Help! Red Hairy Algae Manifest My Tank!

[eternal880]

Dear friends,

I need some advice on my tank! Recently, my tank substrate start to grow these red hairy alage? As days go it start to grow more and more. When i try to swfit them away with my scraper, they come back again.

When the lights are off, they disappeared. When I turn on, they appear again.

What are they? Are they algae or parasites? Will they harm my fishes and corals?

Oh pls help

Worried Boy

[graveyardworm]

http://reefcentral.com/images/welcome.gif

Sounds like cyano, but an id will be difficult without some pictures. How long has the tank been setup, what kind of filtration? Can you get some pictures?

[eternal880]

Thanks.

I runnning a Nano Cube of 19gal. My tank is about 4 mths old. Inside: corals and clown fishes

If it is cyno, can i buy a blue tang to eat?

What other ways can is solve this prob?

[graveyardworm]

If it is cyno, can i buy a blue tang to eat?


A Tang would be a very poor choice for a 19 gal tank.

There arent too mant critters that dine on cyano, as a matter of f act I cant recall any. Reduce available nutrients is your best bet. Siphon out the cyano this will help, reduce feeding the fish (what is your currnet feeding schedule and what kind of fish?), increase flow ( what do you have for flow now?), Your tank is still young, the cyano may be just a phase in part of your cycle, but with some intervention on your part it will easily go away.

[kmk2307]

Do you use RO/DI or another kind of purified water to make your topoff / water changes with? Cyanobacteria love phosphates. Do you test your phosphates? You may want to try doing a water change and using a phosphate sorbing media like Phosban.

HTH,
Kevin

[eternal880]

Hi friends,

Reply to Kevin:
Thanks. I want to confess I am a sinner by topping up my tank with tap water. I am too lazy to treat my water first. However, my system have a phos-sorb from aquapharm that help adsorb phosphate. Currently i do not have a phosphate test kit, will try to sent the water to my lab to test. Can i use mineral water to top up?

Reply to David:
My feeding schedule is once every night. As i only have 2 nemo in my tank. Every weekend, I will put about 6 ml of corals liquid food. The cyano start to grow since i start to put this coral food. Are they related?
The flow of my nano-tank cannot control as mine is a nano-tank bulit in filter.
David, what you mean this is a phase in part of the cycle? FYI, as the months go my tank algae start as followed in stages:

1. brown film algae start to grow on the side of glass
2. brown film algae grow ceased
3. green filaments algae grow at the back of tank
4. coralline red algae start to grow (currently)
5. red hairy (which may is cyano) start to grow (currrently)

Is these the proper stage of algae cycle in my tank?

P.S. Anyone can help me to find some species of fishes to eat these irrating algae? Can slug, hermit crab or shrimp cleaner help? or even sea urchin ?

Thanks

[graveyardworm]

Not even sure what nuisance algae you have at this point, is there any chance of posting some pics? The coral food may or may not be the problem. What kind of food? Your tank is still young and is most likely still stabilizing and hasnt completely cycled. Adding too much food at this stage will quckly throw the nutrient cycle out of balance with the end result being unwanted algae.