Can anybody ID this?

[falconut]

Does anybody know what this stuff is?

The fuzzy brown stuff in the middle:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/550226399/2394813540043589559ILukmM

The fuzzy brown stuff on the middle rock:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/550226399/2788991210043589559gnCmzM
http://community.webshots.com/photo/550226399/2904355970043589559jZHujV

The fuzzy brownish-clear stuff on the right side of the pipe:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/550226399/2507787680043589559KYXFAH

It is pretty gross jelly like stuff.

[Blown 346]

It is algae growth, did you upgrade lighting?
What are your water parameters? Do you use RO water?

I would start by siphoning what you can out.

[skeeter-doc]

Yes, looks like cyano starting up to me. Nip it in the bud before it takes over your tank.

[nm354]

I have had that before but whenever it shows up I clean the skimmer and it goes away.

[Travis L. Stevens]

It looks like the start of Red Turf Algae. See if a Mexican Turbo Snail will eat it.

[wds21921]

Cyano!

[falconut]

Blown 346 - I did replace my year old MH bulb with a 6 month old one, but the algea started a little before that. Yes, I use R/O water. I tested my levels last week and they were:
Salt = 1.024
PH = 7.9-8.0
Am. = 0
NO2 = 0
NO3 = 0.25 - 0
Ca = 400
Alk = 7.8
I have pulled some when and where I can easily do so. It is easy to do on the substrate and pipes, but more difficult to get off the rocks without causing it to rip up into the water column.

skeeter-doc & wds21921 - I thought cyano was a reddish filmy type of algea? This stuff is a thick globby mess. How should I nip it in the bud? I am going to test my PO4's. If that and my NO3 are both 0, what next? I just did a 15 gal. water change last week.

nm354 - Do you empty the skimmer cup or scrub the entire skimmer body? I empty and scrub my cup weekly.

Travis L. Stevens - I started getting this stuff about a month after I had to remove my Astrea snails because of stupid pyrmid snails. Plus I used to have about 25 nassarius snails and about 10 ceriths, but now I only see about 2 nassarious left and a couple of ceriths. I now have added about 10 Astreas, but I guess you're saying the Mexicans may eat this stuff, where the Astreas don't? I was also considering a Conch to stir up and eat it off the bottom.

[Travis L. Stevens]

I didn't see that you had it on the sand. I've never seen Red Turf Algae on the substrate before. There is a chance that it could be a combination of Cyanobacteria and Red Turf Algae. If it is Red Turf Algae, my Astrea Snails won't touch the stuff. But one Mexican Turbo Snail mowed down my whole 29g in a couple of days. ;)

[wds21921]

Falconut I've run into the same problem here and it seems to be semi-seasonal. It's my belief that it has something to do with possibly our ozone levels (at least in part).

Even after switching over to RO/DI water after using plain tap water for many years I still have ocassional issues with it.
Also the idea that Nitrates are the cause is subjective at best. I know many people who have 0 Nitrates including myself and still wind up getting cyano once or twice a year.

My best cure so far was given to me by a friend in our local reef club. Since she's doing much of her studies on algaes (even though cyano isn't a true algae) I thought she'd be the best source to talk about this ongoing seasonal problem.

Her idea was to actually slowly ramp up my feedings to the point where the nitrogen cycle restarts itself. Oddy enough, it's the only thing that works. I've tried Chemi Clean and other products with minimal to no beneficial results.

I increased my feedings over the course of a week (when it appears) as follows:
Day 1 - two, one teaspoon size feedings
Day 2 - two, one teaspoon size feedings
Day 3 - three, one teaspoon size feedings
Day 4 - three, one teaspoon size feedings
Day 5 - two, one teaspoon size feedings
Day 6 - two, one teaspoon size feedings
Day 7 - my normal one teaspoon size daily feeding

The amounts are spread out over the day using one teaspoon per feeding. Everytime I've done this it's worked and by the end of the week it's gone or almost totally gone. Within a few days it's erradicated.

The measurements are used for my 90 gallon reef tank so it should work in your tank as well (ideally).
All I can say at this point is there's more to it than simply Nitrates as everyone keeps theorizing.

I've also tried 5 different species of snails which I consider to be the best clean-up crews by far. They impact by them of controling it is minimal if at all most times. I've since gotten an urchin which is much less discriminate of the type of algae or even dinoflagelates. I'm waiting to see how he/she does.
So far it's very slow but also VERY effective at what it does remove :).