Clear Algae?

[KingTriton1]

So my tank has been setup up around 5 months now and can't seem to get rid of this algae. The algae looks like fuzzy GHA except clear in color. The algae is all over the rocks, while the shorter algae remains on the glass. It does have a VERY light brown color to it once scraped together, however nothing like the usual diatoms that I've ever experienced in the pasted. I know its very vague... Ill post some pics shortly, but the images tend to look different than the visual eye.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
No3 - 0
Phosphate - ?
Mg - 1300
Ca- 420
Alk - 8.3
Silicate - 0
TDS - 000

Im using Marco rock so it may be leaching phosphate, but I just find it strange as Ive never really seen the particular algae before. Ive been running Phosban for over two months now with weekly 20% WCs. Any ideas?

[thegrun]

It sounds more like bacteria than algae.

[cloak]

Chrysophytes perhaps?

http://chucksaddiction.thefishestate.net/ Info Links > Hitch Hikers > Algae

[KingTriton1]

Heres a photo I found over the internet. Its looks identical to the pictures below except it hasn't gotten that out of hand yet.

This without the green

[Bent]

Squint...

Is that cotton candy algae?

On second thought, it's Hard to say. Hair algae comes in so many colors. When's the last time you changed your media?

I'd get a po4 test and test the output of the reactor and compare it to the result from the DT.

The result may be 0 all around due to the algae eating it. But if it's growing just on the rock, then it's likely just leeching.

[KingTriton1]

Its strange... During my cycle lights remained off for 3 months. After the cycle I did a 100% WC then ran my lights over 6 hr period/day. Been change out my phosban media every 3 weeks. It has to be phosphate issue, but geez how much phosphate can a rock hold lol.

[Bent]

Originally Posted by KingTriton1

Its strange... During my cycle lights remained off for 3 months. After the cycle I did a 100% WC then ran my lights over 6 hr period/day. Been change out my phosban media every 3 weeks. It has to be phosphate issue, but geez how much phosphate can a rock hold lol.

I know right? That is a head scratcher.

Do you turkey baste the organic material off the rock?

Sometimes despite running GFO, I'll still end up with some algae depending on how much I feed. The way the current is, some of it settles in certain areas and if I don't blow it off, the rocks soak up the phosphate from it and slowly leeches in back in the water. So I found that, again depending on how much I'm feeding) manually blowing the sediment off the rocks helps keep the algae down.

But yeah, you would think that after 5 months the initial load would all be gone. Lol.

Edit:
I guess it could be bacteria, but I've never seen it look like that, mostly it's just a big slime mat. You dosing any carbon by chance?

[KingTriton1]

Carbon media but not vodka. The fish consume every last bit of food I put in the tank so I don't know.. They've only been spot fed and in the tank for 2 weeks now so I doubt that is the source. I do use a turkey baster and to firm tooth brush on occasions.

Im thinking about just replacing the GFO at a quicker rate. I had a small amount of GHA for a very brief period, but this other stuff seems to just be sticking around.

[Bent]

Originally Posted by KingTriton1

Carbon media but not vodka. The fish consume every last bit of food I put in the tank so I don't know.. They've only been spot fed and in the tank for 2 weeks now so I doubt that is the source. I do use a turkey baster and to firm tooth brush on occasions.

Im thinking about just replacing the GFO at a quicker rate. I had a small amount of GHA for a very brief period, but this other stuff seems to just be sticking around.

Do a google image search for crisophytes reef tank.

Awfully similar.