slimy algae?

[Aleks]

Question, or a couple.....In the last little bit I've been getting alot of slimy snotty looking algae just at the bottom of my tank....There is some long red algae "threads" around it, but for the most part its the clearish brownish slimy stuff....It got wayyy worse after I did a water change..Read all about nutrient export and all that jazz......and here's the details on the tank

Lights: 130W PC 10K and actinic, 12hr cycle
Remora skimmer
HOB fuge w/ sand, rubble and cheato, lighted 24hrs
total tank flow: 74x (~1100 gph between all devices, multiple flow directions)
Medium deep sand bed, 17+lbs live rock
Temp: 79oF
Sal: 1.025-1.026 (depends on the evap)
pH: 8.2
dkH: 7 (haven't gotten this up since the early stages, used to be 10, despite water changes)
Amm: 0.2 (keeps bouncing from 0-0.2...trying a different test kit tonite)


Low bioload, 2 shrimp, 1 bicolor, 2 turbo's, bunch of stoma's, crab....

What going wrong?

TIA

[Leah]

Bump for an answer as I am curious too!

[fkshiu]

Does it look like snot? If so, then it's probably dinoflagellates which is bad news.

[Aleks]

Does it look like snot? If so, then it's probably dinoflagellates which is bad news.


Not so much, almost spiderweb netlike, and not in large amounts......I'm gonna do some lights out for and change carbon to try and see what happens......Odd that it happened post water change....I guess dino's are common.....Gonna keep an eye on my snails to see how they react....Seems odd that I would have free nutrients to support an outbreak, considering I'm skimming and growing macro.....

[Aleks]

Removed most by hand, was very thin, and came off in chunks, which would lead me away from Dinoflag? Anyhow, will keep an eye on it....Bought a different test kit and all is the same......

[fishytime]

Sounds like diatoms...there are a few causes...nutrients....lack of flow...old bulbs.... How old is the tank?

[Aleks]

Sounds like diatoms...there are a few causes...nutrients....lack of flow...old bulbs.... How old is the tank?

tank is 2 months, flow is no issue (1100gph), bulbs have maybe month and a half on them, possibly overfeeding, I'm going to reduce feed amount by half, other than that it looks alot like hair algae......It was red when I pulled it all out, but like I said, no slime, no snot, just the fibers.....I'm doing a 2 day lights out aswell to reduce it (worked when I had diatoms during cycle)....Fuge is staying lit...

[fishytime]

How big is the tank?...With all due respect, 1100gph is a piddle in the pond so to speak....unless its a 10g tank....I am personally running 9000gph on 110g....could also just be those "new tank blues" that we all seem to go through. Get yourself a filter sock or something similar and suck out as much as you can through the filter sock, so that you can re-use the water. Once your blackout is over I would also think about reducing the photo period to 8-10 hrs.

[Aleks]

How big is the tank?...With all due respect, 1100gph is a piddle in the pond so to speak....unless its a 10g tank....I am personally running 9000gph on 110g....could also just be those "new tank blues" that we all seem to go through. Get yourself a filter sock or something similar and suck out as much as you can through the filter sock, so that you can re-use the water. Once your blackout is over I would also think about reducing the photo period to 8-10 hrs.

Piddle in the pond...lol...it's only 15 gallons, so 75x turnover, not too shabby..and photoperiod is reduced already...

[fishytime]

Kinda figured it must be a small tank.....what is providing your flow?

[Aleks]

Kinda figured it must be a small tank.....what is providing your flow?

Koralia 1, fluval 204 (empty minus 1 carbon), maxijet 900 and a modded ac70 (pegged that at about 50% of its output after mod)

[fkshiu]

Koralia 1, fluval 204 (empty minus 1 carbon), maxijet 900 and a modded ac70 (pegged that at about 50% of its output after mod)

Fluvals are pathetically overrated in terms of output and the ac70 doesn't count since it provides entirely the wrong kind of flow. So you're down to about 400 for the K1 and 230 for the Maxi900 = 42x turnover. Depending on how your rockwork is you could stand to upgrade one or both of your powerheads.

[Aleks]

Well my Fluval seems to move enough water to have to be very wise about my oulet placement...sooo.....and my AC70 kicks up sand on the downstream....

Anywho, I got my little problem figured out......Red hair algae due to phosphates....all because I don't thaw and drain my mysis when I feed....need to be diligent! Thanks for the info here, glad it was a falsy!

[TVR]

I had that brownie thing on my substrates a few month ago, but then suddenly disappeared after I add some small tiny snails in.