Brown hair algae?

Ok, After cleaning my tank last week this brown hairy algae seems to have taken a foothold. It grows in the highest flow areas i.e. skimmer output and where my powerhead is crashing against the glass. What is this stuff and how can I go about getting rid of it?
Aside from the high flow areas there are some very small strands in random places. I thought it was just diatoms at first from a new tube I added to the skimmer output, but the long strands I don't recall from when I had a diatom bloom originally... Any clues?
 
After closer inspection it is cyano.. =/ Ive decreased my feeding, and have cut out the lights so far. Tested the water.. and had the LFS double check -
PH was a little low at 7.8. I will be taking care of that shortly with some a dkh booster as it was low as well at 6. Nitrates didn't register. Phosphates were <0.25 and calcium was 460ppm. I will also do a water change and replace the carbon tomorrow.
Anyone have more suggestions as to what could be the cause?
As for the dkh, has anyone here tried out the homemade buffer of 6 parts baking soda to 1 part washing soda? Where would I calculate how much of that I need to add to my 29 gallon to balance it? I also read that even just the baking soda alone would help boost it back to a normal level is that correct?
 
Not sure what spiked the bloom of the cyano.. but 2 days is all it took to clear it up. day 1 - no feeding 2 hours of daylight (+1 hour of actinics on each end). day 2 - one small feeding and 4 hours of daylight (same actinics as usual). And of course picking off what I could during both days. This morning there was only a very small amount left on the sand, and it was more of a brown than red :).
I should also perhaps add that I used a DIY alkalinity booster (sodium carbonate/bicarbonate) to get the dkh and PH back up to normal range (8 / 8.1 respectively). I think this may have also helped to kill it off so fast. as well as a 20% water change yesterday.
Does anyone have some good sources on reading for causes of this? I would still like to figure out what may have caused it to spike like that...
 

tank a holic

Active Member
how old is the tank?
what does your CUC consist of?
and PLEASE stop adding chemicals till we figure out what your problem is
 

flower

Well-Known Member

Originally Posted by racingtiger03
http:///forum/post/3180500
Not sure what spiked the bloom of the cyano.. but 2 days is all it took to clear it up. day 1 - no feeding 2 hours of daylight (+1 hour of actinics on each end). day 2 - one small feeding and 4 hours of daylight (same actinics as usual). And of course picking off what I could during both days. This morning there was only a very small amount left on the sand, and it was more of a brown than red :).
I should also perhaps add that I used a DIY alkalinity booster (sodium carbonate/bicarbonate) to get the dkh and PH back up to normal range (8 / 8.1 respectively). I think this may have also helped to kill it off so fast. as well as a 20&#37; water change yesterday.
Does anyone have some good sources on reading for causes of this? I would still like to figure out what may have caused it to spike like that...

Do you use RO water or tap? High Phospates, weak water fow, as well as over feeding cause cyano. Not the lights unless you have old bulbs.
With a cyano problem phosphates read low, but that is because the cyano is feeding off of it.
To keep the PH stable add Alk buffer to the top off water
. You can’t keep dumping chemicals to up the PH. By keeping the alk up in the top off water, it will stabilize the PH.
Remember your top off water is not as much at the main tank, so adjust the dose to match. You don’t want to overdo it.
 
ok, so I should be adding an an alk booster to my top-off water all the time? Lately I have had to replace as much as a gallon/day! That aside the one thing you mention about low flow causing it.. this stuff was growing in the HIGHEST flow areas of the tank! I use a koralia #2, and the skimmer output keep the circulation right where it should be for a 29 gallon. Over feeding could have been it, I try to break up my feedings more, 3 small feedings / day. Usually it was all eaten within a minute or two. I've cut it to twice a day and kept the amount of food at each feeding the same.
It definitely isn't lighting. I just upgraded my lighting to 4 T5HO in the form of a 36" nova SLR extreme T5HO.
Perhaps the water is the cause.. I use just filtered tap water. But I have used it from day one, and just now (5 months later?!) it is a problem. If that is the case it seems odd...
 
bah... this stuff is back. Very mildly I might add. I am doubting it is cyano now, and perhaps something more sinister..? It's long and stringy, and grows in the areas of highest flow in the tank. Mostly red, some brown. Any clues guys? this is driving me mad!

All parameters are in check now. that is, everything is the same as above, but ph is back up at 8.1 and dkh at 8 with all other parameters about the same as priorly tested.
I would call the cyano flag.. but I thought that stuff only grew in low flow? This red stuff is hapilly waving in the highest flow sections, and hasnt grown on any low flow areas.
 
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