algae problem!!

[xtkxhom3r]

i have this algae on my walls and its starting to spread onto the rocks and i dont know how to get rid of it!!!

what eats it so i can buy a thousand of those things?

[danvan75]

tell more about your tank, age and etc.

[CoryDude]

My first question would be, is it easy to remove off of the glass, rocks, and equipment? Does the algae feel coarse or feathery?

If it is easy to remove, then just follow the standard protocol for fighting algae (reduced nutrients, manual removal, etc), if you're having to scrub real hard to make a dent in it, then you're in for a fight.

Here's the best discussion I've found on Maast regarding most nuisance algaes.
http://www.maast.org/showthread.php?49716-Nuisance-Algae-Guide-A-work-in-progress

[Disher]

+1 on that. Prepare to get your hands wet!

[Europhyllia]

what eats it so i can buy a thousand of those things?

That made me laugh. I am sure we all have thought that at one point. (I'm sure it's less funny to you now though)

[jroescher]

Go to ReefCleaners.org and fill out the Custom Cleanup Crew page. They'll send you their recommendations on what to get.

And they're a Sponsor!

[ErikH]

What about the peroxide dip? Is that still a working solution, or has it proved otherwise?

[tebstan]

The hydrogen peroxide worked for me - most of the time. It did burn out some zoas, but the algae was growing through the mat, not on it.

It appears the algae in his tank is growing on glass, and not one concentrated area. A dip won't work. I've heard of people "dosing" with hydrogen peroxide, but this sounds ridiculous and dangerous to me. Mostly, it doesn't treat the root cause of the problem.

Best advice:


. . . just follow the standard protocol for fighting algae (reduced nutrients, manual removal, etc)

[CoryDude]

H2O2 has worked for me when introducing frags, especially on maricultured corals. People are seriously using it as an in-tank treatment? Wow!

[allan]

If you find out what those thousand things are, let me know.

How old are your lamps?

Are you growing it in your sump?

My process, as a noob, is to grow what ever mess I can in the fuge, competes with the display tank. As such I run the home depot special down there and keep my DT's lights bright and new (under 8 months for the MH).

[justahobby]

Is the algae red? Is so I had a side glass covered once. A turbo snail or two should mow through it pretty quickly . Of course I wanted the turbo to leave it alone and eat the other algaes, but apparently it is pretty palatable. Just be persistent about moving the snails back to the mats if they move.


Also, it tends to grow best in lower lighting like very blue tanks.

[allan]

Now that I'm at work I can see the pictures a bit more clearly. I think I've got two of my glass walls completely covered in it. It doesn't protrude does it?

In my case it almost seems like a velvet covering. My snails move on to it, but I've nver bothered to clean it off... much to the annoyance of Karin who insists that I'm losing good quality reflective light.

The bright green stuff that you have on your power head is what I call "green cyano"... not sure what it is exactly, but it shares a lot of the same characteristics of the common red cyano.