Question about nuisance algae

hatfielj · Jan 2, 2015

SO, unfortunately over the last couple of months my tank has started to grow nuisance algae. There's two types, one is caleurpa. I'm not sure about the other one. But, my question is how do I best deal with this? I tried pulling it out from the start and putting epoxy over the spot where it was growing. That worked in one spot, but it has spread. Its spread a lot and now I can pull bunches of it out every week or so. It just comes back with a vengeance each time. I realize that it may be a nutrient problem so I am planning on doing more frequent water changes and adding carbon and phosban to a bag in the sump. I'm also going to increase my flow by adding a gyre 150. I already run two vortechs so I don't think I have too little flow, but I thought more flow might help anyway.
Please tell me that eventually this stuff will start to fizzle out???
I know you can use Kents Mg, but I'd rather not do that because I don't want to screw up my tank's chemistry. My corals are for the most part pretty happy and healthy, so I don't want to screw that up.

lionfish5740 · Jan 2, 2015

You have a some nutrient in excess --or rather no limiting nutrient that the algae require. Have you tested your water lately? Do you have a fuge where you grow algae on purpose? If the bags in the sump don't have the water directed through them instead of around them, then they can't work efficiently.

ritter6788 · Jan 2, 2015

You'll never get rid of caulerpa once it's in the display, nutrients or not. How big is the tank? Do you have any algae eating fish?

hatfielj · Jan 3, 2015

I have a couple of tangs. I don't have a fuge at the moment. I was thinking of making my frag tank into a dual purpose frag tank/refugium with macro algae. I guess I could add a reactor for the carbon and phosban.

Tank is 40 x 26 x 20