How do you get rid of bad alge?

[RedDragon]

I have a brownish alge growing on rocks and sand, but how can I get rid of this unwanted alge other than live stock I have snails and hermits doing what they can, is there some kind of product I can buy to get rid of this or any other way to get rid of it :evil:

[djdubdub]

I had the same problem... But I also had alot of hair algae...

My LFS said it was due to high phosphates in the water... I filled my tank using regular SA tap water, not knowing that it sucks...

I used a product called S.A.T. and it worked great... You dose once a week (I think) and its gone in two... I have not had a problem since...

[RedDragon]

thanks DJ I'll try it out I post what happens, :-D

[fuzz]

You can also use a product called Chem Clean ($14) @ LFS that totally nukes red cyano algae. It has never failed me.

-Greg

[brhibler]

I'll have to agree with fuzz. I use Chem Clean, too. I just did tonight. Upgraded from 65watt PC's to 175watt MH and had major algea outbreaks. All Kinds! Just started seeing the cyno yesterday. So I nuked it. Never had any bad reactions by using it either.

Oh yeah, just joined the society, today.

[newtosa]

Does anyone remember who wrote the series of articles in FAMA or TFH 5 or 6 years ago on the natural progression of algae growth in a reef tank? We need to find the link and post it here; I could use a refresher, and it was an excellent series. Here's what I recall about the stages of a new tank and the dominant algae types in each stage:

First stage in new tanks is usually brown diatom bloom. RD, I'm almost guaranteeing this is what you have. Not technically an algae, this is actually a plankton. Not pretty, but serves a necessary & proper function in the longer cycling of a tank (not N or P cycle, but the longer 12-18 month bio cycle of all new tanks). What's important is that it will give way to other algaes as the bio system in the tank matures. These are silacious, so the silicates in tap water could *possibly* increase them, but only if silicates are the limiting factor for these in your tank. At this stage of the tank's life cycle, probably not. In fact, not likely anything you're doing to "cause" these to grow. They typically grow at this point because they're supposed to. They don't do a lot of harm to anything but your pride when you show everyone your $5-per-pound rock that's getting more brown by the day. This too shall pass.

Later, hair algaes. The annoying ones we all hate, and probably the reason everyone's owned at least one yellow tang. One main group here is Bryopsis, which produces 2 chemicals that make tangs and blennies avoid it. Pretty plant in a close-up photo; ugly plant from 2 feet away when you're looking at your tank. These are why everyone's so phosphate conscious (and rightly so). Later on, other "higher" algaes should assimilate the PO4 better. During this stage, the best you can do is limit PO4 addition and stock up on critters: fish and crabs that eat filamentous algae (emerald and Sally Lightfoot crabs are good here), some snails. Many people do a monthly rinse of LR (out of the tank), take an old toothbrush (w/o chemical residue), and scrub. PITA but it helps.

Cyanobacteria can also begin during this stage. More on that later.

Around the next corner, the algaes most people like start to appear and/or grow when added to the tank. The prettier green ones - Caulerpa, Chaetomorpha, Neomeris, Valonia, etc.; and the red ones that often come in on live rock - Halymenia, Scinaia, Chondria. A great reference for all kinds of plants is Marine Plants of the Caribbean by Littler. There are lots of techniques for using and controlling these. Again, they aren't there because now your tank has survived pledgeship and has suddenly decided to be cool to you. It's just a natural pattern, and we should learn to use and take advantage of it.

Then (and possibly along with the previous group) are all the purple, pink, and red (and sometimes green) coralline algaes. They are really algaes, and although they also use calcium to grow, they are also taking up and binding PO4 inside your tank - definitely a good thing (and nitrates and silicates to a lesser extent). Plus they look cool.

After this stage of maturity, diatoms come back, being primarily limited by silicates. Depending on reactor media and source of lime powder, many people running calcium and kalk reactors (or dripping limewater at night the low-tech way) deal with this. I can tell you I don't fight it at all. I look at it as more plankton for the little bugs and pods to eat. All of which keeps mandarins and small wrasses fat.

Red "cyanobacteria" - Schizothrix usually - is not technically an algae either. It has many potential causes (I don't think we understand all the limiting elements well enough yet), but one thing is for sure: it is drastically less common in tanks with higher circulation and current. In fact, if you do a newsgroup or RC search on "red slime" or "cyanobacteria," you'll usually find the phrase "low flow" or "dead area" in the same sentence. It can do some damage, and since it has many bacterial properties, antibiotics (Enthromycin? spelling?) work well. But only temporarily. And I don't want an antibiotic in my reef any more than I want it in my body: only when absolutely necessary.

