Algae growing on snails and hermits.....

[fishyfoofoo]

I have green algae that grows on the hermits and snails.... I have very good water parameters:

SG 1.023
ph 8.2
ammonia 0
nitrate 0

I have also had red slime algae in the past that I handled with red slime remover. It occasionally pops up in small amounts and I treat it again and it goes away. Some of the algae growing on the hermits is even on their body and not just the shell. This algae looks a bit like red slime( it is red but not long and stringy). Also some of the other algae on the shells looks reddish.

Is this red slime algae growing on these animals? I feel bad that I can't even see their shells anymore. The shells used to look nice. This algae covers anything I put in the tank very rapidly. I put in a power head and within a week it was covered in green and reddish algae.

I told the lfs and their only suggestion was to do more water changes, turn the lights off earlier, clean the glass more often, etc... I have tried these things, but they seem to not do a whole lot.

Is their some information I don't know about? I always see tanks where everything looks pristine and it's a struggle for me to get there.

TIA,

Ryan

 

[MT79]

Nuisance algae is a sign of high phosphate most of the time, and nitrate will add to the problem as well. Have you tested for PO4? PO4 accumulates naturally in aquariums. It can be introduced in high levels through water changes if your using tap water, cheap carbon, and/or overfeeding or feeding foods high in PO4 such as flake foods. So more PWC's may make the problem worse. Very small amounts can cause havoc w/ algae outbreaks. Ideally PO4 should be .03 ppm or less in reef to avoid problems. Test your tank and water source for PO4, and post your numbers. Do you use RO/DI water?
In the meantime, manual removal is about the best option to get it under control at the moment. You can use a turkey baster or some plastic airline to suck it out. Also having good water flow, reducing feedings and rinsing frozen foods before use to remove excess PO4, and reducing the photoperiod or shutting the lights completely for a few days will help to get rid of what you have. Then you can make steps to prevent it from coming back in the future. Red slime remover is a band-aid approach to the issue. It will only make it worse by causing the algae to become resistent to future treatments.

 

[fishyfoofoo]

No I have not done a phosphate test. Maybe I am overfeeding... I usually give a pinch of flake food and a half a cube of frozen mysid (mysid is mostly for my anemone) every day. I also give a bit of algae on a clip (for my blue tang) every other day. If this is too much feeding, what should I do instead?

As for my water, I have a water softener and an RO unit.

How long should I go with the lights off? Should I also turn off my moon light? Will this harm my anemone?

 

[melosu58]

I agree with Mike that most likely phosphates are the cause. Phosphates have been known to be in the frozen food. It would be a good idea to rinse your frozen out with RO/DI water before you feed. HTH

 

[roka64]

I had very similar problems. I kept up with PWCs, RO/DI water, less light and less feeding. Now I run purigen and phosban and have had great results. I am on well water with a softener. Sometimes if you tried everything, you just need a little extra help.....

 

[fishyfoofoo]

What is purigen and phosban?

And I still need an answer to my post above.... sorry to be pushy, I just need to know... hehe.

 

[roka64]

Here is a little info on Purigen http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1 and Phosban and Phosban Reactor http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produ...n&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=All&Nty=1&pc=1.
To answer your questions above, I have not experienced cyano growing on motile creatures. have seen coraline grow on shells.

 

[MT79]

I usually give a pinch of flake food

Flake food is notoriously high in PO4. It can be pretty messy too.

and a half a cube of frozen mysid (mysid is mostly for my anemone) every day.

If you have the proper lighting for the anemone target feedings are not necessary everyday, or even at all. As long as you have fish in the tank w/ the anemone along w/ proper lighting, it will get all the food it needs. You can feed occasionally to be sure the anemone is getting enough, say every couple weeks. Beware, over feeding will kill an anemone.

If this is too much feeding, what should I do instead?

I would suggest cutting back feedings at least temporarily until you get the algae under control. Otherwise your fueling the problem. Every 2-3 days is ok, while still adding a small piece of algae sheet daily for the tang(more or less depending on it's size). I would also avoid flake food and use frozen food or fresh seafood rinsed in RO.

No I have not done a phosphate test.

You need to find the source of the algae first (more than likely it is high PO4). Buy a PO4 test or have a LFS test your tank water and the source water you use for making SW and replacing evaporation. If your source water is high in PO4, you will be constantly battling algae outbreaks and burning through media -Phosban, Rowaphos, etc- which is not cheap to begin with. Adding a DI chamber to your RO unit is about the only option in this case. RO membranes do nothing for removing PO4. Let us know what your tank/source water PO4 levels are and we can go from there. HTH

 

[fishyfoofoo]

Thank you so much for your advice. I will use it wisely. I love this site!!!!