Some sort of algae?

[kdogg85]

On the front of my tank(the sandbed and rocks only), there is somesort of algae growing it is hot pink with a slight purple tint. The stuff on the sand comes of like dust(maybe diatoms, I don't know), but what's on the rocks doesn't scratch or suck off

 

[cmor1701d]

The rocks have coralline algae which is a good thing. The sand looks like cyanobacteria (I may be wrong) which is not. It is also called red slime algae and usually grows in sheets starting as patches. Yours looks more dust like so it may just be diatoms (normally brown).


How many gallons is the tank?
How long has it been up and running (since being cycled)?
What type of filtrations are you using (Live Rock, canister or HOB filter, etc.)?
Describe the lighting units (type bulbs, total wattage, and age of the bulbs)
What are the current water parameters? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, salinity, temp, calcium and alkalinity. Please post numbers of results.
What are the current tank inhabitants?

 

[jimv8673]

algae

Looks like some sort of Cyano to me, but if it wont scrub off the rock, it has to be coraline

 

[melosu58]

We have an excellent article on cyano in our SW articles section.

 

[kdogg85]

The water params are ammo-0, nitrite-0, nitrate-10,calc-425, phos-0, dkh-8. What I have seen on cyano is it starts out in patches, and looks like a solid sheet, this stuff is like dust. I went through diatom bloom and it's went away. I'll put one of my turbos on it and see if he eats it.

 

[kdogg85]

This stuff is starting to spread, it's as heavy as the sand, but it's not taking sheet form. I've looked all over the net for info on what it may be and cannot find anything. If it is cyano, does it usually start out like dust and then turn into a sheet. But what's weird is it's just at the front of the tank and not in the back. I don't get it. Here's a few more pics, if you look close, you can see it's not on the glass or in the back of the tank.

 

[Mitchell0605]

Is there anything falling off your rocks? Sounds ridiculous but you never know.

 

[ccCapt]

Definitely cyano. Pretty common in new setups due to excessive nutrients. Are you running a protein skimmer? Running any carbon (GAC)? Any GFO for phosphate control?

What kind of sand did you use?

 

[kdogg85]

The stuff does not blow or scratch off the rocks. Running a octopus 300f skimmer, no carbon, no phosban. I just changed out water and tested before and after change. No params really changed except calcium went from 400 to 440. Other than that, none of the other params changed. My nitrate is at 10 or less, and my phosphate is at 0. If this is cyano, does it start out like dust particles and then merge into a sheet, or does it start out as a sheet. I used southdown playsand from home depot.

 

[ccCapt]

Trust me...that's cyano on the sand. Just looking at the pics you can see how fast it's spreading. Well it will also get thicker and form a sheet. The bottom line is you have excessive nutrients in the tank and that's fueling the cyano. Run some GFO and GAC. What kind of water do you use for water changes and top offs?

How long ago did you buy that sand? Southdown hasn't been available for about 5 years.

 

[kdogg85]

Got the sand about 6 months ago. That's what it said on the bag was southdown playsand. Well since it's cyano then, what would be a good way to erradicate it. The api reef master kit I have is less than 4 months old(called api and verified the manufacture date) it shows zero on the color chart. Would only turning on the lights for 2 hours every other day just to feed and then leaving them off the rest of the time do the trick. The room the tank is in gets no light other than the ceiling fan light and it may be on an hour or so a day. I use ro/di for changes and top offs. I use IO salt mix(test before adding to tank)

 

[Mitchell0605]

Thats a great start. Cutting down light time and feeding will help starve it of the nutrients it needs to live. Keep using that RO water, it's great stuff.

 

[ccCapt]

Got the sand about 6 months ago. That's what it said on the bag was southdown playsand.

Can you take a pic of the bag? Or have a link to what you bought?
Anyway...

Turning the lights down will slow it down, but as soon as you turn them back up...guess what happens? You need to remove the excessive nutrients from your tank. Do you have a skimmer, and if so, what kind? You need to get a reactor and run GFO and GAC. Something like this reactor is nice and you can run both in it. Also do 20% water changes every week and you will get things under control. Nothing happens fast in a reef...except bad things.

 

[kdogg85]

Well, I would get a pic, but the 2 bags are somewhere in a landfill. I've had the tank running since January 3rd. I have a 300f octopus skimmer. I have an emperor 400 filter, could I replace the filters with some chaeto and a cf light or is the filter too small to pull that off. When the tank was cycling, I never had the lights on more than 10 min a day and even when I had my fish in qt, it was never on more than 10 min a day. I just now started turning them on for 7-8 hrs a day and here comes this stuff.

 

[ccCapt]

I never had the lights on more than 10 min a day and even when I had my fish in qt, it was never on more than 10 min a day. I just now started turning them on for 7-8 hrs a day and here comes this stuff.

Sounds about right. Algae needs 3 things to live. Food, light and water. You didn't provide the light, so it didn't thrive. Now you are providing the light, so it's thriving. You need to remove the food....excessive nutrients.

 

[kdogg85]

Will do. I'll start feeding every other day from now on. I have a firefish and a mccosker's wrasse as well as 4 skunk shrimp and snails. Roughly how much should i feed them. I use flake food and have brine shrimp as a once a week snack. Could I pull off the chaeto in the emperor or would it be a disaster.

 

[kdogg85]

Here's a one day update, the tracks my vacuum made in the sand have not showed any signs of recovering nor has the 2 inch patch I left as a test patch spread any more. Now I'm no bacteria biologist, but shouldn't some of it have spread or at least show signs of recovery(took measurement with micrometer yesterday and today). This has been a 24hr period with less than 1 hour of light in the room.

 

[kdogg85]

Ok the last visible signs of the cyano or pink lookin' dust have disappeared. Now the diatoms are back, not as bad but back nontheless. I scored a 30 gallon long tank and made a refugium out of it. I'm thinkin my nas snails have been churnin the sand more and deeper than I thought. I figure a few more weeks of no lights and I'll be golden as far as the cyano goes anyway. All tests on the reef master kit are showing zero except nitrate which is at 10 or less. I removed the emperor and placed a couple powerheads in it's place and am using the fuge with a big mat of chaeto for a filter. Have a fine sock on the intake to catch debris. After the new 180 gets done cycling, I'll move everyone. I'm trying something I haven't heard of. I'm trying to go through the diatoms and other aquatic pains before I put any livestock in so I don't have to go through this again. It sucks having the lights off all the time and not enjoying the tank.

 

[cmor1701d]

Nitrate at <20 is not bad. Clean the sump sock every few days or that can turn into a nitrate factory too.. Sounds like the tank is getting there.

Larry, I just got 2 bags of Southdown from a guy in Brooklyn, and just found out a reefer around the corner from me has some bags he's been hoarding for years. I was planning on doing the same, but had no room to keep them. He might have some left. Need some? He was asking $20/bag!

 

[kdogg85]

Been cleaning the rubble every two days. I have it wraped in very fine plastic mesh just for that reason. I'll clean off the mesh. The chaeto ball I have takes up half the sump so I don't want to remove too much.