Algae from H***
 

Christy, here's the "mystery" algae. Does this look like dinos to you?

http://www.islandreef.ca/post/algae1.jpg

http://www.islandreef.ca/post/algae2.jpg

http://www.islandreef.ca/post/algae3.jpg

http://www.islandreef.ca/post/algae4.jpg

And here's the snail, battling the evil algae, doing a heck of a job.

http://www.islandreef.ca/post/snail.jpg

Ya know, you get used to looking at this after having it so long, but then seeing it posted here in pics makes me realize just how thick this stuff is!! :eek:

Looks like a little like dinos to me. Mine was a little different, it would sort of start off caked over things like that, but it would send off little streamers into the water column and then collect at the water surface in slower current areas in a sort of bubbly froth.

Does it disappear completely (or almost completely) at night and then come back the next day?

Maybe a sea hare would take to it? I had a refugium with the exact stuff (I assumed it was dinos but not 100% certain), and he cleaned it up within a few days. Of course, since it behaved like dinos it would come back.

I still have that sea hare, although I don't know if he'd still eat the stuff. He's stopped eating caulerpa and sargassum (he used to keep that stuff in check), but now that he's discovered TheYummyNori(tm) that's pretty much come to a halt. At least I don't have to worry about running out of food. :rolleyes:

But if you see one for sale maybe it's something to try. As long as he doesn't get all aristocratic on you like mine did... :lol:

I'm wondering if that isn't dinoflagellates growing on top of some other algae?? It looks like I have the same algae as you now though (whatever it may be), it has started up in the last week or so. Not quite as thick, thats crazy :eek: I did have the classic brown bubbly goo previously but since my last lights out, I have noticed that there is a thicker mat of brown algae forming on either side of the tank and the overflow. It hasn't progressed to the back glass yet. The bubbles are densely packed like your pictures show but don't have any stringy goo on them. I've done a few searches but am not having any success in identifying this algae. The fact that your astrea is eating it is a definite indicator that either it isn't dinoflagellates or is a less toxic type (if there is such a thing). Either that or you have a SUPERASTREA!! :razz:

Thanks for the pics. A friend of mine is an algologist, maybe she has some books or can point us in the right direction. I'll try taking a sample and having a look under the scope as well.

Christy :)

Brad,

That has to be the most frightening stuff I have seen, besides the bubble algae outbreak in my 37g :eek: Have you tried turkey basting it to get it into the water column so your skimmer can remove it? Also, if it will go into the water column, maybe you could try adding some kind of mechanical filtration, like a couple of AC 500s to remove it? Geez, I'd be freaked if that were in my tank :eek: :evil: :cry:

bleach would work good? darn I didn't realize it was that bad from the way you talked.

Steve

Bev, if I blast it off the rocks, I can watch it grow back by the end of the day. Leaving it alone seems to be the only way to stop it from growing even further. When I basted it, I had floss in the overflow and that removed bunches. I cleaned the skimmer every other day. I've scraped the back wall clean only to have it back like the pics in 3 days. It's on most of the rockwork, all the pumps and even grows on the snail!
The only sign of success is that one little snail. where it eats the algae, so far none has regrown. If all astreas can eat this stuff, a small army might actually make a dent in the algae.
On a good note, the corals are doing better than they've done in 10 months. :biggrin:

Geez, Brad :eek: I understand Bulletsworld had something similar and she got it under control somehow. Maybe PM her for her method of removal....

I'm starting to think Steve's idea above might do the trick!

I have a cerith type of snail that appears to eat cyano, they also breed like rabbits. I could probably find you a few hundred of them if you want. :biggrin:

Thanks Marie, but I think Steve has a few astreas for me to try.

Are your snails like ceriths, but smaller? At one point I had 7 billion of those in my tank. Nobody came to visit without going home with the bag o' snails!!

Yea those are the ones. You can't see into the tank at night because there are so many snails on the glass

I found my population lasted at most about 4 months. After that, they quickly disappeared and now there are none.

Every summer when my tank reaches 85 degrees I get patches of cyanobacteria and the snails get a new lease on life producing thousands of babies. I have had them for over 3 years now.I wouldn't mind them, they disappear into the sand during the day, but they keep falling into my monti caps and dying.

When they say REEFING IS HARD,

:lol: it can totally take over your time before you know it ...

mike

Have any of you guys tried chemi-clean for that stuff?

No, hadn't thought about it....

Personaly I don't like the idea of using an algaecide in the tank.. Brad you still running your UV?

Steve

No, that just made it grow faster

Ozone, maybe :question: :question: :question:

?? you serious?