Enough rambling. I think the author of the articles was Sprung, Goemans, Shimek, Tullock, someone from that era. Anyway, I don't have a problem with treating algae with chemicals, but I never do it my tank anymore. Long-term, other tactics are much more effective, and they address more than the symptoms. What's tough is figuring out what to get worked up about (like hair algae), and what not to (like brown diatoms). We should all read up on algae every few months or so. Our tanks usually keep us humble and force us to do this. ;)

Dean

[newtosa]

Still looking for the author. Might have been Thiel, or somehwere on Jeff Pfohl's archives.

Dean

[newtosa]

Wow, I'm a dork. Charles Delbeek, 13 years ago. And not a series of articles, but a pretty short page or 2.

Anyway,
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~delbeek/delb5.html

Grabbing the genus names of the algaes he mentions, and doing your own research, is the best way to go. In the last 13 years a lot might have changed about the preferred treatments of these algaes, but not much has changed about the natural progression and the different limiting factors at each stage of the process.

[Janice]

Thank you for sharing that article!

[RedDragon]

Thanks alot on the info newtosa, that was cool to find out the steps of the algae, :-D

[DeletedAccount]

Goodness, Dean. Do you remember EVERYTHING you read?

[Sherri]

Dean...this sounds like the step by step stage my reef has gone thru. Ask Troy Valentine...my whole tank is a refugium! And my green mandrin has a pot belly. :-D I've put no chemicals to eliminate. I started with tap water to initially "fill" the tank...got some brown alage...went away. Sometimes, I just grab a handful of the hair algae off the back glass if it gets too much. I have purple coraline all over my rocks and glass. I constantly scrape it off my glass - from what I understand...this "feeds" my LR. My LR has really colored up. I have a patch that I keep controlled of razor caulerpa, a few other plants that I haven't identified; I get a small patch of the red rusty colored algae on my sand everyonce in a while & then its gone. I see a cycle going on & if one certain thing "gets out of control", I'll sound the alarm. :police: It just looks like a "healthy" tank.

I haven't been in this that long...but that's what I've experienced with my reef development.

Sherri :rotf:

[kakfish]

Wow! Dean what a memory! I wish mine was that good. Short term is all i have left.
It is kinda like algae wars, in the early stages of these systems. I've seen many tanks laid to rest because of inferior algaes gone out of control. The hobbiest either gets bad information, on how to solve the problem, or never cracks a book. The battle can be won and it sounds like you may have been there. Good info.

Ken Kohler

[RedDragon]

all that bad algae is gone due to the blue leg hermit crabs, and the snails left in my tank, I did not add any thing so that made it easy and simple

[newtosa]

Way to go man. The hermits and snails will clean up lots of things for you. They don't eat all types of algae, but they do help with most things that you don't like in your tank.

[matt]

Red Dragon;
Sounds like a cyano outbreak. It's definitely associated with areas of low flow that allow the algae/bacteria to accumulate. Actually, usually blue legged hermits and typical snails (astrea/turbo) usually don't eat the stuff. I've heard fighting conch will eat it. You can also try a diadema (long spined) urchin. Shimek says these are the best 2 herbivores available for reef tanks. Hermits are scavengers that will eat whatever they can catch. Definitely avoid the pencil urchin. I saw a diadema urchin at fintique today; try that.

[newtosa]

RD -

I have some low-flow area (some things are beginning to outgrow my tank), and there's been a patch of cyanobacteria slowly growing over the past month. My diadema urchin didn't touch it. It is still a very good animal to have, as Matt says. It just didn't work on cyano for me. Haven't tried any conchs, but I'd like to.

Anyway, just remember you need to feed the urchin if there's not enough for him to find in your tank. I like them because it's more diversity, and as Matt points out they are selective herbivores, rather than vultures.

On cyanobacteria specifically, I have to say I don't know how to beat it. It rears its head once every few years, and I end up having to vacuum it up.

Let us know if you learn anything.

Dean

[RedDragon]

thanks on the info guys I think It mit have been due to low flow cuz I never used my powerheads too powerfull for the 37g throws sand and all,all over the place but now I have had it going I still have some on hte glass but all the this cyano than is gone off all rocks and sand only little on hte back of the glass,I will look into getting one of these urchins, they sound cool and sound like they do a good job, but I don't know if I wil be keeping this 37g much longer I am upgrading and really wont have any use for it after I am done with the cycling of the new tank, but I think I will get one of these urchins just to have in case, again thanks for the info guys :-D