Massive algae explosion...

[89Foxbody]

So up until recently my tank has been mostly algae free, this includes slime on the glass, hair algae, cyano, etc. However, in the past couple of weeks, the tank has taken a disastrous turn for the worst. Hair algae is growing en masse on just about every surface in the tank, I'm getting cyano in my sand, and the front glass is completely green almost every day.

What could cause such a huge outbreak in a short amount of time? I have nothing large in there to die and cause a spike. I feed very small amounts of food, so that everything gets eaten. I've been using the same R/O source water since day one...I really hope to figure this out as I've lost a lot enjoyment that I would otherwise get from the tank. Not only that but I have a huge flatworm problem now as well, I can see them in my sand, all over my rocks, and they are starting to crawl on my zoos, causing them to close.

I've been doing massive (30%+) water changes weekly to no avail whatsoever. I siphon out as much of the algae and the worms as I can and the next day it looks like I've done basically nothing.

Looking for any help at all here.

[crvz]

what kind of food have you been feeding, what is the stocking load, what type of filtration to you use, and how long has the tank been set up? It could be that you're nutrient levels have gotten to a point that you've tipped past the point of your tank being able to handle them (either due to a recent change or a long term function of inadequate nutrient export over time). The easy answer is to increase the number of water changes, limit feeding, increase skimming, etc. Those will help get rid of the algae, but know that it can take a long time (months).

[Bald Eagle]

also, just another thought, if you have been using the R/O water for a while now, when is the last time the cartridge filters where changed for the R/O unit?

[littlec984]

So up until recently my tank has been mostly algae free, this includes slime on the glass, hair algae, cyano, etc. However, in the past couple of weeks, the tank has taken a disastrous turn for the worst. Hair algae is growing en masse on just about every surface in the tank, I'm getting cyano in my sand, and the front glass is completely green almost every day.

What could cause such a huge outbreak in a short amount of time? I have nothing large in there to die and cause a spike. I feed very small amounts of food, so that everything gets eaten. I've been using the same R/O source water since day one...I really hope to figure this out as I've lost a lot enjoyment that I would otherwise get from the tank. Not only that but I have a huge flatworm problem now as well, I can see them in my sand, all over my rocks, and they are starting to crawl on my zoos, causing them to close.

I've been doing massive (30%+) water changes weekly to no avail whatsoever. I siphon out as much of the algae and the worms as I can and the next day it looks like I've done basically nothing.

Looking for any help at all here.

What are your parameters reading??