Dear Lord, can anyone help me out?

[LeeT]

OK, here's the deal. Moved from a 100 to a 125 when we moved about 4 months ago. I did everything by the book. All water params have been normal from day one. SG 1.025, ph 8.2, ca 440, alk 8.2 The problem I am having is an unbelievable outbreak of algae that has been going on for months. It is a weird red mat type algae as well as some neon green algae. I have posted pics at http://community.webshots.com/user/leerph
Can anyone tell me what it is and how I might stop it. I have been using a brand new Hi-S RO/DI for all my water changes. I dont have a silicate kit. The bulbs are about 9 months old. They are 3-175w 10k MH's & 2-55w PC actinics. I hate to spend $400 on new bulbs if that might not be the problem. Could old lights even cause an outbreak like this. I am at my wits end and am ready to almost give up. I have been keeping reef tanks for almost 2 years and have never had anything like this. Also, as you can see, my meat coral and shrooms look pitiful. I lost a couple more corals, and have had no luck with any corals I have added to the tank. If water params are normal, shouldn't the corals thrive? Could the algae be causing the corals problems. I have reduced lighting to 7 hours a day, & have been doing 20% water changes every 2 weeks for about 2 months. I try to remove as much as I can, but it cannot be removed off the rocks, even with a powerhead. Can someone please help!! I'm drowning here. Sorry for the long post. Hopefully someone can give me some ideas to try. www.hotbot.com

 

[Anonymous]

What are you using for circulation?

 

[micagreenmachine]

looks like a minor red slime algae outbreak. If you've never seen/heard about this stuff before, it's more of a bacteria than an algae. the only time i ever get this in my reef is when i neglect the skimmer for far too long and don't clean it out often enough.

how are your nitrates and phosphates doing? after a move, i'd be looking for simple things like that to check. it may be a mini-new-tank cycle causing this (since you moved to a bigger tank, even though you ONLY moved it). It doesn't look too bad right now (i've seen MUCH worse), but i'd just make sure that everything is runnung at peak efficiency. double check that skimmer. did you change anything else (other than the move)? is anything rotting in there? (i.e. look for smelly snails)

i'm out of ideas, anyone else?

~Todd

 

[micagreenmachine]

i take it back. i looked at more of your pictures and yes, that's pretty solid outbreak of red slime algae. still not the worst i've seen though.

~t

 

[danmhippo]

I am guessing your tank is going thru another small cycle. I agree with the above that it is not the worst I've experienced.

Last time I made a major disturbance of my DSB. I had a major Cynobacteria outbreak plus some significant die offs. I am guessing its the mini cycle effect plus the cynobacteria that were in deeper part of the sandbed being freed again.

I would suggest you keep doing the water change. Check your RO/DI effluent for NO3 and PO4. Are you trying to feed heavy for the naso you have? Try minimize the feeding of the naso to just nori sheets everyday, and remove whatever leftover after 5 hours. Your 125G does not have sufficient LR to carry-on the biological filtration. I bet when you did the move, you mixed new sand with the old. The move (depend how long were the sand exposed) probably caused portions of old sand's bacteria to die off. Mixing the old with new will also cause the tank to cycle. All these coupled with insufficient LR, Your tank's nutrient were unprocessed and are becoming easy food sources for the cyno's.

Are you using a skimmer? how is the quality and quantity of the skimmate? Are you planning on getting more LR, or are you using bioballs? Bioballs are not necessary for the SW tank, but they are a very efficient nutrient processing center.

Your tank seems to not have sufficient circulation. I can't really tell from the picture, but it seems to be only 1 additional power head (and rather small one indeed) other than your filter return. I have a 150G and I have 6 maxijet 1200's. Your tank may not need that much flow as you are not keeping much corals, butonly 1 or 2 seems to be on the under side. The faster circulation will help inhibit cynobacteria attachment as well.

HTH

 

[NaH2Ofreak]

I think that nutrient export is to blame here. You dont mention a skimmer. If no skimmer, then how much macro algae are you pruning from the refugium for nutrient export??? What does your clean up crew consist of? What kind of additives are you using? What are your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and phosphate levels? Need LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS more info!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dennis

 

[Emperator]

wow, naso, foxface and purple tang.

how long has this tank been up and running?

limit your nutrient import and maximize your nutrient export and you tank shold be fine.

 

[Mac1]

OK, I'll prolly grab a handful of flames, but what the heck. IME< the only way to get rid of the stuff, is just to ride it out. Water changes and manual removal don't help your tank deal with the problem. I've had red slime infestations a couple of times now, and would do massive water changes (60 gallons on a 90 and 55 gal system connected... so about half total volume of water), built a new skimmer (DIY airstone), and it wasn't until I sat back and just rode the damn thing out, that it went away. I know it's not easy, you have to blow the junk around from covering your corals and killing them, this is also a good point to remove the large sheets, but don't make it a massive removal session. The tank needs to be able to deal with the nutrients, and by changing and removing it constantly, you're not helping it deal.
I realize this is bass-ackwards from logic, and what you've been hearing, but it's worked for me. Takes about 6 weeks for it to run it's course, and then you'll see it start to decline. Consumer's for the bacteria will also assist - Snails, Conch's, and Cuke's are all good detritovores, IMO. You'll have to cut the feeding back to bare bone's as well. Skip the Carbon, skip the water changes for a while, and just ride it out.... It will eventually cycle itself out, and your tank will be more stable and healthy in the end. That's just one person's opinion however, so take it with a grain of salt.

