What are the Blankets of algea

[Cjazinski]

Hello all
i have a 20 gal tank, and i'm getting sheets of algea. looks black. I've been trying to remove it as much as possible when i do a water exchange. Is this bad? How can i get rid of it. i have 2 blue hermits, and 2 turbo snails. They don't seem to be cleaning all the algea quick enough. I have a Biocanaster type pump. Has power head, and carben and a sponge looking thing. i've cleaned these when i do water exchanages as well. But still nothing. Thanks.

 

[Cjazinski]

one other thing, i have a work in the middle I've been taking it out and running it under hot water to get all the algea off the rock. is that a bad idea? thanks.

 

[cmor1701d]

Sounds like cyano. Have checked yoru tank and water source for PO4 (phosphates)?

Adding water flow can also help. Do a search on this forum for cyano and you should find quite a few suggestions.

 

[Cjazinski]

I don't have a Phosphate tester. it's not included in the one i have. Thanks i'll look it up.

 

[quarryshark]

Here is my standard troubleshoot/solution post for this common, but curable problem.

1. Do you use RO water? If not your should make the switch and work on doing some water changes. If you already use RO water, test your source water. You may need to add a deionizer to it. This is the most important step.
2. Siphon as much of it as you can. Breaking it up only helps it to spread. You need to do this as frequently as possible.
3. Review your feeding habit. Are you overfeeding? Do the fish eat what you put in at feeding time within a few minutes, or is there food lying around the bottom after? Also, if you use frozen, make sure to drain the as much of the packing juice as you can before adding.
4. Do you have adequate water movement? Any dead spaces in the tank? Cyno has a harder time setting up in a system with brisk water movement.
5.Do you have a skimmer? If so, is it producing daily amount of dark thick "skimmage'? Adding or upgrading a skimmer may help.
You can also run a PO4 sponge which will help, but you need to address the other underlying causes.
These are few of the key things that feed a cyno outbreak.

 

[quarryshark]

one other thing, i have a work in the middle I've been taking it out and running it under hot water to get all the algea off the rock. is that a bad idea? thanks.

If your refering to live rock, this is a very bad idea. I can/will kill your live rock.
Use the above guidelines and the problem will fix itself.

 

[Cjazinski]

Thanks for the help!

 

[RocketSeason]

yeah, don't ever take your LR out of the tank unless absolutely nessicary.

 

[Berzer]

Maybe i shouldnt be doing this but i've always been told and used a very very small dosage of maracyn. Killed it dead in a few days. It will come back though but very slowly. I do use tap water with phosguard in my filter as well. Anyone else use maracyn or heard of it?

 

[lando]

Using chemicals should always be your LAST resort. Follow the advice here and see how it goes. PO4 is almost always the issue. Test both your tank and your source water (the water you use for top-offs and changes). Use a high quality RO/DI water and do several 15% water changes. Evaluate your feeding and lighting schedules. Chances are you can cut back on both. If none of the options everyone else has given works for you, try Chemi-Clean by Boyd Enterprises, INC. It will get rid of the algea you have but is not a cure, you still need to find and correct the underlying cause. Good luck...Lando

 

[malkore]

I'm not even sure marycin works for saltwater cyano. I know that freshwater cyanobacteria is indeed a bacteria, so an antibiotic like marycin works as a last ditch effort. but FW tanks are also less sensitive to chemicals (generally speaking), since you don't have all these delicate inverts and live rock, coralline, etc.

 

[quarryshark]

Also Maracyn will do a great job at killing off your biological filter, not a good idea at all.
There are not too many quick fixes with SW, most of them advertised are either to weak to be effective, or may damage something in our delicate systems.
Follow the suggestions in my earlier post, they do work. Just takes a little time to show results.

 

[schoeplein]

Yeah, come to think of it, the ocean is a giant filter, constantly cleansing and recycling itself. Yet there are freshwater puddles of mud can house fish..... *blech*