bit on sand. I introduced 2 turbo snails, 2 Trochus snails which were enjoying getting rid of it.
2 weeks ago I spotted this algae. It looks like brownish short fuzzy hair strings, not a film. I see air bubbles coming out of it under the light, so it should be photosynthetic. Air bubbles are not trapped inside it, as I read Dino does. It scrubs pretty easy with tooth brush. What could it be and what should I do with this? I know new tank should go through ugly stages, I just need some guidance here to I identify and possibly treat it.
Another question - some rocks have small pinkish/purple-ish small spots on them. What is it as well? Cyano? I doubt it is coralline algae, right?

Stock: 2 hammers, 2 clowns, Xenia, devils hand, snails, hermits
Parameters:
- total ammonia 0ppm-0.2ppm depending on test kit
- nitrite 0ppm
- nitrate 2-3ppm (dropped from 10ppm+)
- pH 8.2
- alkalinity 7-8
- temperature 78-79
- salinity 35ppt
- phosphates 0.03ppm/undetectable

 

[andrewey]

Congrats on your first post!

The pink/purple could be coraline algae. It usually starts around 2-6 months into a new tank with spots and will gradually spread to the rocks.

As far as the algae is concerned, I think you're on the right track. At this point, I would be inclined to leave it alone and understand it's part of the colonization of the rock. I would just ensure my photoperiod wasn't too long and my nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) weren't too high to fuel algae growth (yours certainly aren't!). Between that and a nice CUC, the algae should go away in time. I've had this same algae and it is usually replaced in time- there are some exceptions to this, but if I were in your shoes, I would wait until I cross that bridge before taking any drastic steps.

While I said to ensure your nutrients weren't too high, just make sure you don't drop them too low as in a new tank, it allows other problems to pop up.

 

[keithfish1]

You should not have ammonia after the cycle. When it comes to any nuisance algae of any kind, you must set up appropriate nutrient export.
We feed all the inhabitants, fish coral etc, and bacteria cannot handle the excess of nutrients.
So a refugium, skimmer or chemical filtration of some kind is the answer. Nuisance algae lives on excess nutrients and light. To get rid of it you must impliment some or all of these methods.
Nitrate and phosphate testing is key along with the big 3, cal mag and alk.
Good Luck

 

[juzik]

Thanks for your replies. My mistake I forgot to mention I have refugium with chaeto, pods and skimmer running, chemipure elite in sump.
My 2 test kits (API, tropic Marin + sea chem badge) show 0 total ammonia, just one (Red Sea) shows 0.2. Anyway 0.2 total ammonia at my pH and temperature corresponds to way low toxic ammonia level which should be harmless - am I right?
I read different posts and articles about this algae, and as Mr. andrewey pointed I should not allow phosphates and nitrates to drop. In my case when phosphates are undetectable and nitrates have dropped to 2-3ppm from 10ppm - should I over feed a little bit, or turn skimmer off/remove chemipure elite? (I don’t get a lot of junk from my skimmer). Or should I just leave it as is? There are way too much materials about these subjects and I am a little bit overwhelmed due to lack of experience, so seeking your expert advice guys.

 

[keithfish1]

Thanks for your replies. My mistake I forgot to mention I have refugium with chaeto, pods and skimmer running, chemipure elite in sump.
My 2 test kits (API, tropic Marin + sea chem badge) show 0 total ammonia, just one (Red Sea) shows 0.2. Anyway 0.2 total ammonia at my pH and temperature corresponds to way low toxic ammonia level which should be harmless - am I right?
I read different posts and articles about this algae, and as Mr. andrewey pointed I should not allow phosphates and nitrates to drop. In my case when phosphates are undetectable and nitrates have dropped to 2-3ppm from 10ppm - should I over feed a little bit, or turn skimmer off/remove chemipure elite? (I don’t get a lot of junk from my skimmer). Or should I just leave it as is? There are way too much materials about these subjects and I am a little bit overwhelmed due to lack of experience, so seeking your expert advice guys.

Over feeding is a waste of money. If you need to add nitrate and phosphate I would recommend using neonitro and neophos from brightwell.
Those rocks will not stay white, as they age they should absolutely start to get a coating to them.
This coating has a name that escapes me but is totally normal. It's the nuisance hair algae and others that need to be addressed with nutrient export. It sounds like you are exporting nutrients just fine. If nitrate and phosphate get too low you could DC chemipure for a while and see if that helps. GFO and phosban can quickly strip phosphate from the water. It's about finding the right balance. Maybe remove a portion of chemical filtration might work too. The fun thing is that you get to experiment and see what works.