Sudden Orange Algae Bloom, HELP

[Ryan Schroder]

I just started a new reef tank recently. 90 gallons, with 2x250 metal halide 14k and 4x65W actinic. I have 110 pounds of live rock, all but 20 lbs is really bare. I bought a UV sterilizer and installed it yesterday and all of a sudden today there is a ton of orangish algae all over the two big pieces of purple rock and the rock around it. I was using purple up to accelerate the growth of the coraline algae, but using it with in the recommended usage. Does anyone know if the UV sterilizers cause this problem, or what does.... Thanks a lot

[SlowCobra]

Sounds like diatoms. Though normally found on the sandbed. Pretty normal for a new tank cycle.

[Ryan Schroder]

so are these diatoms going to go away naturally or should I scrub them. Is a water change going to help?

[Dr Begalke]

ya, your fine, that's the normal diatom bloom.

[StunnaShadez]

good CUC can and will help. i find that trochus combined with astreas do really good job on my rock and glass. i also have a fuge w/ chaeto that helped me defeat the diatom algae cycle where in the past i didnt have a fuge and it lasted a couple months to the point where i just gave up and quit for awhile.

[TitusvileSurfer]

Are you through your cycle yet? Excess nutrients are probably reacting like gasoline on a fire. On the bright side, there is only so much gas...and fire is hungry.

[Ryan Schroder]

Ok so I do have a refugium on my tank, is there something that I can add to treat the tank? Should I stop using the purple up or adding calcium. The tank is not really cycled yet I don't think. It has been set up with live rock for 3 weeks, I added a school of chromis a week ago. There is no amonia, no nitrate, my PH is good, my carbonate hardness is good. I also noticed that bloom is worst directly under the halide. So I shut the halide off and am running just the actinics. Any suggestions on what to do? Water change? take it out and scrub it? Less light, more light? Chemicals / treatments?

Thanks

[Ryan Schroder]

Forgive my inexperience, but CUC means clean up crew right? Like snails and crabs? And Chaeto, I googled it, and its a type of Macro Algae right?

Do I need a light in my refugium for the macro to grow? If so how much lighting is necessary? There is decent flow in there cause of the protein skimmer, phosphate reactor, the pump in and out, and the UV sterilizer, but I could add another pump in there if necessary.

I only have 5 chromis in there, and about 110 lbs of rock. Most of the rock is bare, how many cleaners should work, and of what type.

Thanks