What's this algae?

[Just John]

Looks like short hair algae and grows amazingly fast. Makes the sand clump. I cleaned the gravel last night, but some will still be in there. This is about 8 hours worth of growth on the sand under blue light - have not had on the whites for a couple of days. The rock in the second picture was cleaned by a Mexican turbo snail this morning. Phosphate had been high a couple of weeks ago and I think that's why it originally started it to take off.

pH - 8.1
Phos - 0.03
Nit - 11
Alk - 8
Sal - 1.026

 

[Glenner’sreef]

Doesn’t look too dangerous! I’d do 3 things. Check your lighting schedule. Bump it down a couple of hours a day. As long as your corals don’t suffer. There’s a balance there somewhere. Make sure window light, diffused or direct isn’t a problem. Vacuum your sandbed in and around your rics, zoas and rhodactis. And bump up water movement if needed.

 

[Just John]

Doesn’t look too dangerous! I’d do 3 things. Check your lighting schedule. Bump it down a couple of hours a day. As long as your corals don’t suffer. There’s a balance there somewhere. Make sure window light, diffused or direct isn’t a problem. Vacuum your sandbed in and around your rics, zoas and rhodactis. And bump up water movement if needed.

Not worried about being dangerous so much as it covering every inch of the tank. I am going to remove the sand tonight and give it a good freshwater rinse. Not concerned about the effects on the bacteria because there are no fish.

 

[Just John]

bump

 

[vetteguy53081]

Looks like short hair algae and grows amazingly fast. Makes the sand clump. I cleaned the gravel last night, but some will still be in there. This is about 8 hours worth of growth on the sand under blue light - have not had on the whites for a couple of days. The rock in the second picture was cleaned by a Mexican turbo snail this morning. Phosphate had been high a couple of weeks ago and I think that's why it originally started it to take off.

pH - 8.1
Phos - 0.03
Nit - 11
Alk - 8
Sal - 1.026

Its hair algae and a little cyano bacteria. Some cleaners to help with this is :
Snails: Astrea, nassariuus, margarita, trochus, cerith and nerite

Is this tank by chance at or near a window?

 

[Just John]

Its hair algae and a little cyano bacteria. Some cleaners to help with this is :
Snails: Astrea, nassariuus, margarita, trochus, cerith and nerite

Is this tank by chance at or near a window?

No window. Ironically, it started because there was absolutely no algae in the tank and I had to put in some dried seaweed every couple of days for a week to feed my overgrown snail until I could trade it in and the phosphates shot up. I have some cerith snails, but even it I clean the sand in the morning, it's back by the afternoon. Of the snails you mentioned, I will research which is the best to eat algae on sand. The rocks are OK thanks to Mexican Turbos.