post pics of bad algea

[agreeive?fish]

pleas post pics of bad algeas to help people like me that dont know what 99.9999% of these algeas people talk about are

[Frick-n-Frags]

ok, sounds like fun :)

bryopsis-pretty fern looking stuff
<img src="http://www.solpugid.com/cabiota/bryopsis_corticulans_2.jpg">

Dictyota
<img src="http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l140/JFK_Jr/BrownalgaePhaeophytaDictyotasp.jpg">

green hair algae
<img src="http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Algae%20and%20Plt%20Pix/Green%20Algae/Unknown%20Greens/hair%20algae%20tank%20wwm.JPG">

cyano slime

<img src="http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/apr08/images/cyanobacteria-lg.jpg">

Lobophora
<img src="http://www.stiesi.com/Webpage-Images/2009-03-08-0001.JPG">

[Frick-n-Frags]

this one gets its own post. my most hated/feared pest algae of ever: Valonia

<img src="http://www.fishlore.com/Pictures/algae/bubble-algae-lg2.jpg">



edit: really any algae can get too happy and take off on you. do some image googling for Caulerpa, Halimeda, Chaetomorpha, Derbesia....the classic ID thread algae: Neomeris annulata :D

[alleykat81]

Check out the Reef Cleaners website. They have good pics of nuisance algae.

[mikeyj28]

how do you prevent cyano slime?

[100%hydrophylic]

flow, good lights (not old bulbs), and clean healthy water. but really all tanks get it while they are maturing. its like acne. most people get it when theyr growing up atleast a little. after maturing no more cyano unless theres a problem (such as bad bulbs, poor water quality, or stagnant areas)

[Sisterlimonpot]

flow, good lights (not old bulbs), and clean healthy water. but really all tanks get it while they are maturing. its like acne. most people get it when theyr growing up atleast a little.+1 and if you start to get it go lights out for 3 days and in that time add more flow and better lighting.

[afernandez]

Lol def true ps. I love you quote lol(sister lion)

[MatesonG]

Diatom algae...and i cannot get rid of it. :mad2:

Water paramaters are perfect, have great flow (MP40 :) I can be happy about that) and I'm running a TLF Phosban reactor too..only have 2-MH-250w on from 12:00-6:00. and my two actinics before and after those for a dawn/dusk affect. If thats not it maybe my water supply...? About to get my RO/DI (The Filter Guys or Bulk Reef Supply)....so HELP?

<a href="http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k281/MatesonG/Fish%20Tank/?action=view&current=DSC_4427.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k281/MatesonG/Fish%20Tank/DSC_4427.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[Chiefsurfer]

mateson, still cycling the tank? Is that a nem in the left center? Also, where/what water ARE you using?

Luckily so far(2 weeks, and fully cycled first 1/2 of LR and tank) I have about 3 clumps of GHA that is about the size of a dime at the base, and spotty cyano on the rock, and that's it. I hope I don't get into some of the issues of really bad nuesence algae.

[T Man]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=898&pictureid=5270


trailed six feet in three months, this shot is about eight months post introduction - the tank was then broken down, lesson learned. TinMan


http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=898&pictureid=5376

[MatesonG]

mateson, still cycling the tank? Is that a nem in the left center? Also, where/what water ARE you using?

Luckily so far(2 weeks, and fully cycled first 1/2 of LR and tank) I have about 3 clumps of GHA that is about the size of a dime at the base, and spotty cyano on the rock, and that's it. I hope I don't get into some of the issues of really bad nuesence algae.

Na, my cycle was done about 3-4 months ago. And everything was taken out of my 55 and into the 75g. I did add dried LR and dry aragonite sand.

Yeah its a Pink Tip Haitian Anemone, long white/clear tentacles with pink tips. Very pretty. I got it really cheap an i know y. It moves EVERYWHERE! and never stops! It has been caught in two pumps and one time i decided, down the drain it goes. But when it fell IN the disposal i felt bad so i eventually was able to get my hand down in there and get it out. rinsed it off put it back in and all fine the next day.

I get my water from a friends restAurant, they have a RO system there. as far as i know its not DI though. but my 55 i had up for a year and never had a problem, once i switched, it all the sudden wanted to act up. So once i get my RO/DI i'll c if that was the problem.

As far as your GHA, when my 55 was set up we left it alone for about 2 weeks with the lights off. came back GHA everywhere, when and got a clean up crew and it was all gone in about 2-3 days. never had a problem after that.

I would get water from my LFS but it's about a 20 minute drive and i go through so much a week from top offs and water changes.

[Sisterlimonpot]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=898&pictureid=5270


trailed six feet in three months, this shot is about eight months post introduction - the tank was then broken down, lesson learned. TinMan


http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=898&pictureid=5376

Wow I'm glad I never jumped on the caulerpa ban wagon. I was researching it and was about to get it and the wife said not to. That was one of the moments that I'm glad I listened to her.

[Kingumar]

this one gets its own post. my most hated/feared pest algae of ever: Valonia

<img src="http://www.fishlore.com/Pictures/algae/bubble-algae-lg2.jpg">



edit: really any algae can get too happy and take off on you. do some image googling for Caulerpa, Halimeda, Chaetomorpha, Derbesia....the classic ID thread algae: Neomeris annulata :D

is it okay to try to pop these bubbles?
i had like 1 or 2 of them and it felt like i could pop them, never mess with it though and went away.

