Bad algae?

[joecool95]

there is very dark colored slimy algae growing in my tank. Is this bad?

[DustinB]

A little more info would help, and possibly a picture the algae.

What are your tank parameters? How long has it been set up? Is it dark green/brown? Are there bubbles in it? Where is it growing?

[joecool95]

the tank has been set up for 7 months, there are oxgen bubbles in it and it is a dark brown/red. It grows directly under the light.

[DustinB]

By parameters I meant your nitrate/phosphate levels, tank size, salinity, type of light, etc...

Sounds like cyano, but hard to say for sure without a pic.

[joecool95]

sorry forgot to put that in the reply. salinity-1.019. nitrate- 30 ppm. phosphate- 1ppm. 30gal tank. florescent light.

[jasonrstewart79]

That definitely sounds like cyanobacteria it is not algae it is a bacterial colony. High nutrient levels can contribute to its growth. There is a product called Chemi-Clean that works well to kill it...

[leetch]

Salinity/gravity seems off - should be 1.026 unless I'm reading your post wrong. Nitrates are way too high. Pics of algae would help but sounds like Cyano to me.

Do you have a sump or a refugium? Chaeto works wonders for reducing nitrates and phosphates to help keep these things under control.

How often are your water changes?

What type of water are you using?

What type of filtration are you using and when is the last time you cleaned and changed your filter media?

How many fish are in your tank and how often do you feed them?

BTW if it is Cyano, I've seen posts about using chemi-clean, it does work but introducing chemicals into a tank can and most likely will have side effects. You can change the flow of your blowers to redirect to the affected areas, add Chaeto to your sump/fuge, step up your water changes and really pay attention to your feeding habits. Also make sure your tank isn't exposed to direct sunlight. There is no quick fix, you need to be patient and fix the root cause, not just try and put a bandaid on the problem. Chemi-clean may get rid of it quickly but if you don't solve the root cause, it will come back.

[Sk8r]

Don't use Chemiclean at this stage. Punch the blue number under my avatar and read the entry under algae (which it isn't, but I do discuss cyano treatment.)