Odd Algae - No one knows what it is, HELP.

[GlindaCox]

Here is a pic of an algae that is out of control. All water parameters are correct, use ro/di water, calcium reactor. Please help, it is getting really close to my Mike Paletta Blue.[/img]

 

[t gallo]

terrible picture you have, cant even make sense where the algae is.

 

[Anonymous]

Here is a pic of an algae that is out of control. All water parameters are correct, use ro/di water, calcium reactor. Please help, it is getting really close to my Mike Paletta Blue.[/img]

Welcome to RDO Glinda! Couldja do us a favor and point out to us which part of your photo is the algae? Or maybe try to get another shot with the main lights on and/or the actinics off? What with the white balance correcting so much, it's tough to discern what's rock and what's algae in your shot.

As just general questions, you say your water parameters are good. Have you added anything to the tank recently? Rock? Corals? Stirred up the substrate? Replaced an RO filter? Changed lighting?

 

[CAT]

I can see dark patches on the rock. Is that it?

A description would help: color, slimy, stiff, hairy etc.

 

[GlindaCox]

The tank is 150 gallon, 1.5 years old. Added about 180 watts of VHO actinic. Total lighting is: 3-250W 10K MH, 4-110w VHO Actinic. i use carbon and a phosphate sponge weekly, do biweekly 30 gallon water changes with ro/di & reef crystal. The algae is clear and looks like little fuzzy hairs, it has started crapping onto the sps in the one pic. It has almost no coloration and is the algae circled in red. I also added pics of the tank in general, the top is hard to take pics of, that is where the sps's are.

And by the way, thanks for the reply's thus far....

 

[GlindaCox]

My camera sucks so bare with me.

 

[CAT]

Looks like some stuff I had growing on my return pump, it disappeared when one of my astreas found it. The snail stayed there for a few days until it was gone. Another possibility is some kind of sponge?

BTW, nice tank

 

[GlindaCox]

I added several hundred dollars worth of diffirent snails and hermits and they are not touching the stuff. If I take a small piece of rock out of the tank and scrub it with hot water, it will return. It is pure evil. It is basically covring all areas of the tank that is not occupied by softies, the sps are going to get a small dap of super glue around them tonight to try and ward off the evil until help arrives via this forum. Garf siad it might be bryopsis, but it have absolutly no green tint to it and is tiny fine hairlike and not like any bryopsis i could find a pic of. MarineDepot said circulation problem, if I added anymore circulation it would blow things over. I have two 3/4 inch seaswirls powered by 2- 1600 gph pumps at 4 foot head, and 4 1000 gph maxijets on a wavemaker.

 

[Syris]

Let me start by saying nice looking tank. Cant even see the algae in the full screen shots.

I was thinking a circualtion problem too. You're aquascaping with the LR looks very compacted against the back glass all the way up to the top. Do you have any flow behind there? Could be accumilating detrious causing algae bloom? This was my experience a few years ago in my 55g.

HTH

 

[GlindaCox]

This is where the 4 1000 gph maxijets are. It is completly empty in the back, I engineered a device out of acrylic (same stuff tanks are made of) that leaves the back completly open all the way to the top, for circulation and my fish enjoy the swim space.

 

[Anonymous]

Helluva nice setup, that's for sure!

As for the mystery guest, I'm leaning away from algae, being that it's clear...not too many non-photosynthetic algaes that I know of. I'm thinking more along the lines of a type of sponge or something similar. That would also go in with the tube-like appearance. Do you currently have any sort of angel or butterfly that would browse on sponges?

 

[GlindaCox]

There are no tubes. It is a fine hair like creature. Very fuzzy and colorless. Sponge like in no way. I have no fish like what you are talking about.

 

[Anonymous]

Could be some sort of diatom. By the looks of it there are some small bubbles in the fuzz. Did you try a turkey baster on it?

 

[Saltykirk]

I can't see it too well, but ...... What does everybody think of some sort of "lace coral". Remember the little,clear, fuzzy trees that grow on live rock sometimes? I don't know if this is maybe another type. I think everyone is right, doesn't look like an algae. Are your corals looking burned by it?

 

[coralsandbar]

It sound like a type of sponge to me as well but I could be wrong. Perhaps maybe a fungus.

Rob

 

[Saltykirk]

I don't think it is diatoms for sure. They are like dust. If it has bubbles it is usually a cyanobacteria. It comes in all colors including clear, brown, red, green. Sorry I havn't been much more help.