Reddish brown algea on my substrate

[wgregww]

How do I prevent the dark reddish brown algea from forming on my sub. that seems to be the only place it grows. Nitrite=o Nitrate = 15 Phos=0 I do a 10-12 % water change every week.

 

[ronj]

well it has to have nutrients to grow..i would guess tht there are some nutrients..what brand of test kit are you using?? also, try reducing your lighting period by an hour or two

 

[burning2nd]

continue water changes weekly

reduce food amount.

wait

 

[mmkeeper]

You have to get your nitrates down and increase or water flow in that area. You also could cut back on your photoperiod.

 

[Krish]

You have to get your nitrates down and increase or water flow in that area. You also could cut back on your photoperiod.

I agree...Any excess nutrients (phosphates, nitrates etc) will fuel algae to grow which in your case, sounds like cynobacteria. It would be good for you to do a water change, which will firstly, dilute the excess nitrates in the tank (given you are using nitrate free ro/di water) and also, while removing the old water from the tank (how ever much you decide to remove) you can siphon up the red slime to export it out of your system. Chances are it will grow back for a while, but give it time and it will subside once you get those excess nutrients down and your tank finds it's balance.

 

[mmkeeper]

Make sure you test your water that you are using for the replacement water for your nitrates. Are you using ro/di water?

 

[SuperT]

I used turbo snails and started using RO water. It seems to help.

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF "SuperT"

 

[marinegeek101]

Ya it sounds like Cyano bacteria... I have a case of that myself, I have been doing alot of water changes, increased water flow, decreased feeding and its starting to die off.

 

[wgregww]

Thanks for all the help. I will give it all a try. Especially the water flow, thats probably were my weekest flow is.

 

[Poorbob2000]

Howdy,

So, if I understand correctly... The way to control/eliminate cynobacteria is to do frequent water changes and shorten the light period. Is this due to possible overfeeding and is there any crab or critter that will eat this stuff?? Does Phosban help?? And is excessive light times a cause of the live rock turning green? Any iudeas would be appreciated greatly..

Bob

 

[DaBrowns]

I would think it depends on what the "green" actually is. I had to re-do some rockwork while retreiving a dead fish...since my tank isn't FULLY cycled yet (only 5 1/2 months) this caused or assisted in every rock I moved getting covered in "turf" algae. I also had the red slime...which I can attest is a low flow menace. The red slime literally covered the back of the tank over a 3 day weekend while we were out of town. I got scared and nuked it w/ chemi-clean...worked wonders on the red slime...did nothing for the green turf. I have the added problem of having a small skimmer which could solve the problem as soon as I upgrade. All water params are perfect though so we'll just keep on keeping on until I get the new skimmer. From what I've read and been told...algae of all sorts is the necessary evil off a new tank for the first yr or so. I should add though that the "turf" is starting to die off slowly and the only thing I've done is add more cheato to the sump...and changed the photo period in the fuge from 24/7 to reverse of the display.