Algae - Help please

[Eric Mamola]

I need help, please. What kind of algae is this? I've been in the hobby for many years, but haven't seen anything like it before. It starts neon green on the Aragonite substrate, turns red, like cyano, then dark purple. It only appears in the front of the tank. I can't seem to get it under control. It's very aggressive and comes back quickly. I've tried replacing the lights and the substrate. I've tried Chemiclean for red cyanobacteria. I've tried Algae-fix Marine. I've tried NoPox. Phosphates and nitrites are 0, nitrates are 10, ph 8.2. Ive got good water flow, sump, refugium and a protein skimmer. 130 gallon tank with 40 pounds of live rock, well established for 8 years. This is the first time I've ever had a problem getting rid of algae. Please advise.

 

[ladyreefseeker]

Hi Eric,
Still sounds like a cyano. Try doing the Chemi-Clean a few months in a row. Do a deep clean of your substrate, and clean all of your power heads and tubing. It could be old tank syndrome where it just needs a refresh/major overhaul cleaning.

 

[Eric Mamola]

Thank you so much for trying to help me with this problem. We did try ChemiClean for cyanobacteria, we treated twice over the course of a week with water changes in between. Should we continue to use it with each water change, weekly? The ChemiClean box says to use it, wait 48 hours, then do a 20 percent water change, which we did. It improved, but it's not going away. The underlying green algae is not getting better at all. When used in the past, it never took more than 1 treatment, and we've never had the problem with the green algae. Could it be 2 types or does cyanobacteria start green? Please advise.