Overflow full of Bubble Algae

[AirManFL]

My wife and I made a decision to put tile in our living and dining area which requires me to take down my Oceanic 120 gallon Tech Series tank.
So I setup a 24 gallon Aquapod to hold what few soft corals, snails, hermits, and cleaner shrimp I have. We've been planning this project for quite some time so I never really fully stocked the tank. Most of my live rock is in a temporary 44 gallon setup except what I put in the nano.

I've had a few aptaisia I've been struggling to get rid of and 3 or 4 small patches of green bubble algae as well. I didn't see it as a major issue, but I've been a little worried about it over the last few months.

So I take the canopy off to get access to some of the sand and live rock to put into the 24 gallon and I almost fell off the step ladder when I saw this:



I got sick to my stomach when I saw this. What would you do to clean this up?

If it was your tank and you weren't taking it down, how would you address this problem in place?

Thank you for reading,

Rob

[hyperfocal]

Put an opaque cover on the overflow and wait a week or so?

[AirManFL]

Would it really be that simple? Why would the problem be worse in the overflow than in the tank itself? I didn't expect it at all.

Rob

[4everwet]

Yes definetly install covers, worked for me! Plus it will help keep snails in the tank!

[hyperfocal]

I think so... the algae is photosynthetic. Remove the light, remove the algae. As to why it's there only, no clue -- the best combination of light and flow, with a bit of luck mixed in?

Here's a good article on bubble algae.

[75Gallons]

I say remove by hand as much as you can. When they die off it could result in a phosphate spike.