Stubborn Unknown Algae That Wont Die. Please Help

[donitachi]

Hi Guys,

This is probably one of my first post and the first time somebody has posted about this particular algae. My specifications are as below :

125 Gallon Mixed Reef
Radion Gen 3 Pro
Rowaphos & Surf 4 Algae Scrubber are the nutrient export method i use
Uses No3Po4X occassionally, Vitamin C Occassionally
Fritz RPM Salt Mix is what i use
RO Water 5TDS goes into 2 x DI - Spectrapure Sillica Buster DI + DI resulting in 0 TDS
RLSS R8i Skimmer Rated double my tank size based on heavy load.
Waveline DC6000 operating in 2.5 Speed which is the maximum my tank can take. I calculated it to be around 4000LPH+ based on the data sheet. That would be around 9 - 10 Times my water volume.

Tank Parameters :

Ca - 435
Mg - 1900 ( To try & Kill The Algae )
Kh - 8.1 - 8.5dKH
No3 - Transparent on Salifert with no tint of Pink
Po4 - 0.00 ( Organic Po4 0.039 via Hana Phosphorus Checker)

I have been having this issue for almost 1.5 Years or lets say as old as my tank is. I have been patiently waiting under the impression that it would die once my tank gets older. But it looks like i was wrong. This algae does not die. An army of turbo snails of various sizes can eat this algae only to grow back while the snails are busy eating in other places.

The algae has even grown in low light areas of the rock work. I use 2 x MP40WQD facing each other at 100% Power. My sand bed is white with a tint of brown occassionally but clears back to white once i change my filter sock and perform routine maintenance.

I have tried dosing Fritzzyme Monster 460 along with Vitamin C. Although the tank looks crisp, it has really failed to put any dent on this algae. The funny thing about this algae is that it only grows on rocks and frag plugs. The only way this algae dies around the corals are when my SPS Starts encrusting further. 3 Days of lights out does not kill this algae but has put a dent on coral coloration especially my Ice Fire Echinata colony. I have also taken a pest zoanthid out of the tank and put them in a nano QT with no lights. Algae did die after a 3 Week black out along with the zoanthids.

The algae resembles Coraline Algae and very velvety when you touch it. If it has to get worse, it darkens up a lot more increasing the density of the algae at various spots. I do have coraline algae that grows only on my Vortechs, Overflow and Rear Glass Panel.

I have attached the pictures of my tank and the algae. I believe this would be an algae worth discussing about as i have tried to find a thread already discussed about to the best i can and i have not been successful. Please help me identify this algae and a possible remedy to this issue. :rolleye1:

I am not willing to dose Hydro Pero as i fear it could hurt my high priced SPS.

My corals are doing great and i have no shortage of colors or general health.

My fishes are
2 x Bloitchi Anthias
6 x Blue Eyes Cardinals
1 x Red Sea Sailfin Tang ( Desjardini )
1 x Gem Tang
1 x Fire Fish
1 x Mystery Wrasse
1 x Fire Shrimp
2 x Designer Clowns

Coral Count about 100 - 120 Corals ( SPS, LPS, Softies, Zoas & Palys )

[bheron]

hi, hard to tell from the pics but have you looked into it being cyanobacteria and not algae?

[bertoni]

I'm not sure what you mean by "organic phosphate" as measured by a Hanna Checker. The Hanna Checkers measure only unbound orthophosphate (PO₄). How much RowaPhos is in the system and how often is it changed? GFO products like RowaPhos can be exhausted in a few hours if a system has enough phosphate in it.

[Reel North]

It's Gelidium. I just tore my tank down and then nuked the rocks in muriatic acid. It didn't come off. I had to leave the rocks in the sun for a week before I could power wash it off.

I set my tank up with all new rock, new substrate and ran freshwater through it for a week. You will never ever get rid of it. EVER. You have a choice. Tear it all down and start over, or live with it.

[MikeyAl]

Ugh. Before you go and tear your tank apart try something different. Hard to tell by the pics, but if it is cyano I would do the Dr Tims process. It worked for me. I've not had it come back. Been 6 months at least.
http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/treat-aquarium-algae/treating-cyanobacteria



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[powderhound]

Only thing that seems to keep it in check is some pincushion urchins. I had it on a few rocks, pulled the rocks and put in sump with 2 urchins and cleared football size rocks in a few days. Now i just have a three or four urchins cruising around the tank.

[donitachi]

I'm not sure what you mean by "organic phosphate" as measured by a Hanna Checker. The Hanna Checkers measure only unbound orthophosphate (PO₄). How much RowaPhos is in the system and how often is it changed? GFO products like RowaPhos can be exhausted in a few hours if a system has enough phosphate in it.

Hi Bertoni, using the Hana Phosphorus and not Phosphate checkers, you can determine Organic Po4. I just don't have that calculation off my head. But it is possible. I can post it later as i am still in the office.

