Type of Algae?

[jetmart]

What type of algae is this? I have snails & hermit crabs for a CUC that are doing a great job on the algae on the glass & most live rocks. Also completely cleaned up the brown diatom off the sand. Seems like they won't touch this stuff on one rock only? It has long tree like branches. Any ideas what CUC would touch it. Should I be getting anything else to take care of it?

http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag359/Jetmart1941/IMG_1442_zpsb110cb8a.jpg (http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/Jetmart1941/media/IMG_1442_zpsb110cb8a.jpg.html)

http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag359/Jetmart1941/IMG_1441_zps06d7eb1c.jpg (http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/Jetmart1941/media/IMG_1441_zps06d7eb1c.jpg.html)

[pyithar]

looks like green hair algae.
manual removal.
export phosphate
diadema urchins, turbo snails, tangs, rabbitfish, etc might eat them

[tomreefer]

Hair Algae. My experience manual removal and run a GFO. How old is this tank?

[jetmart]

Tank is 5 weeks old. It is mostly growing only on the one LR. Why couldn't you take it out and boil it to kill it versus starving it of light? The fish are there only because of bad advice from LFS.

This is day 26. It is a RSM130D tank.

http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag359/Jetmart1941/IMG_1430_zpse4768835.jpg (http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/Jetmart1941/media/IMG_1430_zpse4768835.jpg.html)

[jetmart]

Is it possible that I don't have enough flow in the bottom left corner where this LR is? My system has a pump upgrade and is now one large pump versus two smaller ones ( previous model had two pumps & two diffusers) so now with just one diffuser I have my flow mostly on the surface. Should I point it down across the rocks?

[tomreefer]

Hair algae is caused by excessive nutrients in the system. Is this tank cycled already? It's only 26 days old so these things happen. I would get a Phosban reactor and run GFO. Whats your Phosphate and Nitrate readings? I have my flow on the surface and I blast detrius off the rocks with a turkey baster. Movement on the surface helps with aeration I believe someone may chime in. Turbo snails may help you with the hair algae as well

[pyithar]

Is it possible that I don't have enough flow in the bottom left corner where this LR is? My system has a pump upgrade and is now one large pump versus two smaller ones ( previous model had two pumps & two diffusers) so now with just one diffuser I have my flow mostly on the surface. Should I point it down across the rocks?

you should have water movements all over the tank to avoid "dead spots" becuase you don't want the detritus to settle there and among the rocks. moreover, you can get cyano problem in low flow areas more easily.

[pyithar]

It is mostly growing only on the one LR. Why couldn't you take it out and boil it to kill it versus starving it of light?


because this situation is under control therefore it is not necessary to "kill" the rock. you just need to take this one rock with algae out during a water change, scrub the algae off with a toothbrush in old water, rinse it and put the rock back into the tank. you'll also need to limit the nutrients especially nitrate and phosphate to keep the algae from coming back.

[garygonzales]

or buy yourself a yellow tang...lol....i did and eat every little bit that i had...works great....

[pyithar]

or buy yourself a yellow tang...lol....i did and eat every little bit that i had...works great....

the op's tank is only 34G which is too small to keep a yellow tang. :)

[A sea K]

Why couldn't you take it out and boil it to kill it versus starving it of light?


DO NOT BOIL LIVE ROCK!!!!!! I repeat, DO NOT BOIL LIVE ROCK. It can seriously hurt you or anyone else in your home.
Take it out and bleach it, rinse and even acid bath it if you must but never boil live rock.
Here is one story of a RC reefer that was not aware of the possible dangers, http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2253493&highlight=boil+live+rock

[jetmart]

DO NOT BOIL LIVE ROCK!!!!!! I repeat, DO NOT BOIL LIVE ROCK. It can seriously hurt you or anyone else in your home.
Take it out and bleach it, rinse and even acid bath it if you must but never boil live rock.

Ok. Thanks.

[A sea K]

Glad you saw that. Palytoxin is not the only bad thing that can harm you in live rock either. If your just dealing with a single rock i'd pull it and bleach and acid bath the rock. Do a search on both procedures as it is quite common. The bleach will kill the algae and the acid will release any bound phosphate in the rock. Judging by the pick I would suspect bound up phosphate in that rock for the algae to have grown so quickly.