[Sisterlimonpot]

popping them allows for them to spread. don't pop them. If they went away on their own then your lucky. I have emeralds crabs that keep them out of the tank.

[Aquarist007]

Here is an old blog on fighting algae--you might find something useful in it

Capn's collection of shock and awe against algae

Most of the time algae is the symptom of the problem, not the problem itself.

Algae needs three things for the process of photosythesis to occur--carbon dioxide, light and food. If we could completely remove one of these elements it would not be able to survive.
Unfortunately in our reef tanks it is difficult to remove light and carbon dioxide completely but we can sereverly limit its food, mainly nitrates and phosphates.

If you have an algae problem then it should be approached in a way that limits the nitrates and phosphates in your water column

This is a combination of steps and practises rather then one magic bullet that will kill off all the algae in your tank.

Here is a list of practises that have been mentioned through a great number of posts that I have been proactive in and hopefully if they are together they might help

1. Feeding techniques----always feed less at one time but feed more often if the species of fish requires it. My fish always look hungry and so does my dog--they learn how to scam us humans very quickly.
Rinse off frozen prepared foods like brine shrimp and mysis shrimp. Quite often they contain phosphates and nitrates from die off in their holding tanks.

2. Flow rates and directions of flow can make a big difference
A rate that is quoted here quite often is that you should have between 20-40 times your tank volume in gph if your tank is mostly lps and even greater if mainly sps corals. There are still some expections with lps corals--you need to be on top of the husbandry requirements for each coral you have and place them accordingly.

Organic laden water slowly rises from the bottom of the tank to the top where it is skimmed off by various methods such as an overflow. Skimmed water is usually sent back to lower levels of the tank from the skimmer or sump via various ways such as loc lines.

In practical words this means that in the tank your flow should be directed to always enhance the above natural flow in the tank.
It should for a circle or semi circle and be pushed down, across the substrate up to the surface--across the surface--churning it up and towards the overflow

3.flow rates in the sump
The perfered answer for this question is between 5-10 times the total volume of your water column.
More importantly it should match the flow rate of your skimmer.
Otherwise unskimmed organic laden water is returned to the lower levels of the tank where it has to slowly make its way to the top like I desribed in the above flow senerio. This gives algae a second chance to have another lunch
This is also where flow rates and directions in the tank also help in this particular situation by getting the water back up to the top and out the overflow faster again.

Flow rates both in the sump and the tank are very important in the filtering process

4.Method of cleaning or tank maintenance
water changes---Randy has written in one of his articles that the ideal water change to remove nitrates is 30 per cent once of month
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php
other reefers have stated that immediate or every two week 20 percent water changes will reduce phosphates and ammonia quickly.cleaning the rockwork and substrate--once a week take a turkey baster and lightly baste the rock and substrate with it. this will get dissolved organics, phosphates and nitrates back into the water column where they can be filtered off instead of collecting and adding to the algae smorgasboard. Once again flow is very important in this also.

change your protein skimmer cup every other day

if running a filter sock change it everyother day---soak it in bleach and run it through a wash cycle with no soap. Let them dry in the air and the clorine will evaporate

5. tweaking equipment. Try not to run bioballs in filters. Replace them and all filter media with nothing!
The best use of a canister filter is to run straight carbon in it.

take skimmer pumps apart once a month and clean out the air venturis--make sure you have lots of air being combined to give a good foam column. This helps reduce organics but it also helps displace carbon dioxide with oxygen and keep your pH stable.

Once you have your levels of phosphates and nitrates in check then you may want to consider

1. running carbon and phospban in phosban reactors. the advantage to these is the water is forced through the entire media and can't take the easy way around the outside as when the media is put in a bag. Carbon can adsorb some phosphates and nitrates and the carbon is used by active bacteria in the tank

2. setting up a refugium with chaeto algae. You will need a good size refugium 20-30 gals and about 2-3 months of intensive cheato grow for it to make a noticeble difference on phosphates and nitrates. and the other advantage of a refugium is you get a larger and more variety of copopods, other inverts and good bacteria for the water column
There are many examples on this thread:
Refugiums the good bad and the ugly
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...hreadid=1349443

3. finding critters that eat algae. I leave this till the last because it is a problematic solution to algae. the critters don't always do what they are suppose to do. Putting some inverts in to eat a particular algae is great at the start but what do they feed on after they have eaten their specific food source.4. another method that is cropping up alot more now is the use of magnesium. Magnesium should be at 1300ppm in a reef tank to support a level over 400ppm of calcium. some reefers have reported great success with cranking the level of magnesium to 1600 pppm for two weeks. the aglae dies off and none have reported any death to corals, inverts or fish.
This is discussed in detail on this thread:
A solution to Bryopsis
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showt...hreadid=1113109

Excellent threads on fighting alagePhosphate starvation
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...hreadid=1383158

should I add a phosphate reactor
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showt...ghlight=phosban

how to remove phosphates
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showt...ghlight=phosban

Related reading(thanks to Highlandreefer for compiling them)

Phosphate and the Reef Aquarium
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...t2003/chem.htm

Problem Dinoflagellates and pH
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/rhf/index.php

The Complete Nitrogen Cycle
http://web.archive.org/web/200305101...&RecordNo=3090

Protein Skimming: How It Works
http://web.archive.org/web/200103090...skimmers2.html

Phosphorus: Algae's Best Friend
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...t2002/chem.htm