Pseudo algae overgrowth (48 day old tank. )

[NanoNana]

Just dealt with similar (our tanks are close in age). I think you have algae and cyano. A microscope would be a great investment it’s actually fun to use it. I added chemipure blue to my filtration.
I decreased my lights, took a tooth brush to the rock and siphoned as much as I could, changed my filter floss about every 12 hours, added pods, started feeding live phyto, bought nassarius, cerith, nerite and astrea snails and an orange lipped conch who is worth his weight in gold. I also added a banded serpent star and a fuzzy chiton. My mother (who is 87 and nearly blind) asked me if I had put new rock in the tank today.

 

[Dan_P]

this stuff has no mass. if I try to pull on it, it disintegrates and get stringy and circulates in the tank.

After looking at the closeup pictures AND re-reading your description of it, I am now leaning towards this being a cyanobacteria growth.

 

[Ballyhoo]

yes well, can cyano look like hair algae? i fear you may be correct because of the lack of mass. when i go to grab it, it nearly dissolves. Also, I am now getting hesitant about getting in there and scrubbing and being mechanical . Because when I do that, it frees up all this material in the tank and ends up in the corals. when I don't put my hands in the tank and just leave it alone, the tank seems to fare better.

Any recommendations on microscope that is not too expensive?

thanks all!

 

[NanoNana]

I have this one.

 

[NanoNana]

Oh well

 

[NanoNana]

It won’t take the link.
Check amazon.

 

[Ballyhoo]

It won’t take the link.
Check amazon.

what price range?

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

I fought this same exact stuff a few months ago when I started my tank. After I beat it back, my CUC handles it pretty well now. I get a couple of Tufts on a power head hear and there but I just scrape it off when I need to now.

It defied all logic. I also had some dinos around the same time, and a bit of green cyano. I had no measurable nutrients because the algae was using them all.

 

[NanoNana]

what price range?

Mine was $80. Others here have cheaper ones. I knew I’d use mine for other stuff with my grandkids so spent a little more.

 

[Ballyhoo]

I fought this same exact stuff a few months ago when I started my tank. After I beat it back, my CUC handles it pretty well now. I get a couple of Tufts on a power head hear and there but I just scrape it off when I need to now.

It defied all logic. I also had some dinos around the same time, and a bit of green cyano. I had no measurable nutrients because the algae was using them all.

what is cuc? like chemiclean? nice red fish. i'm not sure what to do. low lights. low feeding. if i feed low, the fish won't excrete etc. so feed high. worst thing is how arrogant i was and i bought SPS and they're toast. I know i just have to wait it out. i should have started with dry rock but i hardly knew better.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

what is cuc? like chemiclean? nice red fish. i'm not sure what to do. low lights. low feeding. if i feed low, the fish won't excrete etc. so feed high. worst thing is how arrogant i was and i bought SPS and they're toast. I know i just have to wait it out. i should have started with dry rock but i hardly knew better.

Clean up crew. Snails crabs etc.

Dry rock wouldn't have helped. But this is a debatable and opinionated topic.

I hate saying this because I strongly advocate for natural remedies to these problems. And please take it as only one hobbyist's opinion. You have lots of experts here who know way more than I, way more. But here it goes:

When algae gets out of control. If I cannot get it back in hand. I break my natural remedy rule and use a 1/4 dose of fluconazol. I really am not saying for you to do this. But it.is an option. Also, I don't know enough to tell you that it's perfectly safe or even what a 1/4 dose is for your system (I don't remember what the dosing amount is).

However, if you are desperate and contemplating quitting. This could give you a foothold on your climb and help you get rolling in the right direction again. There is lots and lots of information about safe dosing of fluconazol here.

And like some of the others recommend, pods and manual removal helps.

 

[Ballyhoo]

quitting is not an option. my fish are happy. everything i've read is around, the first six months or year is the toughest. And I made a decision to buy coral going against the grain. But the fish are fine and I would keep it just for their own sake. But I really do want a nice coral tank.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

quitting is not an option. my fish are happy. everything i've read is around, the first six months or year is the toughest. And I made a decision to buy coral going against the grain. But the fish are fine and I would keep it just for their own sake. But I really do want a nice coral tank.

The first 6 mo to a year or more can be tough. I'm not a patient man. But I had to dig down and find it. Stick with it. You will one day win this war also. It just takes time.

 

[Ballyhoo]

it's interesting, the chemistry here is so much more favorable towards Fowler tank than having a coral tank but . I guess coral are more sensitive.