Red Algae

[rossikey]

Can anyone help.....Our 180 tank has been running for around 9 mths.....with no major hassles at all.....We have always suffered with red algae but seem to be suffering really bad with it at the moment....Today we lost 2 Blue Chromis and a Rusty Angel who has only just come to us....The algae is terrible more so on the sand at the front of the tank..I cleaned it off today and within 2 hours it is back with a vengeance and is also on the glass now too....like fur.....our LFS said to test the phosphates which we have done and it is zero...we are wondering if it could be our lighting...we are using 50/50 marine tubes as our tank is the rio 180 and only set for 2 tubes.....
canb anyone shed any light on this algae..give us any clues as to could be causig it and do you think this could be killing our fish...

all other tests are fine.

 

[blout]

it could be your tubes it is recommended that you change your tubes every 6 to 12 months dependind on how long you have them on every day, it could be your light is not producing the right spectrum anymore hence the change for new ones, if you want to add another tube just drill the lid its plenty strong enough. hope that helps.

 

[rossikey]

Thank you....off to buy a couple of new tubes tomorrow..wandering whether it could be a bacteria thing as it doesnt half return quick...

 

[J-Money]

maybe you could add to your cleaning crew too...

 

[Navarre]

i will add that red algae is called Cyano and is actually a bacteria and not an algae at all.

Cyano doesnt do well in high circulated water as it preffers low water movment and high nutrient environment.

Lighting is not really an issue with cyano as the bacteria relies on food rather than light (although changing your lights is a good option anyway).

Cyano feeds on 2 things. Nitrates or Phosphates. Many people make the mistake when testing phosphates by just taking a water sample and chackig. the readings are almost always low or zero...

If you actually take a sample of water roght next to the cyano then you might find you get a different reading.
Also remember that it takes only a tiny amount of phosphate or nitrate to produce large quantities. I have a cyano problem also at the moment and my Nitrates are 10ppm with phosphates being less then .25 this is more than enough for it to take a hold.

I would rearrange the circulation, increase it if you can. Remember that you need a minimum of 10x tank volume in circulation per hour for the tank. a 180 ltr tank needs 1800 ltrs per hour turn over minimum. I would ty and get as high as 20x if possible.

 

[ostrow]

It is either cyano or diatoms but either way, it isn't the tubes. What kind of water are you using? My hunch is tap water. You need to use RO/DI water, that's the first thing.

You want circulation of at least 15x the water volume (actual water volume).

So, in order of importance tho all are critical:

1. RO/DI water if you aren't already using it. If this will be a change, do water changes of 10-15% every few days until you have replaced the total water volume of the tank.

2. I'd recharge the sandbed (or charge it ... did you ever seed it with worms, pods, etc?). Get a diverse sample ... sand from display tanks or refugia of stores and other hobbyists near you. A couple cups from a few sources and you are good to go.

3. Check the flow as indicated above.

4. Make sure you have a good cleanup crew that includes 1 nassarius vibex snail for every 10G of water and 1 fighting conch for every 20G.

5. If you can get it, follow the directions for use of Microbe-Lift Special Blend, which is another beneficial bacteria booster.

 

[rossikey]

excellent thank you for all the advice..I will try all mentioned......will keep you posted......I cant answera about a few things mentioned as its my partner tank and i dont have a lot to do with it...I will show him all metioned and i know he will be very greatful to you all..

Thank you and a happy new year to you all.....

 

[Opcn]

I'll bet that the reason phosphates registered zero is that they are used by the algea, Try testing the water you add