- Mac

 

[Katspaw]

I had a red slime out break and was told by a good Doctor, that it was because I didn't have a sandbed. So I changed over to a DSB seeded it and everything, then a few weeks later I got the slime back. Thank you Doc. Anyway, I found on my own that circulation also has to do alot with the bacteria breakouts. I got rid of the slime til two months ago when I started adding new rock to cycle for my new tank. I syphon off as much as I can and do water changes bi-monthy. Put I know that I have way too much in my tank right now. Couple more weeks and everthing will be moving to their new home.

 

[500 G]

I agree with Mac. The best thing to do is ride it out. When I had algae breakouts I would remove the rock from the tank and brush the algae off. It definately helps

 

[Dargason]

I had a much worse case than yours in my 20 g last summer... I added a skimmer, did lots of water changes, practically starved my fish, etc. Nothing helped.

The thing that worked for me was increasing the circulation in the tank. I added another powerhead and in a few weeks it was gone!

 

[Anonymous]

Definitely increase your circulation. Cyano loves stagnant low oxygentaed water

Glenn

 

[bowser]

Rover, Dargason, and anybody else who suggested adding more circulation are right on the money! Add another powerhead, up your water changes to once a week at 10% and when you do the change, clean as much of the red slime off as you can and remove it from the tank. Don't just spread it around. Another thing to consider are your lights and even the additives you are putting in your water. Red slime loves the red light spectrum and when your bulbs are old they can shift from blue more towards the red end of the light spectrum. Additives can also change the intensity of the light entering the water. Lighten up on the feedings of your fish, but don't starve them. The thing is, that once the algae starts forming mat like growths, it is capable of becoming mostly independent of bulk water nutrients. A really good small book is "Marine Algae Control Secrets" by Bob Goemans, Ph.D. This explains red slime and all other marine algae thoroughly, it really helped me. Hope this helps you!

 

[LeeT]

OK, thanks for all the ideas guys. Here's some more info. I have a mag drive 900 for a return in a 25 gal sump. I also have 4 maxi jet 1200's for circulation. (Isn't that plenty?) I have a red sea berlin skimmer on a mag drive 7. It had been pulling a lot of gunk out until the last week or so. Now it is pulling very little. I will dismantle and clean it tonight. I have only been feeding once a day and I feed very little. I have been doing this for the 4 or so months the tank has been up. I feed mostly formula 1 or frozen brine shrimp. The only additives I use is Kent 2 part daily which keeps everything nice and stable. I read somewhere that Kent could cause algae problems and ESV is better. Is that true for sure or does anyone know? Another question: How exactly do I remove this stuff. It pretty much disintegrates when I touch it. I usually clean all the glas sand stir the top layer of sand. I bought a big cleanup crew from FFE about a month ago thinking it would solve the problem. All the snails died after like 2 days, and the crabs died within a week. It was not my acclimation I'm 99% sure as I have been at this hobby for about 2 years and have had inverts in the past. It's so weird cuz the fish are happy as can be. I've had the naso, purple, foxfase and clown for over a year and a half now. Only fish I lost was a betta in the move. He actually jumped out of the tank before I got the new canopy on. For some reason, fish thrive but corals and inverts do not. I don't feel it is a water quality issue. I check at least every other day. My ammonia nitrites & nitrates are always 0.0 SG, ca, and alk and pH are always normal. I am at my wits end here. Any other ideas out there. Thanks again guys for all the great ideas. Keep 'em coming please.

 

[ShipMate]

Elevated phosphate levels have been associated with cyano blooms for me. Resolved by eliminating phospate with "Kent Phosphate sponge" placed in a canister filter for 6 to 8 h. This has been true more then once. I see results the next day or so.

I realize (before i get my ... kicked, here) that elevated phosphate = indicator of overfeeding..

 

[bowser]

Even though you have enough powerheads, I'm thinking maybe they aren't aimed in the correct way? Do you have at least one aimed where it will go behind the rockwork and another along the bottom front? Don't know about the Kent 2 having anything to do with it. I do know that snails and crabs don't do much for this stuff. Use your gravel vac to suck up as much of it as you can. When you clean the glass, use a sponge and start at the bottom, go up and bring the sponge out of the water. Use a bucket with tap water in it to rinse the sponge in. Just remember to squeeze out the sponge really good before putting it back in your tank. Make sure you keep the algae off your corals, you might have to scrub it off of them with a clean toothbrush. When I had this algae in my tank, my fish and corals did amazingly well. Go figure!

 

[chris_h]

Do you use RO water or do you use tap water?

 

[MATTT]

Hey, LeeT.

Put twenty or so turbo snails in there, they will clean it up in no time. But you still have to keep up your water condition. The snails will clean up the algae on your rocks and sand bed for you. For the glass you might have to do some cleaning yourself.

Later,

Mattt.

 

[danmhippo]

In the mean time, keep doing the water change, and siphon out the cyno's while you are at it.

 

[Dargason]

If your inverts are dying, you might want to check your copper levels.

When I first set up my 20g tank, I used tap water since I didn't have an RO system and everyone said tapwater would probably be ok. Well, the fish I added were fine, but every time I added a snail, it would die within hours, and the shrimp I added died within days. I had the tank tested for copper and found barely measurable levels. I used poly filters and did lots of water changes and after about 3 months the tank was fine.

Don't know if that's related to the cyano problem you've got though. I wouldn't stir the sand though -- it always seemed to make it worse for me.