red algea, please help!!

[God of thunder]

I´m having trouble with a red/brown algea, don´t remember the name right now, any way it has quit alot of air bubbles in it, my water paramets are fine, how can i get rid of this??

[GlobaLPimP]

what are your exact water parameters lighting shedule, flow, etc...? Sounds like Cyano to me. How long has the tank been set-up? Do you have any dead spots regarding flow? Overfeeding? what is your water change amount and schedule? Do you test for Phosphates - this is more than likely your problem and it may not even register on a test kit due to the fact that the algae absorbs the Phosphates almost immediately. I'd remove as much as you can by hand and make sure your flow is up to par. A 20% water change every 2 or 3 days for a couple weeks will work wonders for you too.

[hmello@bermexin]

Also stir the sand right under the mat, or turkey baste the rock right under the may. The cyano grows on top of it's source of nutrient. If you can get the nutrient suspended in the water column for removal by your filtration you will be that much farther ahead.

[God of thunder]

My MH run for 7 hours a day, i feed quite heavely, my po4 is almost zero as is my no3, i do 20% water change every 2 weeks my flow is 20x an hour. My tank is 10 months old. should i cut back on my feeding?

[hmello@bermexin]

yes cut back on feeding, and make sure the flow is getting to the spot(s) in question. No need to blow the sand around but you want water moving over the area.

[GlobaLPimP]

You may need more flow - what type of life are you supporting (besides the algae:) )?

You can also add like a 25 micron filter sock - my filter socks remove so much CRAP that I think I'd be screwed without one;)

[God of thunder]

Is 20x an hour not enough? I have a hang on skimmer, are you talking about putting a regular sock on it?

[GlobaLPimP]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11122605#post11122605 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by God of thunder
Is 20x an hour not enough? I have a hang on skimmer, are you talking about putting a regular sock on it?

I'm at a little more than 40x/hr and I still need a little more - however, I have an SPS dominated tank. Each tank will be different depending on your aquascaping and type of corals you grow.

You can purchase filter socks from your lfs. The ones I use filter out all particles that are larger than 25 Microns in size. Basically, you mount it so that the water line from your overflow box dumps into the filter sock and then filters the water into your sump. I change mine every 3 days. To clean the filter sock - put in washing machine on the large load setting with 1/4 cup bleach. Then run the cycle again with water only and allow to dry completely. I have about 5 filter socks in rotation.