? re Algal blooms for the newbie

[Gila]

Does anyone have any pics or links on the website to know what to look for, how long a bloom will last etc....right now i have a diatom bloom going, I believe. Tank has been cyclign for 2 weeks. Orange red color on sand and LR and it is spreading like crazy. It is matting to the sand and tons of bublles are rising, also fine whisps are attaching to the glass. In addtion, I can see what appears to be bublles in my DSB. Will this affect my Coraline algae which is growing on my LR?

"You've got diatoms. A natural occurrence as the tank cycles. They'll go away in a week or two... then you have hair algae, bubble algae and red cyanobacteria (a.k.a. red slime algae) to look forward to."

Thanks

[ofblong]

Look at it this way. I did not follow procedure correctly and my tank has been running for 7 months. I am just now at the end of the green hair algae. I have had all the other algaes and this is the last one of them.

[3_high_low]

Hi Gila,

I think you might have cyanno bacteria. Have a look at this thread, it should help you out.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=147010

When I get home I'l post a good website that shows pictures of many algae we encounter in our reef tanks.

Mark

[3_high_low]

Algae pics

[Gila]

thanks marc. none of the pics on the link look like what is growing in my tank. I did a search for cyano and found many threads, but did not find a picture. I noted flow of water helps keep it under control. I changed my powerhead directtions. What about lighting. I have been running the lights about 8 hours a day. Would a reduction in lgiht time reduce the bateria? I am 2 weeks into my cycle.

Thanks

[3_high_low]

heh I couldn't find any pics either. Anyway, it sounds like you are describing cyanno bacteria. More flow or changing the flow may help. I would also do a water exchange and remove as much of the cyanno as possible. It is likely that whatever you have is photosynthetic so reducing the photo period may hasten its departure. Just curious, do you have any corals in the tank?

[Wyzird42]

Ok, I'm fairly new at this, I've had fish and "stuff" in my tank for about 9 months, but here's my 1/2 cents worth.

Bubbles in your DSB are normal. It's just the nitrate being converted to nitrogen. That's a good thing.

I had a similar "algae", or whatever it is, except mine was a fairly deep red. I was able to suck chunks of it up, but it kept coming back.

Reducing lighting didn't work for me. I even went down to about 3-4 hours a day for about a week.

I eventually got a blue-cheeked goby. They sift through the top layer of sand while feeding. Had a mini sandstorm for a while, until the particles re-layered, but it got rid of the problem.
(then he started burrowing caves under my rocks, that worried me for a while, but no problems yet)

I think, and this is just my opinion, that a new crew of sand critters (mysis shrimp, bristle worms, that kind of stuff) would have also done the trick. I noticed that my sand bed was becoming really compacted. Trying to push a stick down through it was like trying to push through almost set grout.

The best advice I have to give, and it can never be said enough, is have patience. Tanks can go through all kinds of different "cycles", although I don't care for that term. Just like in nature, a certain animal may thrive, until either it's food supply runs out, or something else comes along to keep it in check. You are attempting (as we all are) to re-create a part of nature. It can take quite some time for all the checks and balances to get worked out.

Hope this wasn't too long for everyone...

wyzird42

P.S. Thanks for that link 3_high_low! I found that I have one of those "sailers eyes" in my tank. Actually have a piece of xenia growing on it. Wierd, but at least I know what it is now. Thanks!

[Unfair Advantage]

The bloom is normal. Could be too much light or not enough light. The algae you are describing sounds like not enough light. I had 2 50/50 ballasts with 15w each, and it just wasn't anywhere NEAR enough for my 55. My bloom was oogly until I got a JBJ Formosa setup w/ 260w. Then there was the green bloom...

My lights were running 8-10 hours a day (this was during the first 4-6 weeks, I wasn't thinking about it). After I shut down the actinics, the bloom was eaten by my cleaners and then I slowly put them back up to the full 8-10 a day. Alot of this depends on what lights you're running...

Also, if you don't have a cleanup crew, get one in the next few weeks. The # of cleaners will depend on tank size. Add them gradually, in any case.


HTH!

[ofblong]

acitnics only feed corraline. regular lighting feeds hair algae and such.

[Unfair Advantage]

Actinics only feed coralline? I will completely disagree.

My bloom was neon green algae and the tank was fairly new so my levels were all 0.

Here's a blurb from an article by John Tullock:

Lighting. The sudden appearance of a "bloom" of diatoms, red slime algae, or blue-green slime algae is often indicative of the need to correct the aquarium's lighting. As lamps age, for example, their intensity diminishes and their spectral output changes, and this may trigger a growth of undesirable algae. Fluorescent lamps (standard output) should be changed at least once a year. VHO and HO lamps should be replaced every four and six months, respectively. Metal halide lamps have a longer life, but should probably be replaced annually to insure maximum intensity and spectral stability. The type of fluorescent lamp chosen can strongly influence the development of an algae bloom. Some lamps provide too much blue light, or aquarists use too many blue Actinic 03 lamps, and this appears to foster algae growth. While blue light is definitely needed by certain desirable algae species and by corals and anemones, a little goes a long way, as the saying goes.

...and a link to the article:

http://www.amdareef.com/ho_algae.htm

On what premise are you basing your statement?

[ofblong]

i am basing it on the very knowledgable people on these boards. also I am basing it on my own experience. I turned down my reg lighting and my green algae and other algaes disappeared. I however increased my acitnic time and my corraline has taken off. I started a thread and asked this very ? and 99% of the replys were acitnics dont increase algae regular lighting does. some one also said blacklights cause algae but one of the experts on this board pointed out otherwise.

[capture]

definitely a diatom bloom. let your tank cycle, be patient, let your tank do its thing. keep an eye on your parameters and do some water changes. it should be fine in a couple of weeks. good luck.

[Dont Fear The Reefer]

Algae Bloom? Hear is on for you, or should I say Hair is one.

This one occured after, a puffer ate the cleaning crew, and there were other problems that were never discovered.
I just bought and moved this tank. Yuck! What a mess.
Getting better...
After a lot of cleaning.
And getting rid of the puffer.

I hear high phospahtes will trigger a bloom.

[Ryunokaze]

Wyzird42`s advice is good.Just be sure ammonia,nitrites are very close to zero before adding fish and go slowly.This woe should not be long term.
Seeing as you have little stock it may be worth going to collect snails.Providing you are not to far from the ocean that is.
Good live rock should contain many crabs but adding some hermits wont hurt.
Blenny`s and Goby`s along with other organisms can be good by eating algae directy or sifting the substrate and should be added before decorative fish like damsels and such.
In the mean time try sifting the substrate by hand and blowing detritus from surfaces and then flushing the mechanical filters after settling.Do this daily.