any idea what kind of algae this is?

[Everett Adams]

any ideas? or advice

 

[carey]

The red stuff? If you cant really scrape it off it's red coralline. If it comes right off it's probably cyano.

 

[Everett Adams]

I think its cyano can coralline algae be red? some of the algae kind of looks like a fuzzy red or purple ball

 

[carey]

I have some red coralline in my cube. But it's not fuzzy or anything like that. And I can't even chisel it off the rocks. lol

If it's at all stringy, flowy or has some texture it's probably cyano. Now for the fun part, questions...

How often do you feed? What kind of food? How often are your water changes and how much? Lighting schedule and flow in the tank? Cyano comes from excessive nutrients on the water and the best bet to get rid of it is to stop the cause. If you don't have a lot right now i would vacuum out what you can and do some large water changes.

I let mine get out of hand in my biocube about a year ago, I mean it was flowing with the flow like seaweed. lol I used a product called red slime remover. I put it in at night and by morning the cyano was completely gone. Going forward i have adjusted my feeding a bit and it has not returned.

 

[Everett Adams]

I think its feeding lol my wife loves to feed the fish we have been working on doing it every other day now. lighting is from 8-10 hours a day. flow is around 3100 in a 120 gallon tank. do 20 gallon water changes about every week have been slacking a little though been busy at work. Thanks for your help also!

 

[carey]

No problem.

Well we have your culprits then. The feeding and the slacking will do it. LOL

The chemical fixes are quick and easy, but you must follow the instructions. i had no issues with fish and corals using it so I believe it's safe. or you can continue on with watching what you do and see if it dissipates on it's own.

Good luck wither way!

 

[Everett Adams]

I really wish I could get the coralline algae to spread i have a nicely encrusted rock I put in last week hopefully it will help Have been doing with some Kents products for coralline also hopefully that will progress it

 

[Everett Adams]

how often do you think I should feed? I have a yellow tang, 2 clowns, a royal gramma, hammer coral, pulsing xeynia, kenya tree, and some zoas and CUC

 

[carey]

I posted a somewhere a few weeks ago about purple up. I know people give it a bad rap but from experimenting with it with 4 different tanks I think it actually works.

What are you dosing?

 

[Everett Adams]

not dosing anything but kents purple tech. I shoot the dose in every night after the lights go out in the tank

 

[carey]

I think you can get by with every other day for now. I am a super overfeeder so i know it will be tough. You don't have any fish like an anthias that needs multiple meals a day so that should be good. Just keep a clip of seaweed out for the tang. You could also just cut back the feeding amount instead. I soo love feeding my fish, so relaxing and fun so if you don't wanna miss out on that you can shut down the tank flow and feed sparingly daily. You wont' have as much wasted food with no flow and can control who get what.

Just thoughts and opinions

 

[Everett Adams]

Ive been keeping the flow on full force during feeding!! Doh!!!!!

 

[Everett Adams]

The tang has been nipping at algae all the time so that shpuld help atleast i hope , im such a newbie :-(

 

[carey]

I think you are supposed to keep the flow going for feeding, just in your case i think that can help with getting the most out of each feeding amount. I only shut down the flow for feeding in my cube for the mandarin and scooter cause they are too delicate of eaters to eat with flow. LOL

We're all newbies here, I have like a thousand questions go through my mind each day that I don't know lol. I called a toadstool a mushroom in another post. hehe...

 

[Everett Adams]

i just really wish the coralline algae would spread I think i just need to be more patient

 

[Everett Adams]

My tank is about 3 months old if that helps

 

[carey]

Just keep the water changes up as the salt mix will also provide the elements that coralline needs to grow. My 90g has been up for 2-3 months maybe and I have some nice purple growing everywhere. Patience is the key. I also have a 20g rimless with NO coralline anywhere and it's been up longer than the 90g.

 

[Everett Adams]

k Ill keep you updated thank you so much. This forum is lucky to have a member like you

 

[carey]

You make me blush, silly! I'm just a bored person with some time on my hands. LOL I just happen to LOVE aquaria. i can't count the number of times this forum has come through for me, it's such a great community. If only everyone in the world could get along like all of us do......

 

[Everett Adams]

I agree and thanks again