What is this growing on the glass ?

[David osborne]

Hi can any one tell me what has corsed this bubble algae to grow on my glass on the tank plz ?

Iv done a small water change at the weekend and was thinking I need to do more asap ?

Is this a sign of phospate creeping up in the system ? Even tho my test kit says it very low

Nitrate is well under 1ppm and probs only about 0.50ppm

 

[Kremis]

you sure those arent just air bubbles?

 

[David osborne]

Oh could be lol !

When I change my filter sock the skimmer goes nuts and I have to slow down the flow in the sump for a few hours till the skimmer has settled again !

 

[Kmore1219]

They definitely look like they could just be air bubble which is a great alternative to some possibilities that it could be!

 

[David osborne]

Thanks coz I was getting worried that I had a phosphte issues and I don't have a decent po4 test kit ! Only a salifert which is ok but not a Hanna checker standard !

I need to pick one up for phosphte just to be on the safe side

 

[David osborne]

I think its bubble algae , if it is what is the best thing to do ?

Water changes ?
Nopox ? My system don't like this
Better skimmer?
Algae reactor?
Refuge?

 

[Kmore1219]

Have you tried to scrape it off the glass? If it just pops and rises to the top it is most definitely an air bubble. How old is the tank? It doesn't look like bubble algae to me.

 

[Cae]

I have had my algae pearling like freshwater plants do when they are in the best environment . It looks like the same thing. Don't panic, touch one and see if it floats to the surface. If it's hard to pop or move then it's probably bubble algae.

 

[David osborne]

The system is only 2 months old but if used live rock from my old tank that I used nopox in for 2 years and the rock was crystal clear,

Iv not done any water changes since start the tank and thats because I have not had any high readings of po4 or no3
They always stay near ULNS leaves and iv been feeding my fish really hevily just to keep traces in the water !

I think I will buy a nice big salt tub at the weekend and do some decent water changes over the next few months and see if I can get this tank looking crystal clean

Shopping list will be

1 red sea blue bucket
1 gobi for the sand cleaning duties
10 turbo snails

 

[David osborne]

I got a sneaky feeling its a build up from pellets that iv used to feed the fish ? I normall use frozen but since I bought my happy little tang iv add pellets hear and there and I bet it's that

 

[David osborne]

Plus I'm running my ATI sun power on 100% which all added up

 

[David osborne]

Thanks for the advice and I will see if it floats in the morning

 

[Cae]

It looks like brown diatom algae on your back glass , that's normal in a new tank. The algae can produce oxygen bubbles if it's happy and healthy (environment must be good ). If it was me I wouldn't worry too much. At least your system seems healthy. Be happy not frustrated and things should work out!(yeah right)

 

[David osborne]

I took a scraper side from my flip magnet and scrapped some of the bubbles of the glass And the bubbles floated to the top of the water line and out the 40mm drain !

So I'm happy now knowing it' not the dreaded nuisance bubble algae ,

Thanks for every ones replys and advice ✌

 

[Cnidoblast]

Diatoms!!

 

[Wurst]

Oh could be lol !

When I change my filter sock the skimmer goes nuts and I have to slow down the flow in the sump for a few hours till the skimmer has settled again !

Try rinsing the sock in water next time you change it. That helped make my skimmer not react poorly.

 

[Samina]

I had the same issue on my back tankwall and after about 2 weeks , I realized it was dinos. Hopefully yours are just from diatoms. I would blow the little bubbles away with a blaster and they would rise and pop. But they would re-emerge later. So needless to say, I’m knee deep in a battle with dinos at the moment [emoji20]

 

[David osborne]

Hi and thanks for the reply, yes I do rinse the filter sock in rodi water for about 10 mins before i replace it ! , I'm thinking of doing away with the filter sock altogether and using filter wool that can be thrown away and replaced easy every time, all i will need to do is make a little modification with some egg create in my sump to hold the filter wool

 

[David osborne]

So Saturday night was spent cleanclaening the back of the glass of my tank and I'm really happy with how it looks
Has any one got any tips on keeping a tank looking sharp and new ?
I went out and picked a few turbo snails to get the rocks looks clean and a sand shifting star fish for the sand bed

I already had 4 red leg hermits for clean up but What other clean up crew is recommended for a mixed Lps and sps reef tank ? ,

And can I put a blue star fish in the system for a splash of color ? Or are they not reef safe ?

 

[David osborne]

How do I get these rocks clean again ?