New fuge problems.

[Drewbaby]

I setup a refugium on my 180 about 2 months ago. It only had a shallow sand bed because it's a shallow custom fuge I bought used. I just put the lights on it 2 weeks ago. They are the cfl flood lights 65w 5400k I added some codium plants a week ago as they were all my lfs had for now. 3 days ago I started seeing a slight film on the sand. Now it's a dark green/ black slime algae.

Is that normal? If not what is it and how can I get rid of it?

I run the lights on a reverse photoperiod than the display if that makes a difference

[Drewbaby]

Anybody..

[Drewbaby]

Nobody's had this happen?

[outy]

i run mine BB because its easier to clean the detritus out.

you may need to pull it and clean it. A shallow sand bad is nothing more then a crud trap

[Drewbaby]

I only put the sand in there to keep the plants from blowing away in the current.

[Uncle Salty 05]

A refugium should have a sand/mud bed to provide minerals and give the worms and pods a place to multiply and your macro a place to root. I am not familiar with the plant you mentioned but that is probably how whatever it is growing in your fuge got introduced.
Can you post a picture?
I would get some cheato and or caulerpa pronto though.
Good luck.

[Skins]

Too slow of flow? Maybe add a very small powerhead to keep circulation.

[Drewbaby]

It may be the flow. I'll try to get a picture tonight when I turn the fuge lights on at 10pm.

[Reverend Reefer]

i would add some cheato in your fuge, its easy to get a hold of, my LFS gives it away since you have to harvest it once and awhile (thus nutrient export). i have some codium in one of my seahorse tanks. it grows really really slow so it isn't the best for nutrient export, although its quite pretty. i keep various macroalgae in my fuges, but cheato and caulerpa are pretty much the best. i like the cheato since it provides a lot of areas for pods to grow in, its relatively easy to harvest for nutrient export, it grows under different lights, and it pretty manageable since it kinda grows like a big clump or ball. i also like how it allows you to put a powerhead in the fuge, to reduce some of the cyano that sometimes builds up, and at the same time, breaks up the flow as it goes through the cheato spaghetti algae strings. also, my foxface likes to eat it if i grab some and put it in the display.