help please.......

[bigkatonk]

i have had my reef going for about 9 months now .....the nitrates are still alittle on the high side at 50ppm.....but everything was going pretty smooth.....until recently....i have had an outbreak of a dark purple hairlike algae all over the tank....in fact i have to clean the rocks .....and stir sand almost daily....is this okay....and if not what do i do to get rid of it.....thanks in advance ....

 

[Anonymous]

If it is a reef and not FO 50 is waaaayy high. I would suggest you siphon out as much of the algae as possible and do a 50% water change. If you have sand and do not have critters in it that could be part of the problem. The sand needs "bugs" in it to keep it stirred and to eat the detritus that falls on it. If you haven't ordered any, get some from IPSF and/or Premium Aquatics. One should not stir the sand as itcan release nutrients and it kills any bugs that may be in it. Also, how old are the lights?

 

[Anonymous]

Your nitrate levels are only problematic in that they fuel unwanted algal growth. They are otherwise harmless. The reason low nitrate levels should be strived for is that they are extremely low on wild reef areas.

 

[Anonymous]

You may not want to stir the sand. It can cause more harm that good, inthat it can kill any bugs you have there. Do some big W/Cs and cut back on feeding. Also drip Kalk. The Kalk helps to precipitate phosphates in the tank that can also feed the algae growth you have. What type of sand do you have, and how old is it?