Algae identification

[fvlewg65]

What is this algae and how do I get rid of it? Every time I do a water change I end up vacuuming as much as I can up, but a couple of weeks later when I do my water change it is back. It is easy to vacuum up, but it looks very dirty and covers almost everything that doesn’t have a moderate current on it.

[fvlewg65]

I am still trying to figure out how to attach pictures, I think I have now, we'll see!

[saltynuts]

looks like cyano!

[TheReefGeek]

Yeppers, my vote is cyano too

[Ruth]

Yuck - I vote cyano too. Usually, it is fueled by phosphates and the tricky part is that you can test for phosphates and your test will show none to low - the reason being that this algea is using it to grow. Try to identify where they are coming from - food source, frozen and some flake have high phosphates and you can try to test them before you add them to your tank - sand bed, try and take a water sample really close to your sand bed (even stir it up a bit to take the sample - or live rock can build it up over time and you can try removing a rock and soaking it in salt water and swish it around really good and test that water.
Try upping your flow, reducing your light period and reducing/identifying high phosphate foods.
Chemi pure (or clean - I always get those 2 confused but the one in the little white bottle) can also be used but the problem is that it will get rid of the symptom but not the cause and there is a good possibility it will come back

[Beverly]

I don't think that's cyano. It's far too bushy to be cyano.

When looking at this algae in real life, is it more pink than purple? If so, I have seen this at a lfs. Don't know what it is and don't know how to get rid of it. Sorry :sad:

Hmm. On second thought, maybe a seahare might take care of it, but of that I am not sure.

If it is cyano, check out this thread....

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=23181

[fvlewg65]

Thanks for all of your input. You are right, when I test for phosphates the result is zero or almost zero. I will try taking a reading close to the sand bed in the morning. The food I had been feeding was Frozen Mysis Shrimp, then I supplemented it with Nutrafin Max Marine Complete Food slow sinking morsels, finally now they are completely on Spectrum Thera+A. The color of the algae in more purple brown in real life than pink.

[seashells]

Yep! I vote cyano as well. Need to test your phosphates with a very good low range test kit.

Doug