Nasty algae

[kwirky]

About a month ago I've started getting lots of this algae that's a cross between mucousy and filamentous. It grows in mucously clumps on everything plastic, and as a short filamentous form on some areas of the rock. I have trochus and turbo snails, but no algae eating fish. I'm pulling out a bowl full of the algae with my forceps every week; it just doesn't stop coming.

The few emerald crabs I had a while back died while molting at one time or another. Today I bought 4 emerald crabs, 4 peppermint shrimp, and a yellow tang, hoping it'll help with the algae problem. I see the tang picking at the rocks already.

I use RO/DI, still reads 0 tds. I change 20% of the water once a month. I feed 1cm cube lightly frozen mysis every 2nd day, and a single pinch of flake daily, slowly releasing it from my fingers for the fish to eat. Would cutting out the flake diet entirely help with the algae? Some of it gets blown into the rocks never to be eaten but most of it makes it to their mouthes.

I did introduce some new rock to the system about a month ago now. My nitrates never increased from 0 ppm (weekly testing). I have a phosban reactor with regularily changed media.

I'm just about ready to throw my hands up and get a zeovit system, but the suckers are like $400 to start up, and it'd be ANOTHER monthly expense and not guaranteed to work...

I just got my tank algae free then this nasty stuff starts happening.

[X-Treme]

When you feed the frozen shrimp.....do you just toss the frozen cube in? Cause I have heard and read that you should ALWAYS rinse the shrimp off with water first......maybe that is a contributing factor?

[blaster]

measure youe phosphates

[dreef]

I too WAS dealing with out of control hair algae,it had me on the verge of shutting down.Me and my wife spent 7 hrs. tearing the tank down and she scrubbed a 100 lbs.of rock with a toothbrush.Everything looked great for a few weeks till IT started coming back worst than ever.Bought algae eating fish,snails,even tryed urchins.I don't overfeed, always rinse frozen,stepped up water changes,yes,i use ro/di water :) hand picked once a week for an hour :( THEN i bought a phosban reactor....WOW that saved the day !!! :)Been running about 2 weeks and everyday i can see the difference,it's almost totally gone !! At this rate from starting the reactor i'll be algae free in 3 weeks WOOO HOOO

[kwirky]

I'm running rowaphos media in a fluidized reactor. I have a phosphate test kit but I don't bother testing it because it doesn't test dissolved organic phosphate. I think I can assume my phosphates to be pretty low since I'm running the reactor.

I don't throw in the mysis. I break off a small piece, and thaw it in saran wrap, then feed the mysis by "hand" using my forceps. I don't throw the juices into the tank.

I'm suspecting either my old bulbs or the flake food.

[geobee]

Kwirky can you get a pic of this algae your battling?? when you say mucousy it almost sounds like cyano bacteria,,,does it grow over other algae, like coraline?

[ClubReef]

Could also be Marine Dinoflagellates. Does it look like this ?
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l43/derek681/LeftCornerAfterafewdays.jpg

[Jenndarlin]

I have ton's of that marine dinoflagelites (sp?). I scrub it off with a toothbrush or use a powerhead to blow it off the sand but is there a better long term control option??

[ClubReef]

I've never encountered this problem..but I fear this algae the most :( Here is a very good article on it: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/rhf/index.php To summarize - raise your pH (using limewater aka kalkwasser solution) and make sure your phosphates are under control.