Red Algae

[ericwithac]

Hey All!

Im a Freshwater guy, but my buddy has a 100g SW tank with some great fish and im posting this questions because I want to help solve his algae issue.

He has no live coral, just coral rock. On this rock, and on the substrate as well, red algae forms as a blanket on top of these surfaces.

Just curious if anyone has dealt with this, and what the solution is!

Thanks!

 

[Tmyboy]

Hey Eric-

Im sure people would help you, but I would say that more information is needed to do so.....like

What do you mean by coral rock? Do you mean live rock? Is there any fish in the system? Type, size and how many fish. What type of lighting does he have? How old are his bulbs? What type of flow does he have on this system? What's his water parameters?

Could be dino or cyno, but without knowing more information, it's hard to guess.




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[ericwithac]

Hey Eric-

Im sure people would help you, but I would say that more information is needed to do so.....like

What do you mean by coral rock? Do you mean live rock? Is there any fish in the system? Type, size and how many fish. What type of lighting does he have? How old are his bulbs? What type of flow does he have on this system? What's his water parameters?

Could be dino or cyno, but without knowing more information, it's hard to guess.




Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

Its not live rock I know that. He has a clowfish, a blenny, a sailfin tang and two others that i forget their name. He has two huge lights but i dont know the brand. Sorry im just trying to help him out.

 

[ericwithac]

Hey Eric-

Im sure people would help you, but I would say that more information is needed to do so.....like

What do you mean by coral rock? Do you mean live rock? Is there any fish in the system? Type, size and how many fish. What type of lighting does he have? How old are his bulbs? What type of flow does he have on this system? What's his water parameters?

Could be dino or cyno, but without knowing more information, it's hard to guess.




Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

You actually solved my issue. After googling pics of both of them, its certainly cyno algae

 

[Ingy]

It certainly sounds like cyano. That is an issue of nutrients going in to the tank, and not enough coming out. There are chemical additives that will kill the cyano and remove it, but that wont get rid of the nutrients in the bacteria, or more importantly, it does NOTHING for the underlying cause.
The first likely cause is excessive feeding.
Next, is inadequate nutrient removal. Freshwater style HOB filters or canister filters are often not up to the task of cleaning salt water aquarium. Upgrading the filtration to a skimmer is often the first step on the road to nutrient balancing.


Good luck