Diatoms

[pat8you]

ugg i can't seem to get this under control. I cut back feeding to once a day and there is usually not much left over. And what is left over i think my clean up crew makes short work of. I've done multiple water changes in just a week or two so my water parameters should be bad and i tried to siphon out as much of that algae as i could when i did the changes. But it is back in a day or two. I have those test strips but they are rather inaccurate so i think i'm gonna take a water sample in to get tested. I get my water from the LFS and they use ro/di water to mix it with so i don't think it should be from the water. Here are the stats on the tank

12 gal w/
2x clowns
cleaner shrimp
two small corals
about 17lbs total LR

Lights are on for 8 hours a day.

The rocks and glass are kept clean by my turbo snails and blue leg hermits. The algae is all over my sand bed though. I have 4 nassarius sand snail but they don't seem to be eating it. I'm stumped. Here's pictures. I don't know what else to do. Let me know what you think

[melosu58]

That looks like the start of cyano to me.

Cyanobacteria, AKA Red Slime Algae

[pat8you]

I don't understand where its fueling source is comming from though. I'll siphon it all out and it just comes back in a matter of days. I've been doing probably 15% PWC and reduced feeding.

[Hara]

That is cyano. Having a nano tank, you should really invest in quality test kits and not the strips.

[cmor1701d]

What Mike and Hara said. You need to read the article that Mike linked and get the source under control. You need to get some more flow where it is growing. You can siphon out the areas you see to help get it in line for now. Cut back your feedings to 2x-3x/week. Cut the light period, etc. etc.

[Kurt_Nelson]

Agree that's cyano, and your clean up crew won't do anything about it. When you get the quality test kits, (hopefully sooner than later) be sure to test your LFS's RO/DI water. You may be surprised. Hopefully you won't be, but I wouldn't assume that it's pure water you're starting with.

[pat8you]

Thanks all. i did another PWC today and siphoned out as much of it as i could. I'll cut back on feeding again and maybe turn down the light a bit. Any suggestions for test kits?

[cmor1701d]

I prefer Salifert and LaMotte for NO2, NO3, Ca, Alk, Mg. I use a Pinpoint probe for pH. Almost any test kit for Ammonia.

I need the sharp color contrast these kits provide vs. the subtle shade differeneces of some of the other kits.

[Kurt_Nelson]

Except for nitrate, I find API (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals) kits to be a great value. They're pretty accurate, cheap, and pretty easy to find in local shops. Their nitrate kit though isn't sensitive enough for me though (can't really measure < 10ppm). The Salifert nitrate kit will get you readings down under 0.5ppm.

[pat8you]

I added another pump today to fix my flow issues so hopefully between that and the reduced feedings it will fix the problem. I will keep an eye out for a better test kit. Thanks for the help

[JoshsReef]

cyano can be a problem in many new tanks, it got pretty nasty in my 75 almost out of nowhere about 3 to 4 months in - I was doing water chagnes constantly to the tune of 20% percent a day for a while and I couldnt beat if. This stuff is a little pricey but it works **** near instantly, I highly reccomend it if needed. It didnt hurt anything in my tank and i dosed a little less than what was called for. Marine Aquarium Maintenance: Red Slime Remover

[pat8you]

Well even with the new pump and better flow the stuff still seemings to be growing without any problem. I have added "marine buffer" a few times since i started the tank to maintain my PH. Could this have something in it that would fuel the cyano? I'm just throwing things out there trying to figure out what the source could be. I've cut feedings down to once a day and not much at all. Clown finish it up within 30-40 seconds.

edit: another quick thought. The cyano is only growing in the sand. I don't see it anywhere else. Could there be something leeching out of that sand?

[Kurt_Nelson]

It's an excess nutrient issue, and until you get some hard nitrate/phosphate readings, you really can't be sure what to attack. With two clowns in a 12g, I'm guessing your nitrates are pretty high, which isn't helping matters. And again... you need to test your source water.