I seriously need to know what to do!! This Algae wont go away!!!!

[excitedforfish]

Hi guys,

I have had this algae growing in my tank for over 6 months now. I used to have a 57 gallon rimless tank and it was ridden with this algae problem. Its like a slimy RUST colored algae that would never go away! I had a top of the line skimmer, ran chemipure, did water changes, and only fed every other day. Also only had 3 fish in the tank.

Fast forward 6 months later and I just sold the 57g tank to downsize to a 29g biocube. I reused the sand (bad idea?) and guess what, the dang algae is back. Here are pictures I just took of the tank. It looks gross.







On my large tank I tried chemiclean and it did not work. If I use a turkey baster it kind of comes off in little clumps and sort of dissolves into the sand. Looks like diatoms/cyano. I dont think it is dino (but I dont know). Very little air bubbles that I see but I heard cyano produces bubbles as well. From what I researched, dino has like reverse snot bubbles. What I have is just nasty wavy rust colored slime.

WHAT DO I DO? My tank is doing great other wise. Phosphates came back at 0. Even used phosguard in hopes it would go away. Lights are only on 5 hrs a day. I'm just so upset because I want this to go away and it will not. Beginning to give up on this hobby, so please help.

[bkoo29]

Try no lights for 2 or 3 days. I tried 1 hour of light each day f

or 3 days.

[username in use]

ro/di?

[bkoo29]

Wth how it that map pic get there? Haha.

[zigzag1]

Originally Posted by username in use

ro/di?

Are you using RO/DI water? Also, what brand of phosphate test kit did you use? Most are notoriously inaccurate. Don't let the 0 reading lull you into inaction, if you are seeing otherwise in nuisance algae growth. JMTC & GL!

[divewsharks]

what kind of water do you use? do you use GFO and/or carbon?
what is the flow like in the tank?

[rqc]

Hate the algae and it happens to me. What I did is cover my sand with black garbage bag, I cut down my photoperiod to 2-3 hours a day, fed every other day and then I started dosing vodka. After a month it's all gone...

[excitedforfish]

I use RO/DI water I make from my own home using a RO/DI system. TDS reading = 0.

Phosphates test kit was through API. I figured it might be wrong, or the algae is eating it all up. But all I care for is for it to GO AWAY!!!

I'll have to turn my lights out and see what happens.

BUT...do you guys think its cyano, diatoms, or the dreaded dino?

[excitedforfish]

Originally Posted by bkoo29

Wth how it that map pic get there? Haha.

lol the gvm't is watching over you

[excitedforfish]

Originally Posted by divewsharks

what kind of water do you use? do you use GFO and/or carbon?
what is the flow like in the tank?

I have one Koralia 750 in there right now and it is way too strong (the bottom of the tank is exposed no matter where I point it and it piles the sand up). I have a koralia nano too I need to add in there. I do have carbon (stock biocube cartridge) I have in there for now. Will remove it once it gets dirty so it does not become a nitrate factory.

Also have two huge bags of chemipure elite in there as well!!!

[jimrawr]

Its diatoms, and you have them likely because your PO4 and NO3 are elevated. Invest in a decent kit for both of those, like hanna for PO4, and Red Sea for NO3. Without knowing what those levels are at, you wont know how to proceed in getting rid of these diatoms. If you dont want to spend money on kits, then bring it to an LFS to test your water but make sure they use good kits. For example, API is pretty worthless for nitrates because it wont show anything under 5ppm. PO4 is almost never detectable because it needs to be so low for our systems not many test kits can read that low.

If you dont test everything with good kits, you dont know how to attack your problem.... If its PO4 run GFO, if its Nitrates then try some vodka dosing. A algae turf scrubber will get rid of those after a month or so

[excitedforfish]

Originally Posted by jimrawr

Its diatoms, and you have them likely because your PO4 and NO3 are elevated. Invest in a decent kit for both of those, like hanna for PO4, and Red Sea for NO3. Without knowing what those levels are at, you wont know how to proceed in getting rid of these diatoms. If you dont want to spend money on kits, then bring it to an LFS to test your water but make sure they use good kits. For example, API is pretty worthless for nitrates because it wont show anything under 5ppm. PO4 is almost never detectable because it needs to be so low for our systems not many test kits can read that low.

