[Tie]

It started out looking cool. A nice red/purple patch on the lr and now it's just gross and getting out of control.

Any suggestions? Can I srape it off or will that just make things worse?

[Reefland]

Cyanobacteria, do a search.

Basically it is a nutrient problem, nitrates specifically. Water changes and increased flow, especially on the spot it is developing, will help out.

Scott Z.

[zhenya]

Originally Posted by Reefland

Cyanobacteria, do a search.

Basically it is a nutrient problem, nitrates specifically. Water changes and increased flow, especially on the spot it is developing, will help out.

Scott Z.

I agree with Scott that it is a Cyanobacteria. Whater changes will help a lot,try also syphoning it off while doing the water changes. Check your feeding regime as well, mainly amount of food that is being added to the tank.

[squdgy]

do water changes, reduce feedings.. you can also lower the time for your light cycle for a while as well.. Also make sure your protien skimmer is working well, cleaned....

[acropora]

In addition to all the good advice above; it is also helpful to raise the alk level in your tank.This can be done with additional kalk additions.It is a real pain and almost everyone has had it at one time or another.It is best to address the nutrient issue primarily,but sometimes it can get out of control.If that does occur,the product by Ultra Life called red slime remover,works very well.

[Tie]

Thanks for all the good replies.

I'm going to do a water change tonight. My trates are next to nothing so I'm not sure what "nutrient" is causing it. I do not over feed the 2 fish that are in there. I give em only what they will eat and I do tiny bits at a time.

Skimmer is rocking and rolling. (MR1)

I admit I have not done a water change for a 3 or 4 weeks. I'll see if that helps.

Also, is this stuff really safe to use? http://www.northcoastmarines.com/slimerem.htm

[acropora]

Tie, Would I steer you wrong? I mentioned the red slime remover above since I have used it and it works well. Do you use RO/DI water for your water changes. If you can remove some of the rock,then place it in a bucket of tank water and brush it off.A water change is always good.Try adding some kalk to raise the Alk as well.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by Tie

My trates are next to nothing so I'm not sure what "nutrient" is causing it.

One of the annoying things in this hobby is that the bad algae eats the nitrates...so they often show up low or non-existent....even though that is what is causing the problem

I also found that reducing the lighting period slightly helped with the small patch I had - check for Phosphates too - despite 100% RO top off, I still had some phosphate in the tank - probably food is the source


Steve

[acropora]

When you measure phosphates you must also consider that even if the reading is low or zero,it doesn't take in consideration how much is being used up by the algae in your tank.Phosphate may be entering your system from other sources,such as certain carbons and food sources as well as from make up water.It is then used up by the algae present in your tank.You phosphate test may show little or none, but it may still be entering your system.It is for this reason that phoshate removing media is a plus.

[LazyReef]

I agree with the others that have identified a nutrient problem in your tank as the cause for the cyano bacteria. Cyanos out-compete (dominate) other algae when phosphates are high. They are usually found where organic forms of nitrogen (e.g. ammonium) and organic phosphate are high. Reffered to as dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and (DOP).

You are testing Dissolved Inorganic Phosphate (DIP). Although you can't test for the DOP, the DIP test indicates you have a overall "nutrient" problem.

The nutrient level in the water column (tank water) is at a steady state with the biological life in the tank. The phosphate level on the test is the current level in real time. Performing a water change will only dilute the concentration which will return over time to the current level or higher. It is obviously coming from somewhere. As you remove it from the water column, the nutrients will leach out of the source until they reach an equilibrium.

Remove sources of phosphate input from salt mixes, and mixing water and additives. Use RO/DI for top off...etc.


If you have a testable level in your water column you should identify the source of the nutrients. The usual culprit is the substrate. Decaying matter in substrate provides a source of nturients. In this example, if you tested your substrate it will be higher in DIP than the water column.

If you determine the substrate to be the "source" of the nutrients than you need to adopt a method to keep the substrate clean. For nutrient export I prefer using an algae scrubbing and protein skimmer. You should have sand sifters (gobies, starfish) and scavangers. They can make sure all the crap has a chance to be reconsumed or stirred up where it can be eaten by filter feeders or skimmed out in your skimmer.