What kind of algae is this?

DesertReefBoy · Nov 29, 2018

I have a 90 gallon mixed reef and can’t figure out where this algae is coming from? I am slowly transitioning to SPS dominate but still have a few LPS. I run triton and parameters are as follows.

Ph 8.1-8.4
No3 4-6 ppm
Po4 0.04-0.1 ppm
Alk 8.1
Ca 480 working on slowly bringing this down.
Mg 1400
Salinity 1.025

I have a blue regal tang, 7 anthias, 6 blue/green chromis, blue damsel and fire fish. along with 2 urchins, 20-30 hermits (blue, white and red) and a bunch of different snails.

Lighting is 2 hydra 26 HD and I run the AB+ per BRS. I also have 4 48” ATI t5 blue+.

Flow. 2 gyre xf 230 cranked up to 70%. About a month ago I went bare bottom and have been thinking about cranking these guys up to 100%. I just need to find a new spot for my hammer coral. I doesn’t like the flow.

I run a skimmer 24/7 and have a nice large healthy refugium powered by a h380.

Not sure why or what this algae is? Any thoughts?

Gary S · Nov 29, 2018

It's nothing I've seen before...based on its structure though, I bet that its thriving on the excess ca...do you have natural macro algae eaters such as emerald crabs? I've had astonishing success with them in the past.

DesertReefBoy · Nov 29, 2018

Gary S said:
It's nothing I've seen before...based on its structure though, I bet that its thriving on the excess ca...do you have natural macro algae eaters such as emerald crabs? I've had astonishing success with them in the past.

Thank you for the reply! I used to have some emerald crabs but my wrasse would eat them. I ended up getting rid of the green corris wrasse so I will definitely be buying a emerald crabs. How many do you think I should get?

Gary S · Nov 29, 2018

What's the size of the tank?

saltyfilmfolks · Nov 29, 2018

Gary S said:
It's nothing I've seen before...based on its structure though, I bet that its thriving on the excess ca...do you have natural macro algae eaters such as emerald crabs? I've had astonishing success with them in the past.

Excess ca?
Explain. Never heard that one.

For the op, are you carbon dosing?

I can’t make out the structure very well, but I don’t recognize it off the bat.

#reefsquad
I think I’d go vibrant. But...

DesertReefBoy · Nov 29, 2018

Gary S said:
What's the size of the tank?

90 gallons

DesertReefBoy · Nov 29, 2018

saltyfilmfolks said:
Excess ca?
Explain. Never heard that one.

For the op, are you carbon dosing?

I can’t make out the structure very well, but I don’t recognize it off the bat.

#reefsquad
I think I’d go vibrant. But...

I had a issue with high no3 and po4 a few months ago. I dosed NoPox. Things settled out and then my chaeto in the sump took over and No3 read 0 Po4 was 0.05. I started dosing potassium nitrate to get my No3 up. I slowly increased the No3 to 6-8ppm (over a week) but I noticed some of my SPS and zoas not looking so hot. I stopped dosing potassium nitrate 3-4 days ago and the No3 is slowly starting to come back down. SPS look a lot better some of the zoas are still the same. Today is was at 4ppm and this is when I really started to notice the algae issue.

Thinking of running some carbon for a few days...

Brew12 · Nov 29, 2018

Is it soft or is it calcified?

It almost looks like typical GHA that is being grazed short but not down to the rock. Never seen anything quite like it.

Any chance a Foxface or Kole tang is in your future stocking plans?

Flippers4pups · Nov 29, 2018

https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/topic/186736-nuisance-algae-guide/

From another site, but well written.

See if it looks like any of what they posted.

Scrubber_steve · Nov 29, 2018

maybe its green cyano

Gary S · Nov 29, 2018

saltyfilmfolks said:
Excess ca?
Explain. Never heard that one.

For the op, are you carbon dosing?

I can’t make out the structure very well, but I don’t recognize it off the bat.

#reefsquad
I think I’d go vibrant. But...

I've heard that it causes problems with some algae, because calcium is on of the building blocks of algae (sorta like a skeletal structure)...theres a good chance that info is wrong too, I just heard it when I had algae problems without any big red flags like high nitrates, excess light ect.

Flippers4pups · Nov 29, 2018

Could be a type of Cladophoropsis. Looks to have some "runner's".

jsker · Nov 29, 2018

Scrubber_steve said:
maybe its green cyano

+1

What are you testing phosphates and nitrates with?

What are you feeding?

What are your setting on the Hydra 26 hd's

DesertReefBoy · Nov 29, 2018

Brew12 said:
Is it soft or is it calcified?

It almost looks like typical GHA that is being grazed short but not down to the rock. Never seen anything quite like it.

Any chance a Foxface or Kole tang is in your future stocking plans?

I have had hair algae before and this doesn’t look like it to me. I will take more pictures and a video tomorrow when I get off work. Could be a different type of GHA I suppose?

Never had a fox face before. Are they reef safe? I just added 7 anthias a few weeks ago and wanted to let things settle till after the new year. I was thinning about adding a purple tang. Would a purple tang get a long with a yellow or blue kole eye?

DesertReefBoy · Nov 29, 2018

Brew12 said:
Is it soft or is it calcified?

It almost looks like typical GHA that is being grazed short but not down to the rock. Never seen anything quite like it.

Any chance a Foxface or Kole tang is in your future stocking plans?

Sorry it is soft not calcified from what I can tell.

Brew12 · Nov 29, 2018

DesertReefBoy said:
I have had hair algae before and this doesn’t look like it to me. I will take more pictures and a video tomorrow when I get off work. Could be a different type of GHA I suppose?

Never had a fox face before. Are they reef safe? I just added 7 anthias a few weeks ago and wanted to let things settle till after the new year. I was thinning about adding a purple tang. Would a purple tang get a long with a yellow or blue kole eye?

Foxface are safe and will decimate many algaes. I would be hesitant to put a purple tang in a tank that size, they can be down right vicious in smaller tanks. But, yes, it seems that kole tangs get along with just about everyone in my experience.

DesertReefBoy · Nov 29, 2018

Flippers4pups said:
https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/topic/186736-nuisance-algae-guide/

From another site, but well written.

See if it looks like any of what they posted.

Hmmm I wonder if it is Dictyota? I’ll take a better look at it in the morning.

DesertReefBoy · Nov 29, 2018

Brew12 said:
Foxface are safe and will decimate many algaes. I would be hesitant to put a purple tang in a tank that size, they can be down right vicious in smaller tanks. But, yes, it seems that kole tangs get along with just about everyone in my experience.

Ok. I already have a blue hippo tang 4-5 inches. This tank is a seed tank for a 180 I want to set up. I guess I will wait to add the purple. I’ll look into a kole eye and fox face.