If you dont test everything with good kits, you dont know how to attack your problem.... If its PO4 run GFO, if its Nitrates then try some vodka dosing. A algae turf scrubber will get rid of those after a month or so

Thank you for the advice. I think its a mix of diatoms and cyano. Do you think there is any chance this is dino? Some have told me it is but I just hope they are wrong! So difficult to tell the difference between cyano and dino for me

[sneaton]

i thought diatoms were more of a dusting.....looking at it closely it looks like cyno...dinos are snotty strings.....if your fed up try chemiclean again

[jimrawr]

Its not dinos, and I doubt its cyano or chemipure would have been the end of it. Its diatoms and you have it because of NO3 and PO4 in your tank. Until you figure out your parameters you wont really be able to know how to attack it. Again, make sure you use real test kits and not the $5 ones that always show zeros for everything

[GPB]

The color is more indicative of Diatoms than cyano. However, the growth habit looks very much like cyano.

I think Chemipure is nothing but fancy branded GAC. They make another product called Chemi-clean but I would stay away from it. I think it is pretty strong stuff.

I agree on the testing thing. Get the facts before you treat. If you have any PO4, I would get some GFO. Do you have a gravel vac? Manual removal during a water change with a vac might help. I would think just stirring would move if from place to place.

Testing.
More frequent WC
Gravel Vac.
GFO

[Ronny#66]

I have same thing in my tank I also make my own RO water have meter on in and out on RO filter 1 going in 0 out. You all lose me on these abrivations like GFO GAC .

Ronny

[toothman]

That is a diatom bloom.

You should own a hanna photometer, $50 for the small one.

check your ro/di, it most likely is not that good, at least get a new di.

Add some gfo and feed less.

They will go away easily.

[excitedforfish]

Hi guys, checked my RO/DI and it says 0....though it also says 0 at going in? What is up with that?

Also, here is an updated picture after using chemi clean. Doesed it at 11:00 p.m at night, now it is 3:00 p.m. Should the algae really have withered away by now? The picture looks better than it really is...

BEFORE:


AFTER:


Close-up NOW:

[biecacka]

think they say it takes 24 hours
corey

[Reefing Newbie]

That looks like cyano. You are wasting money on using chemicals to irradicate the problem. The only way to kill cyano is with a 3 day lights out, with the tank covered to block any sunlight or room light from entering the tank. You cannot starve cyano of anything but light. The other parts that allow it to live are needs to keep everything else in the tank alive. Do a. 3 day lights out totally blacked out with your tank covered once a month until it goes away. Do this for a few months and you shouldn't have the problem again. Sk8r has a awesome thread and blog page on this and I highly recommend you take a look.

[BeanMachine]

Originally Posted by jimrawr

Its diatoms, and you have them likely because your PO4 and NO3 are elevated. Invest in a decent kit for both of those, like hanna for PO4, and Red Sea for NO3. Without knowing what those levels are at, you wont know how to proceed in getting rid of these diatoms. If you dont want to spend money on kits, then bring it to an LFS to test your water but make sure they use good kits. For example, API is pretty worthless for nitrates because it wont show anything under 5ppm. PO4 is almost never detectable because it needs to be so low for our systems not many test kits can read that low.

If you dont test everything with good kits, you dont know how to attack your problem.... If its PO4 run GFO, if its Nitrates then try some vodka dosing. A algae turf scrubber will get rid of those after a month or so

I did exactly this, and manual removal with a small siphon hose. Its now all gone. I had lots of cyano and what I thought were dinoflagellates but may very well have been diatoms.

I doubt that API kit is giving you an accurate reading.

[seapug]

Originally Posted by jimrawr

Its not dinos, and I doubt its cyano or chemipure would have been the end of it. Its diatoms and you have it because of NO3 and PO4 in your tank. Until you figure out your parameters you wont really be able to know how to attack it. Again, make sure you use real test kits and not the $5 ones that always show zeros for everything

Diatoms are fueled by silicates.

It looks like cyano to me. Everyone will have their own methods for dealing with it, but I've found using carbon based nitrate remover works best. I personally use AZ-NO3 (a sugar based organic C product) when cyano starts showing up in my system. Completely disappears within about 3 days and leaves your sand pure white. Just need to have a good protein skimmer going.

Just my .02.

[excitedforfish]

alright so it seems like the consensus is that it is a diatom/cyano bloom.

Thankfully, I dont see many people said it was dinos. PHEW.

I'll monitor the water and chemiclean and post pictures as the day goes by. Hopefully I can fight this algae for good!

[davocean]

I had similar just recently after doing a swap and also disturbing my sand bed.
I did the normal stuff, bigger/more frequent WC's w/ good DI and such.
I ended up doing a 3 day lights out period, and that got it wiped out and now under control.

[psychobilly]

I had the same problem in my bio cube hqi cut lights back to 8 hrs power head pointed to other corner and it's almost gone