I use 500GMS Rowaphos and when i test the water coming out of Rowa, it is still 0. I could be wrong because if the entire aquarium tests for False 0 for Po4, there is a possibility it could be worn out. I change Rowaphos every 1.5 Months.

Last night, i stirred up the sand bed to clean off the detritus hiding under the sand. I might consider adding some sort of Sand Shifters.

But i do believe that i am reading false ULNS currently. This algae can be beaten because 7 Months back, i saw a chunk of this algae missing making the rock go back to white. I do not remember what must have caused this as i thought it would simply clear up.

@Reel North : I do not know what algae this is but it is not a Cyano 100%, it is very close to Coraline Algae in appearance and at one point i actually thought it was but its not. When things get worse, the spots of growth darkens with tiny hair popping up.

When the Mexican Turbo Snails go after then, a huge chunk can be finished but the snail is unable to eradicate it due to the tiny spots that are left behind.

I have attached a better pic if that would help you all. A friend of mine swears that it is Red Hair Algae family but a different type.

[bertoni]

The only way for us to get total phosphate is to heat the sample solution and I believe also treat it with acid. I'm not sure what you mean by "organic phosphate", though. Phosphate is inorganic by definition. Hach makes a total phosphorus kit that is tedious to use, but measures phosphorus bound by organics.

[Dan_P]

How well is the water mixing in the (beautiful) tank? Not sump to tank exchange but the current in the rank? If you add fish food to the tank, does it stay suspended, kept off the bottom and rocks by water flow? Vigorous water motion could help reduce the vigor of the alga by keeping dissolved nutrient concentrations as low as possible.

I could not see the alga clearly enough to offer a guess on identity.

[donitachi]

The only way for us to get total phosphate is to heat the sample solution and I believe also treat it with acid. I'm not sure what you mean by "organic phosphate", though. Phosphate is inorganic by definition. Hach makes a total phosphorus kit that is tedious to use, but measures phosphorus bound by organics.

Hi Bertoni,

Apologize, Hana Phosphorus Checker is able to determine Total Dissolved Po4. When I test 0 for po4, I perform the Phosphorus and use the conversion 0.3262 to get TDPO4.

You are right about that. I am going to perform another Phosphorus Test today and check the numbers. HANA Po4 Checker reads 0 all the time.

[donitachi]

How well is the water mixing in the (beautiful) tank? Not sump to tank exchange but the current in the rank? If you add fish food to the tank, does it stay suspended, kept off the bottom and rocks by water flow? Vigorous water motion could help reduce the vigor of the alga by keeping dissolved nutrient concentrations as low as possible.

I could not see the alga clearly enough to offer a guess on identity.

Hi Dan,

Thank you for the compliment. I have added another MP40 few days ago. Even before that if both my existing Pumps worked at 100%, it could move my sand bed backwards displaying my bottom glass. I do admit there are spots with lower flows and that is why I have been using Julian's Thing to disturb the sand bed as my sand bed is really not deep. You cannot even call it shallow as its just a layer so it's not barebottom and my wrasse feel at home.there are areas especially the edges of the rocks where thick dirt gets blown out while disturbing the sand bed.

To summarize, after adding a third MP40, flow is a lot better and I feed every other day PE Mysis and the food don't get a chance to even get to the middle of the tank before it's consumed. I have added Micro Scrubbing at night after stirring the sand bed in an assumption the bubbles will carry the particles back into the sump filter sock.

I switched off my Carbon and GFO today so I can change it out whether they are burnt out or not tomorrow. Try to help the tank every way I can to stay ontop of this. Everything has a weakness and I am sure this algae has a weakness. I just need to find out how.

The picture is as close as I cud take, I will try to post a link Vs an upload on RC so a larger file can be used for viewing.

[donitachi]

I have forgotten to add this point, since the time I have been stirring sand bed and micro scrubbing, my pH have started to touch 8 and above again or it remained 7.88-7.9. When the tank was doing really well, it was 8.1 throughout and 7.9 at night.

Definitely thinking of dosing oxygen now while using a Co2 Scrubber. Only exploring ways to cause a dent in the life cycle of this algae.

[bertoni]

Whether the food gets consumed quickly or not doesn't matter all that much. Most of what goes in, comes back out. The total feeding rate is what is critical.

[donitachi]

Whether the food gets consumed quickly or not doesn't matter all that much. Most of what goes in, comes back out. The total feeding rate is what is critical.

True, the tank is on Starving mode currently. Feeding the fish some pellets to keep them going with out feeling too hungry. I am going to change out the GFO and Carbon tomorrow and probably your assumption of GFO burning out quickly could be right. Every time I change out GFO, I do notice slight improvement and then condition begins to get worse. I am almost positive you could be right.