This algae is driving me nuts

[rtparty]

Without the scope, you won't know for sure and you could just as easily make the problem worse as you can make it better. You will use the scope many more times and it's only $10. The one I got is red and works like a charm.

If your SPS look pale or light colored, you could certainly be dealing with low nutrients. You will have to test to find out.

Attached is a picture of my dinos:

That's what a $10 scope set on 1200x can produce. It's incredible if you think about. After ID, I knew exactly how to fight my problems.

 

[Docdiggy]

So 1200x or more is sufficient?

 

[rtparty]

So 1200x or more is sufficient?

Yes. The brand on mine is AmScope and is currently $13 on Amazon

 

[Tallison]

Regular IO. It seemed worse with RC so I switched. BRS chemicals.

My LFS stocks rock from others peoples tanks so my guess is it might be that. It could be leaching but just keep doing what you're doing and it should die off with time.+1 on the Hanna checker

 

[fishbox]

How did you collect the sample? The crap on my sand breaks up whenever I try to get some. I can suck it up with a turkey baster but then I get sand too.

 

[djreef]

When was the last time you vacuumed the sandbed? I mean really vacuumed it. All the way down to the glass bottom. It doesn’t look like it’s been disturbed in a while.

DJ

 

[Docdiggy]

When was the last time you vacuumed the sandbed? I mean really vacuumed it. All the way down to the glass bottom. It doesn’t look like it’s been disturbed in a while.

DJ

I vac the sand every week.

 

[djreef]

The surface? Or do you get down in there - all the way to the bottom of the tank? What I mean is do you use a gravel vacuum and suck the crud out of the sand.

 

[Docdiggy]

The surface? Or do you get down in there - all the way to the bottom of the tank?

Just about to the bottom. It's a shallow sand bed. Bout an inch. I pulled my filter sock because after after a couple days I see cyano on the fibers of the sock. I'm gonna go sock less for a bit and see if it changes.

 

[djreef]

OK. The reason why I ask is algae need 2 primary things to survive (and this is true of just about every algae) - nutrients and light. Even though you have a shallow sandbed, these can still hold a tremendous amount of crud. Invest in one of those cheapy little gravel vacs and use it during your next water change and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I’m almost certain you have an unbound nutrient source in both you sand and your rocks that is slowly leaching out feeding the offending organism - as evidenced by where it’s growing. Cyanos and diatoms are so efficient at what they do it’s quite possible they could be scrubbing the nutrients from these two systems (sand/rock) before the actually reach the bulk water - therefore the nutrients don’t show up in the tests.

DJ

 

[Docdiggy]

If you're referring to the soot that comes up through tube, I'm well aware. There are spots that I obviously can't vac, but if I get close to untouched spot it's amazing what comes out.

 

[waxhawreefer]

Exactly, dealing with alittle cyano myself, I think because I’ve been slowly remove my black sand- don’t ever get again, sticks to the magnet, scratches the glass so easy, just monitor ur nitrate/phosphate, I’ll always change my gfo when it doesn’t read 0.0, I use the older Hanna and it’s pretty spot on according to my icp tests, I have some problem areas so even if it reads 0.0, I know I still have phosphate, it’s just consumed by something!