QUICK! Need Advice on Algae Problem

[ZReef]

I am only going to be home for the rest of today while I do a little tank maintenance but I need to run to my LFS to grab some more clean up crew. (My tank is at home while I am at college) I have an algae problem that I need to rid. Here is a picture of the algae, which seems to be some kind of hair algae that I don't recognize.



Can someone please tell me what algae this is and what I could get that would eat it? My hermits and snails don't touch it. (scarlet, red, blue, mexican, turbo, astrea, cerith, nerith, nassarius) If you have any suggestions I would GREATLY appreciate it.

Thanks so much,
Z

 

[deadhermitwalkin]

What size is your tank?

 

[ZReef]

46 gallons

 

[deadhermitwalkin]

maybe a Lawn mower blenny?

You would also be best suited for maybe manual removing of some this stuff by hand....then figureing out how it got there.

 

[~Flighty~]

Manual removal and try a conch. I think the name of it is bryopsis.

 

[ZReef]

I prune it, I squirt away whatever gunk it collects, I cut back on feeding, I have a big skimmer and a refugium with caulerpa. I don't have any sponges or filters that could cause nitrate problems. I dont add any formula 1 or 2 anymore to cut back on phosphates. Other than film algae on the glass this is the only algae that grows in my tank.

I would rather not add another fish to the tank for fear it would only add more of a bioload and increase the problem. The only thing I can think of is perhaps my RO/DI filters need changing but it hasn't even been six months.

I have a fighting conch but he can't get up to where this stuff is.

 

[~Flighty~]

What is your alc? Raising that can help beat algae issues.

Also, try changing the rockwork so the conch can get to it or just put him up there for a while.

 

[deadhermitwalkin]

caulerpa........... Sure it's just not calulerpa? not hair alage?

 

[fanaglethebagle]

Doesnt look like caulerpa to me

 

[rtc_reefer]

My two cents .. Check your phosphates and your makeup water - 0 PPM. (RODI)

If not invest in a Phosban Reactor and create some type of Fuge.

Good Luck

 

[Jim Tansey]

I may be wrong but I thought Bryopsis was a tough grass like algae, but if it is Bryopsis don't think you will find anything to eat it.

Jim

 

[wrassefan]

the water...flow...bulbs...what kind of skimmer and how much does it pull out?

 

[GinaD]

Cindy's right. I have the same stuff. It's Bryopsis plumosa. It comes up looking like tiny ferns.
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Bryopsis+plumosa&btnG=Search+Images

 

[ZReef]

Yeah it's definitely bryopsis so it looks like I am going to have a good batle ahead. I got some phosphate removal sponges today and I am going to check my water filters. Also, I will try to raise the alk and ph because it seems that slows the growth of it.

Has anyone ever tried covering the algae so that it can not get any light? This stuff seems to only grow in well lit areas.

Thanks

 

[TomD]

I think people have done that with epoxy but if it came to that I would remove rocks that have it. I got some of it on my TBS rock and I have been manually removing.

It pulls off easier than hair alage because it is stronger.
I would remove as much as possible and then explore suggestions above.

 

[Ray]

Get a seahair. they will eat it. I have battled this in the past and it is tough to get rid of. Also try to raise your alk up on the high end, it doesnt seem to like high alk levels. Mexican turbos have also been known to eat it but not always.

 

[Michael Mota]

I would cut down on the nutrients, cut back phosphate to 0 and raise alk to about 12 dkh. this should help to eliminate the algae.

 

[ZReef]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Seems like nothing will eat this so I will just have to cut out its nutrition source. Also might get a UV sterilizer to stop any spreading. From what I have read the UV kills the algae spores in the water column as well as help reduce its nutrients.

Manual removal is tricky because the filaments spread like crazy and create more clumps of it. Looks like I stressed out my green w/ purple rim cap while working in the tank because it was sliming and now it has a white spot....hopefully not RTN I don't even know how to trim it because I can't get it out of the tank to use my dremel.

 

[nichols]

It looks like Bryopsis to me too. I had this in my system also. I raised my Alk to 11 dkh, ran Phosban and got a lettuce nudi. The nudi does eat the stuff. My foxface rabbit fish doesn't. I still get small shoots in my frag tank from time to time, but their easy to pick off by hand. Keeping up with the water changes also helped.