What is this stuff???

[Grouper]

It looks like cyano, but it's not red or green. It's more like a tan color, and a bit clear in some places.

It's slimy and covers some part of my rock. Each day, it's full of bubbles (especially after the lights go on).

I'll try to post a pic later today, but in the meantiime:

What is it?


Parameters are all in check (including less than .02 phosphates). I've done water changes, ude poly filters, vaccumed the stuff out, etc... and nothing seems to work. It keeps coming back.

I can't imagine what is feeding this stuff, as the only fish in this 90 gallon tank right now is a golden wrasse (aka yellow, canary or banana wrasse), and I feed him sparingly, as he seems to do fine picking at the rocks (the tank is undergoing a conversion from an agressive fowlr to reef).

If you can offer any suggestions, please do so, as I'm at a loss here. thanks.

[icemark]

How long has the tank been set up?

[scubadude]

I like your website....Im curious is the pics of the tank on yer site the state that the tank is in now? If so one of the pics show a patch of cyano (red algae) which is usually caused by excess nutrients somewhere....which may be fuelling the other algae you mentioned...can you give some more specifics on your tank....like circulation in tank? pumps? refugiums? and as Ice stated how long has it been setup? and how deep and old is the sandbed? sandfauna...etc etc About the only things you can do in this situation is increase the current in the problem area...do more w/c's and possibly setup a refugium, and cut back on feeding. HTH

[Grouper]

Icemark: The tank's been set up now for about 15 months.

Scubadude: Thanks. I should mention that, although the website has been updated, the pictures of the tank on there are over 6 months old. The tank looks a lot different now, with much more micro and macro algea. There is some small green patches of cyano here and there, but no red cyano that I can see. Circulation is brisk, with an Iwasaki 40RLT (which pumps, I believe, about 1200 GPH), plus 4 maxijets 1200s, one of which is pointed toward the surface to agitate the water there. Still, I continue to have this problem.

I will take some pictures when I get home tonight and post them. If you can check back and see them I would appreciate it, as this stuff is driving me crazy.

Thanks.

[organicreefer]

have you lost any snails recently?sounds like a dinoflagellate.i suggest you syphon it out.dinoflagellates can be toxic to herbivores,and if it really blooms it can smother and kill soft corals and gorgonians.the blooms can persist for several weeks but they usually die back on their own.better skimming and dripping kalk are two 'cures "i can think of of hand.hth