Red Algae Problem

[Stanfill Reef]

We just changed out the bulbs on our PC lights (new 55W Coralife bulbs, 2-10,000k white and 2-actinic) and have had a bad outbreak of red algae. It is getting a lot of flow, but it just keeps growin and covering the substrate. Any suggestions?

Tank parameters:
55-gallons
65 lb LR (lots of corraline)
6 fish
lots of softies, snails, crabs, etc
water temp ~78oF
Salinity - 1.024
Ammonia - None
Nitrite/Nitrate - None/<7

We have been doing 20% water changes weekly, vacuuming the substrate and rock as much as possible to remove the red algae.

-Chris

[Mafiaman]

Cyno can live off of it's dead, target vacumm the algea.
Reduce your feeding, it is getting nutriants from some place.
If you are using a product like DT's, Stop.

[Stanfill Reef]

Nope, no DTs, just frozen fish food (been using the same type and brand for 3 years). The only change was the light bulbs. We haven't even added any corals for about 3 months.

A real head scratcher...

[goodfortune]

Check PO4 as well. Many times when you have algae blooms, and Nitrates low or zero, phosphate is the culprit.

If you find that PO4 is the problem, there are many ways to reduce it, including reducing feedings and Kalkwasser. Kalkwasser provides localized high pH, which helps to pull PO4 out of the water column as a precipitate.

HTH,
Michael

[goodfortune]

Oh yes, to build on what Mafiaman said, if you've got some thing that needs to be fed DTs, like a baby clam, its best to remove it from the tank and "bowl feed" it.

It seems that many folks using DTs say that it fouls thier tank when they use it, and bowl feeding prevents you from having to ad it to your display tank.

- Michael

[dme330i]

How old and what kind of substrate are you using? If you are using a DSB or CC PO4 can eventually "leak", causing the bloom.

[Stanfill Reef]

The substrate is about 2" of crushed coral, and it has been in the tank about 3 years as well. I try to vacuum the accessable areas at least monthly to keep the detrius from building up. We also have a goby that does a fair job of moving it around from the back of the tank to the front of the tank. Now he has started building Mt. Ranier near his home; coral as deep as 4" in his spit out area and 1/2" deep in the back of the tank. I try to return the coral to the back of the tank at least monthly too.

I do think that the bloom started a few days after moving this pile a few weeks ago...maybe a connection?

I have vacuumed this area the last few water changes as part of moving the pile. But it is in this area that most of the algae is growing.

[goodfortune]

I've heard that sandbeds can trap PO4 and release PO4 and other nutrients back into the water column at a later date. Judging from the age of your tank, that could be it. I would imagine that the sand-sifting Goby helped to delay the re-release, though.

I may be off-base with this, but does anyone think that what is going on is "old tank syndrome?"

- Michael

Originally Posted by Stanfill Reef

...I do think that the bloom started a few days after moving this pile a few weeks ago...maybe a connection?

[Ghotit]

i was having the same problem as you last year , i got fed up and decided to try this stuff called Chemi-clean ,bobby has it at cba. i used half the reccamended dosage waited about 24 hrs and did a 25% water change i havent seen cyno since. = )

pc. i had the tank heavly stocked with fish coral and inverts and there were no adverse effects what so ever.

[Pamsreef]

I would vacuum the areas and cut back on feeding. Should go away on its own in maybe a week.

Pam