Steve

that could make sense.... the uv was sterilizing the bacteria and other critters in the water column that feed on the same food source as the problem algae, letting the algae get ahead of the game, uv dosent work for every situation....

I would try ozone, I just can't afford ozone right now.

Brad,
I'll be in Vancouver in the near future, and I've got an ozonizer you can use.
If that's any help.

Mitch

if you want the effects of ozone but cant afford it, use hydrogen peroxide, it does the same thing, many many fish farms use it.....

careful, its just as destructive as ozone....

P.S. you package is on its way....

Kyle, the beauty of ozone is that it's automated, and peroxide isn't. I suppose you could set up a drip system, but documetation on it's use in aquariums is sparse, if available at all.

Brad, thats stuff looks like crap. Must be driving you crazy. :mad:

Funny how we do all the things correct, spend all that money on huge skimmers, ro water changes, etc, etc,etc and something still gets us. :frown:

Enough to drive an aquarist to keeping goldfish. :biggrin:

I have no idea, short of constant cleaning, how one could get rid of that algae. I have never seen it that bad in a top quality tank like yours.

I wonder if one of the treatments helps it along, like red bug treatment or something else. Seems like a hord of good aquarists are experiencing large bleaching events or other sps losses, when doing something major like a tank or light change. Despite being careful, {I was and so are most of them}.

Perhaps ozone may help, it does clean the water. If you do, be very careful you dont bleach your sps from the clearer water.

I have read about the peroxide use, but IMO, you gotta have %#$@ to dump it in your sps tank. :eek:

Doug, the first few months made me a bit nuts, but now it's just part of the tank. Cleaning it constantly doens't work, by the time I get from one end to the other, it starts growing again right behind me.
Judging by the looks of this stuff, it isn't dinos any longer. And the fact that this astrea is now eating the furry brown stuff leads me to believe that a good cleanup crew will solve most of it.
I've been dealing with problems since last November and I swear if this isn't back to it's former glory by December, there's gonna be a closing out sale!!
On the upside, acro growth and color are coming along nicely. Seeing blue in corals that have been brown for 6 months. Gives me a certain amount of hope.
I don't think it's any particular thing tht caused it. For all I know, it came from a tank I got frags from and found favourable conditions here. John has a similar algae and he got stuff from me, so maybe we're just passing it around.

I'm grabbing some test astreas tonight, so I have my fingers crossed that they'll start munching lie the guy I have here. If so, J&L will have a large snail order coming (as soon as I find some spare money)! :razz:

to many damn water changes I tell you.. thats the problem ;) when did you say the closing out sale was :wink:

seriously though do you think the intercepter might have had anything to do with it?

Steve

Sale will be in time for Christmas! No, I don't think the interceptor had anything to do with it. I had the problem before adding it. Others have also used it and don't have algae problems afterwards. I don't think I'll ever know why it grew, my nutrients are all at 0ppm, mega water changes with 0 tds water, minimal feedings for the last 6 months, etc. I should not have algae like this in the tank. But it's there....


It's come down to snails now, I'm counting on them to save the tank!! :razz:

What about a refugium with the same or another algea that will out compete the main tank. Leave the light on for 24hr. Just an idea, it's what I do to keep the caulerpa under control in my 120g.

Lee

PS I want you powder brown if you have the big sale.....

Brad,

sorry to hear and :eek: that stuff- YIKES :evil:

did this stuff set on after you removed your dsb or was it growing before?

goodluck with the snails!

Lee, I'll keep you in mind should things get worse.

On the upside (if you want to call it an upside), the algae is now turning green, and everyone knows herbivores love green algae...right? :razz:


The snails I got from Steve are still alive and a couple are munching on the algae. This tells me the dino phase has past for the most part, and hopefully a good cleanup crew can keep it in check.

Rich, this started much later after the DSB removal, so I don't feel it was a direct cause of it.

Just an update, the snails I added (4 astrea and a turbo) are feasting happily on this algae.

Woohoo! Time for a snail army!!

Time to get a second job to pay for the snail army!!

Heh, yeah I'm at that place too. I had a single turbo survive my algae plague. He is making a microscopic dent in the new algae that has taken over :rolleyes:

Good news! Gotta love those Astreas... you were starting to scare the h*** out of me with that stuff. I mean, if it can happen to you... :eek:

Alan, it can happen to anyone, especially someone like me that thinks they have their tank under control. By being cocky last fall, I've endured 10 months of struggling with this box of water. I think I may finally be pulling out of the mess, but it's a good lesson. Never ever believe you are in control of your tank, it's always the other way around :razz:

Hopefully an army of snails and the Algone provied by Kyle will get the mat of algae out of the tank. The corals are growing very well, and the color is getting better daily.