Do I have Iron in my tank or some for of algae?

[TeenReefer]

I have noticed some redish green stuff covering my (not live) but coral rocks in my FO & invert aquarium. I dont know if this is iron from my water of some form of algae. If it is Iron how can i cure it? I saw another article on "how to get rid of the red stuff", but it didnt really help. Could this be due to any over feeding or amount of light? Thanks,

TeenReefer

29 gallon FO tank
2 Percs
1 blue chromis
1 blue starfish
hermits & snails

 

[steve-s]

I have noticed some redish green stuff covering my (not live) but coral rocks in my FO & invert aquarium.

Can you post a clear pic of the algae, it will help to identify what you are refering to?

I dont know if this is iron from my water of some form of algae. If it is Iron how can i cure it?

Iron can definately fuel algae and is in fact an additive some use to increase growth rates for refugiums. Not something I would typically recommend though. As noted in >>this post<<, if the source water your using is contaminated with metals, phosphates or other nutrients, nothing you can do will solve the problem except for finding an alternate water source. A >>reverse osmosis<< system would be the easiest and cheapest route by far buy you can also buy RO water from a local grocers easily enough. It's not really costly as it is time consuming and labourious (<word?).

I saw another article on "how to get rid of the red stuff", but it didnt really help. Could this be due to any over feeding or amount of light?

Yes overfeeding and old lights can be a factor but are not the main contributor to most algae issues. Water impurities such as phosphates, silicates and metals are the biggest sources for nuisance algaes. Typically once they can be eliminated, the algae will crash on it's own. I would start by taking a water sample to you LFS and test for PO4 and if they have the kits for the iron and silicates as well.

Cheers
Steve

 

[diverdown69]

Yep. You can go to the local grocer and get RO water by the gallon on the cheap. Make sure you read the label as that will tell you what processes are used in the purification of the water. The stuff I buy says it is processed using RO, ozonation, and ultra-filtration. I test it for chlorinity before I even think about putting it in my tank. I know it shouldn't have any chlorides in it, but I still test it as a precaution. I don't use the well water from my tap because of the VERY high H2S and iron content. We don't even drink that water...I certainly wouldn't put it in my tank.

 

[TeenReefer]

Thanks for the help! Will try to post a decent picture in a while.

TeenReefer

 

[TeenReefer]

Thanks for the help! Will try to post a decent picture in a while.

TeenReefer