Is this Diatoms?

[banditpowdercoat]

My tank has a wall to wall outbreak of this. Not sure if it's lighting or water> Params seem all OK. Well Sg, Ca, Mg, Ak was really high tho. Just did a W/C

Help please, Blew as much as I can off the rocks but it's everywhere and my Zoa's are all receeding and mostly dissapeared.

[SteveCGY]

Need a picture to help you, but if it's brown and can blow off like dust, yes I would say diatoms. Diatoms are caused by the silicates in your tank and will go away once they are used up. I found blowing it off daily and every other day water Change like 5-10% cleared it up quick.

[banditpowdercoat]

Sorry pic was too big had to resize
Ya it blows off mostly with a power head. Looks stringy like kinda tho

http://banditpowdercoat.com/Powdergallery/nfpicturepro/albums/userpics/10002/IMG_17961.jpg

[Ron99]

If it's stringy probably dinoflagellates. Same strategy to clean it up. Water changes and nutrient control.

[SteveCGY]

I'm not an expert maybe someone else can chime in but to me looks like GHA covered in diatoms. Only as that's what my tank looked like at the beginning. Once my diatoms left I was left with GHA.

[Cal_stir]

I don't think hair algae will blow off, +1 on dinos.

[banditpowdercoat]

I do have a GHA issue too, but mostly at the upper levels of the tank, like overflow rim

[Cal_stir]

Ya, looks like I can see some in the lower part of the pic, are you using anything for phosphates?

[banditpowdercoat]

Only using Biopellets

[Cal_stir]

Pellets not real good at po4, might need some GFO.

[iceman86]

It looks like gha with cyano. Check your phosphstes and you can lower them them with gfo. If you use gfo slowly add it to your tank because you can shock your corals. Biopellets mostly work on nitrates, also make sure your using the right amount. Too much can strip your water.

[banditpowdercoat]

To many Bio bad? I have 2 TLF reactor 2/3 full for 150g display, 210g total volume

[AquaPin]

Looks like Dinos to me. I would suggest doing some research, but best results I had were achieved by doing the following:

Lights out for 5 days (complete black out except for 15 minutes a day for feeding)
Raise pH to 8.4 or greater
Using Hydrogen Peroxide
Filter Sock
Run Carbon for toxins
Water change 30-40% after lights out

[TimT]

Hi,

*1 on dinos.

The thing with dinos is that there are many different types, some toxic(red tide is a dino) and some not.
Turbo snails and trochus snails will eat the non toxic variety.
Lights out regime may or may not work
Chemi Clean or Algae X may or may not work
peroxide works but is potentially dangerous and will kill shrimp and xenia.
make sure your tank is kept clean of detritus and regular water changes are done.

Here is some reading for you:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2082359

Cheers,
Tim

ps If your Phosphates are high try some Foz Down. Safe, cheap and easy phosphate control.

[Reef Pilot]

Looks like Dinos to me. I would suggest doing some research, but best results I had were achieved by doing the following:

Lights out for 5 days (complete black out except for 15 minutes a day for feeding)
Raise pH to 8.4 or greater
Using Hydrogen Peroxide
Filter Sock
Run Carbon for toxins
Water change 30-40% after lights out

Hey Jason, I've seen you mention the use of hydrogen peroxide a few times, and I know it is a good algae killer. I had a bad outbreak this past summer, and almost resorted to that.

But the concern I have (and it could be completely unwarranted) is that it might upset the eco-balance (for lack of a better term) in my tank. Right now I have various fish that graze on algae, and perhaps my coral require some (in phyto form?) too. And don't coral grow some algae internally?

In any case, I decided to fight the algae with lowering my P04 and manual removal, and so far have always managed to beat it back that way (have had this problem before, and much worse actually). My recent transfer of my Kole tang to my upstairs tank, has really helped.

I still have a bit of algae here and there, mostly in spots that I can't reach with my tooth brush, but seems to be under control now. My P04 is back down to near zero. And I think little bits of algae here and there give a more natural look, too.

Anyway, would like to hear more opinions and discussions on the use of hydrogen peroxide and if there are any negative effects on the tank eco system and corals.

[Slyguy00]

I had dinos. I did 3 80% waterchanges. One each day. By the third wc there were no signs of dinos. So i did 2 more 50% wc and never had an issue again. And prior to that i had tried many different methods of killing it that did not work. This is just my personal experince but that worked well for me

[banditpowdercoat]

I think I need a new clean up crew. Mine has pretty much dissapeared. Prob gona make a call to JL today. Just don't know what to get anymore? I used to have lots of snails and a couple blue legged hermits, but now I don;t see any anywhere. They were getting pretty old too, Havent added any in over 5 years. Never really thought about them

[EmilyB]

I had dinos among every other known algae a few weeks ago, and some major work, rock rinsing scrubbing, lights out, water changes, etc. and my tank looks amazing for almost a week now. I think we have it beat.

Introduced clean up crew again for sure, blue and red and orange hermits, astrea, turbo, margarita snails, a few lettuce nudis, urchin, a pile of detritus stars, etc..

[banditpowdercoat]

Past 2 days, 3 15g waterchanges 10% 15g is all I can make at one time. Removed almost all rock, freshwater scrub with toothbrush. Just pluged my ATO pump back in, and like a Boss I plugged it directly into wall, not the ATO, so 10% 15g of freshwater just pumped into tank. Sump started to overflow. Drain water, Add some salt to high flow. Sg went from 1.24 to 1.21 Temp plummeted and PH dropped on 2nd G of Kalk today trying to get PH up. It always runs low 8/high 7. At 8.15 now. Ive read many cures, each Dino seems to respond differently so I guess I'm hitting all angles. Ric's seem to be OK, shrunk a bit. Pretty much lost all my Zoa's. But finger leather still doing fine.

Oh also siphoned about 4 cups of bristle worms out of my overflow too.
New CUC on order from JL, along with Phos remover, parts for my RO/DI, and some other chemicals. They be here Thursday, Air freight

It's 11:53 I gota be up at 6 to go sledding in the mountians tomorrow. Lights are turned off but havent covered tank. Sump light off too