Maze like algae on glass

[Garf]

This tank has been neglected for a year and had one water change a few weeks ago when I decided I’m ready to get it fixed up.

I did install a turf scrubber and it did eliminate hair algae over the course of a few months but this is what remains and it’s something different

I respect your opinion and experience even if we have had bits of debate before. Allow me To add more details. These pictures are from December / early January. I had multiple algae issues at once - different forms. I added the scrubber first week of January. I did get growth out of it and harvested several times. I had a issue with my leds being too intense and had some white burned algae so I shaded the leds and that resolved.

The majority of the algae died off.

Ok, that's not a turf scrubber. That's a section to grow macro algae.

Then…the scrubber stopped growing algae completely I might have depleted a trace element like iron or manganese

Quite possible. You can make DIY for pennies, that's what I do.

 

[VintageReefer]

The scrubber definitely helped but this maze algae on the glass persists. And there are no snails, what appears to be an olive snail is a Halloween hermit

 

[VintageReefer]

Ok, that's not a turf scrubber. That's a section to grow macro algae.

I agree this is one of the more…”out there” products. I’m not really a fan of it and have some critiques.

Claims it can be a cheato chamber or a scrubber depending on how it’s configured. I set up in “scrubber” mode. It seeded itself and grew this naturally. But is not the algae that my actual scrubber grows on my 75g reef

 

[VintageReefer]

Now…if it’s an elemental shortage, and correcting that allows the “scrubber” to grow again, I might be back on a path to success with this device. It did make noticeable improvement in correcting the algae issue. I disregard the front pane of glass. That’s from my cleaning with a scraper. But the actual shelves, corals and rock had hair algae that persisted and got worse and worse, and with no changes but adding this device, they improved and vanished. Then…something happened - either I depleted a trace, or am leftover with a strain of algae the scrubber doesn’t compete with or have an impact on

 

[Garf]

I agree this is one of the more…”out there” products. I’m not really a fan of it and have some critiques.

Claims it can be a cheato chamber or a scrubber depending on how it’s configured. I set up in “scrubber” mode. It seeded itself and grew this naturally. But is not the algae that my actual scrubber grows on my 75g reef

You'll probably still need to scrape that stuff off the glass. There's lord knows how many varieties. Carbon dosing helps in stopping algae sticking as it creates a barrier. As long as the coral is ok, that's a plus.

 

[VintageReefer]

You'll probably still need to scrape that stuff off the glass. There's lord knows how many varieties. Carbon dosing helps in stopping algae sticking as it creates a barrier. As long as the coral is ok, that's a plus.

Corals been good along. Maybe before going crazy I’ll replace media cup with a sock, scrape it all off, net/sock all the loose crap, do another water change, add few ml of manganese, and see if anything grows back

 

[Garf]

Corals been good along. Maybe before going crazy I’ll replace media cup with a sock, scrape it all off, net/sock all the loose crap, do another water change, add few ml of manganese, and see if anything grows back

You got iodine?

 

[Garf]

I would add that any of these additions may make your problem worse. Reefing is great, isn't it?

 

[VintageReefer]

You got iodine?

Yes. And I run white at 5%
Other channels 60-80%

 

[VintageReefer]

I would add that any of these additions may make your problem worse. Reefing is great, isn't it?

I could end up feeding the remaining algae

 

[Garf]

I could end up feeding the remaining algae

Yep. Get rid of as much of the ugly stuff as possible. Fingers crossed.

 

[tautog83]

So dont take this the wrong way..how did you end up letting it get to that stage? I think youre over thinking solutions in a tank that small with the very little life thats in there . Take the "rock" out and try and grab a piece or 2 from a friend . The solution to that is 2 hours of scraping and brushing and basically starting new . Im sure theres plenty of bacteria in the sand that can compensate for that little structure anyways . Also if ya can barely see your powerhead through the swamp thing thats growing on it chances are its not working as intended. The corals look fine so like someone else said that rock might be an issue .

 

[VintageReefer]

I did no maintenance for 2 years aside from fresh water top off

 

[Garf]

I did no maintenance for 2 years aside from fresh water top off

LOL.

 

[Dan_P]

I have a 2 yr old Waterbox that’s been ugly for a while and I want to get things under control. Main issue seems to be two things

1) maze like algae grows on glass
2) snails die. Hermits live fine

Tried adding snails a few times. They become weak, and fall from surfaces and end up sideways and don’t try to correct it. Tried a strawberry conch, loved a few weeks then died. Hermits have no issues.

Livestock - single clownfish since the tanks startup over 2 years ago. Several scarlet hermits and a Halloween hermit.

Tank - 15g Waterbox peninsula

Lighting - ai prime 16hd

Feeding - this is my office tank. Weekdays I feed the clownfish a pinch of small pellets. Maybe 8-10. He gobbles every one up before they even begin to sink. There’s no excess feeding here. I skip weekends.

Filtration - media cup with matrix in space where filter sock would go, couple bio blocks, bag of chemi pure, algae turf scrubber (which did great for about 2 months then stopped growing algae)

Coral - acan colony, 1.5 yrs no issues. Few zoa as well. Had a thriving Cynarina for 6 months, only removed because it was so nice a vendor reached out and made an offer I couldn’t refuse. Other corals started getting algae on plug bases so moved them out before it became a problem for the corals

Coralline algae is everywhere. Clownfish and corals and hermits do fine. This algae is all over the glass and power head mainly. Not really on my rock or shelf’s or sand.

Also had outbreak of aiptasia. I introduced 2 berghia Nudibranch, they eliminated all the aiptasia over a few months.

Cyanobacteria mats and films can go from sheet-like structures to the hollowed out structure that resembles your growth. Your photograph resolution is not high enough to really see what is growing. It looks like hair algae, but it might be a blend of algae and cyanobacteria filaments. Get some under a microscope and we will have a better idea of what it is.

 

[VintageReefer]

In defense of my laziness I call this tank my neglected nano. I’m that 2 years of no maintenance I simply focused on other priorities

1) I finished a 75g LPS dominant reef
From this

To this

2) I built a self sustaining no maintenance 1.1g pico reef

3) changed careers

4) welcomed a baby

Sooo the office nano project got put on the back burner and never made it past this, and this is when the algae problems started, and when my life got busy

I gradually moved most coral out into my main display as the algae got worse and now I’m at a point where I’m ready to fix this tank and restart the project and brainstorming the best way to get it back under control

 

[VintageReefer]

Cyanobacteria mats and films can go from sheet-like structures to the hollowed out structure that resembles your growth. Your photograph resolution is not high enough to really see what is growing. It looks like hair algae, but it might be a blend of algae and cyanobacteria filaments. Get some under a microscope and we will have a better idea of what it is.

Anyone have a microscope with a camera I can borrow? I will offer an apogee par meter in exchange. Exchange for a week. I take some pictures. Other person can take some par readings. Then we send back items to the owners

 

[carol3]

I have a small quarantine/macroalgae holding tank that doesn't always get a lot of attention and I've found that amphipods make weird little tracks and patterns in the film on glass sides and bare bottom, I can see them doing it. Do you have lots of pods growing in that tank that could possibly be making those tracks?