Dumb Question

[NanoReef]

hey everyone. its been about 2 years since i posted on here but im back into my tank now! sorry about the dumb question but I have a 120 gallon reef and it has been up since 2006 and running great. now this last 6 weeks or so I have been getting a huge bloom of that red fluffy algae... what would be causing this? all levels seem to be ok but the ph was a little low so it's going up as we speak. any help would be appreciated... thanks

[Lampshade]

nitrate spikes can cause a drop in PH, and with a big algee bloom the nitrates can be used up by the algee causing readings to be low. Just a theory, i'm sure some of the more advanced guys can give a better answer.

I had a better article about this, and can't seem to find it anymore, but here's something close:
http://saltwater-aquarium-guide.net/ph-and-acid-in-saltwater-aquarium

This one suggests that excess CO2 buildup could cause both conditions. Would also make sense now that it's cold out and your windows would be closed:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2002/chem.htm

anyways, best of luck, hope things work out.

[daniella3d]

This algae is the toughest thing to get rid of. Once it takes over a tank it is very very hard to get rid of it. I guess you had a patch here and there and you let it go and it bloomed and sprouted everywhere.

Only many pacific turbo snails will get rid of it that I know of. Maybe there is something else but in my nano tank wich is overrun by this algae, only the turbo are having some effect. I have tried high magnesium without success. If you have a lot of it, I suggest putting a lot of turbo snails but they must be pacific turbo or mexican turbo snails.

Good luck..this is a plague.

"Most likely some specie of Asparagopsis, most likely A. taxiformis or . armata, both of which are Rhododophyta that seem to defy the conventional cause and effect relationship associated with excessive algal growth due to either insufficient herbivory and/or excessive nutrients. They are capable of growing in poorly lit refugia, brightly lit reef tanks, bare bottom systems with detrital control, and even on occasion dim sumps. They contain the pigment phycoerythrin, which takes dim light over a broad spectrum and reemits it as a usable higher energy light in a narrow red band. This allows the algae to live in light environments that other autotrophs would find difficult to impossible to survive in, and will account for the difficulty in eradicating it. Interestingly enough, this is not usually associated with live rock, rather with specimens of coral when added to a system. Another reason for quarantine."



hey everyone. its been about 2 years since i posted on here but im back into my tank now! sorry about the dumb question but I have a 120 gallon reef and it has been up since 2006 and running great. now this last 6 weeks or so I have been getting a huge bloom of that red fluffy algae... what would be causing this? all levels seem to be ok but the ph was a little low so it's going up as we speak. any help would be appreciated... thanks

[NanoReef]

well spent a few hours picking, did a large water change, got the levels all good, and it seems to be 90% gone or better, it's deminishing day by day and I couldn't be happier! thanks guys!

[The Grizz]

I use Coral Snow and it helps to contain and remove this type of algea from my tank.

[JenniferL]

I'm gonna tag along with this thread as I am having an issue with this fluffy crap as well. I have a few rocks with no corals attached to them so I took them out plunked them in RO water and took a tooth brush to it and it hasn't come back on those rocks so far. Doesn't seem to have an affect on anything but it just looks unsightly.

[The Grizz]

I had a ton of this crap in my first tank so I picked up a UV and it helped clear it up. With the 8'er I had a small outbrake of it, started using coral snow and have not had any problems since. Also running NP pellets but don't know if they have anything to do with it.