Please help, red slime algae or coralline?

[Captain Jack]

Can someone please help me identify this red algae? How do I get rid of it? It seems to be spreading fairly fast and starts out as a mossy looking growth with air bubbles coming out of it, I thought it was healthy at first... there are also tiny little white, or clear/transparent ant looking things crawling around?--I didn't even notice them, until they moved, really weird! Are the little ant looking things bad?

 

[adam finley]

Cyano algae which is kinda bad more of a nuisance, and the ant things are copepods probably which are good. More tank info like your parameters how long you run your lights etc would help us help you more.

 

[racin2438]

Water change, maybe some chemiclean, more flow...I what I would do to start.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yea , looks like cyano.

Seems like it’s prettt healthy well cured live rock.
Some die off is to be expected with bacteria and such. The cyano like that.
It should fade if you have good flow , good source water , and don’t feed too much.

If you have some dr Tim’s or not spira use it for a awhile.

 

[Captain Jack]

Cyano algae which is kinda bad more of a nuisance, and the ant things are copepods probably which are good. More tank info like your parameters how long you run your lights etc would help us help you more.

Thanks! The tank is a little over a year old. I have been really busy with work and haven't tested the parameters recently, because it has looked healthy and I guess I wasn't too worried about them. It is a 125 gallon display tank and I have a 35 gallon sump. I have a large protein skimmer, did it seems like it should be skimming more junk than it is, thinking I need to mess around with the adjustments and see what that does. I will do some parameter testing tomorrow and post the results. I tried growing Cheato in my fuge, with little success, so I went with a couple bio bricks instead. I have a media reactor with, which I run like 1/4 GFO and 3/4 carbon and also place a pouch of GFO in my filter sock, which I should be cleaning more often! I have a 100 Watt UV light on water coming out of fuge. I am in the process of ordering new light bulbs for my T5/metal halide light fixture.

 

[Captain Jack]

Yea , looks like cyano.

Seems like it’s prettt healthy well cured live rock.
Some die off is to be expected with bacteria and such. The cyano like that.
It should fade if you have good flow , good source water , and don’t feed too much.

If you have some dr Tim’s or not spira use it for a awhile.

I don't have any, but am ready to place an order at BRS any day now for new light bulbs and other stuff. BRS in only 2 hours east on me, so I get deliveries the next day. I have a 5 part reverse osmosis water system hooked directly up to my ATO. I live in the the middle of nowhere and have good quality well water, so not chlorides or chlorimines, but am do to replace the filters and in my supply water. I haven't done a water change in about 6 months after hearing mixed reviews on them.

 

[Captain Jack]

Water change, maybe some chemiclean, more flow...I what I would do to start.

For water flow, do you mean more power heads, or faster flowing return water? I have large piping and a large return pump, I have it set on 2 and can go up to 5. I also have a large power head that I took out, because it was too powerful and blew sand all over, but my sand is now more coarse from all the dead snails over the last year...Would you recommend I turn everything up and put a lot of flow on that area?

 

[Captain Jack]

Can someone please help me identify this red algae? How do I get rid of it? It seems to be spreading fairly fast and starts out as a mossy looking growth with air bubbles coming out of it, I thought it was healthy at first... there are also tiny little white, or clear/transparent ant looking things crawling around?--I didn't even notice them, until they moved, really weird! Are the little ant looking things bad?

I have had some corals die lately, but some look really healthy too? The area where the yellow tang is, is from exactly 1 month ago, so you can see how quickly that algae has spread!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

You’ll want to stir stuff up and do some water chemges.

The no water change thing is a neat fad. But it’s actyally complicated. Really for most of us it’s the mainstay of husbandry.

 

[Captain Jack]

That is what I always thought, until BRS stopped doing them and a guy I bought frags from, who had a really impressive tank, said he never did them either. Thanks for taking the time to give your advice, I really appreciate all the help from everyone!

 

[1WildBill]

a guy I bought frags from, who had a really impressive tank, said he never did them either.

that could be where you got the cyano from.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

That is what I always thought, until BRS stopped doing them and a guy I bought frags from, who had a really impressive tank, said he never did them either. Thanks for taking the time to give your advice, I really appreciate all the help from everyone!

lol. Brs sells stuff to “help “ people not do them.

Seems like a lot more work and money to avoid taking out five gallons of water and putting in $.40 of new water back in.