Purple Algae

[sal t. nutz]

I am getting Purple algae all over my CC. I am also getting nasty brown algee that I understand is part of my cycling process and will go away. What I want to know is, I thought that the purple algee was Coraline algee and I was excited, but even though it is the same color, it doesn't look like coraline. It is like a film that flows with the water. Coraline seems to be a hard algee that doesn't flow. Am I wrong? What is this algee? Is it good algee, or do I need to find a way to get rid of it?

 

[rockster]

Sadly, yes. it is more likely diatom. Common in many young tanks. Control is using RO/DI water, water changes, avoid overfeeding.

 

[sal t. nutz]

Well, what I was saying is, that I have 2 kinds of algae. There is definately Diatom (redish brown crap) and a pretty purple algae. But the purple is flowing algae, not a hard crust like the coraline on my LR. Does coraline start out flowing and filmy?

 

[me-n-my-fish]

No Coraline will not "flow with the current". If I understand you correctly, and I think I do, you have a diatom bloom, which, on a new tank could signal the end of the cycle, or that the end is near.
The purple algae is not really algae. It is cyno-bacteria. Do a google search on it. Or search this bb. Three major things cause cyno ["Red Slime algae"]
1. Dissovled organics. Are you running a skimmer?
2. Wrong Spectrum or old lighting. What do you have for lights now?
3. Poor water quality. What do you use for water? RO/DI or Tap. Tap water will have phosphates, silicates and nitrates, basic food for cyno.
You can use, and people will tell you to, cemicals such as Poly-Ox by Kent to rid this pest. But it is just a band-aid. Fix the source, and you will have no problems from this.
The diatoms are normal to a new tank. Might want to look into getting a clean up crew that will take car of the BROWN diatoms.
You are correct on the Coraline Algae. It is a hard crusty substance that will come with age and proper water quality, additives, lighting ect, to your tank.

 

[susiepan]

you might want to try water changes regularly, and back off on the amount of food that you are feeding..
I would even suggest doing a vacuuming of the CC
A little area at a time...
That should help
~Susie

 

[sal t. nutz]

Well, I haven't finished cycling yet. So I have no fish to feed. My Nitrites are very high, and have been for over 2 weeks now. I am starting to wonder if they will ever come down. I didn't use RO water, so that could be an issue. My lighting is NO 50/50's. i just bought some hermitts yesterday, and they are already tearing up the Brown stuff. I really thought my tank would cycle faster than this, it has been at least a month now. I guess all i can do is wait. Would anyone recomend me getting a Phospahte sponge for my Fluval? WOuld this help with the algae?

 

[me-n-my-fish]

I would look into the sponge. It would help the phosphates, in turn the algae. But, DO NOT LEAVE it in to long (3 to 4 weeks) or it will starting putting phates back into the water. I, like many others, can't afford a RO unit. I get water from Walmart ($0.58 per gall). You might get some funny looks, I know I do with 20 gals of water in my buggy, but it beats the heck out of tap water though.
What are your tank params as far as Amonnia and NitrAtes? Also, test your tap water, that may be the source of your nitrItes.

 

[sal t. nutz]

My tank water is 0 ammonia, very high nitrites like 5 ppm, and very low Nitrates. I tested my tap water, and it is fine, 0 of everything. I don't have a Phosphate test kit, so i can't test my tank or tap water for them, but I have VERY hard water, so I assume that Phosphates are high. I currently add calcium to my tank to try to help the coraline growth, but that is all I am adding right now. I guess i will try the phosphate sponge. When it removes the Phosphates, will that make the current algae go away, or will it just prevent any more algae from forming?

 

[me-n-my-fish]

Well, you are defintly reaching the end of your cycle. I would STRONGLY suggest using RODI water. If that is not possible, then water from walmart (or some other source, but not spring water). If your water is as hard as you say it is, then it will contain metals and such that we do not want in a tank. The sponge will take a bite out of your phates, and that will Stop the growth of the diatioms. Every tank will have diatioms though. A good "crew" should take care of that (your hermits). The cyno might be from the high nitrItes. You could also get a nitrite sponge that would absorb your trites. But this would just be a band-aid. Are you running a skimmer? Of the things that can cause cyno we have ruled out one, the over feeding. No fish, No food... How old are your lights?? How long are they on?? This could be another cause. Right now, you could do a water change often, and scoop out the cc with the cyno on it. Do you have any current (powerheads) in your tank??
Don't worry, I know how you feel. I just got over the battle with cyno myself.

 

[sal t. nutz]

I have a 230gph powerhead, and the return from my Fluval 404 to move the water around at a combined 450 or so gph. My lights are brand new and are on about 12 hours a day, trying to get coraline to grow. Are you sure about the water changes? I am still cycling, and I didn't think that you were supposed to change the water until it has finished. Like I said my Nitrites are still real high and my Nitrates are not, meaning the biological filtration bacteria hasn't formed well enough yet. If I do a water change or use a Nitrite remover, I will be ruining the cycle. By the way, I have no skimmer.

 

[broomer5]

Sal T. Nutz
I've never cycled a tank with the lights on 12 hours a day. All this does is encourage crap from growing in the cycling tank.
Trying to promote coralline algae growth is great thing to shoot for, but not yet.
Let your tank finish it's cycle.
Reduce or eliminate the lighting for awhile.
Siphon out as much of the sheets of waving cyno that you can.
When your cycle is done, do a large water change 50% or so with new saltwater mixed from RO or RO/DI water.
Let the tank simmer a week or so, then do another water change say 25%.
You gotta get through the diatom phase first and get rid of this cyno.
Turn the lights off or at least just run them an hour or two a day if you must.
My suggestions

 

[me-n-my-fish]

I agree. When my cyno broke out, i Dropped my lighting time from 6 hours/day to 2 hours. This slowed the growth.
Do as Broomer5 says...he has helped me alot...

 

[sal t. nutz]

Broomer,
Any ideas on the Nitrites? Isn't 2 weeks with Nitrites VERY high, a long time? They don't seem to be going anywhere. I have 15 lbs of LR, about 45 LBS of Base rock and Ceramic media in my Fluval 404, so I have plenty of places for the bacteria to grow. Were you suggesting that I syphon the Cyano out now? That will be a partial water change. Won't that interupt my cycle?

 

[broomer5]

It's hard to predict how any tank is going to cycle, especially one that you can't see first hand.
Sometimes people's tanks cycle fast, sometimes it takes a long time.
All depends on a lot of factors - some we have control over - some we don't.
If you're nitrites are still high, you'll have to wait it out. Eventually the bacteria will begin to convert this to nitrate - and you will see the trites drop off.
I'm guessing you have a 55 gallon tank from your profile.
I don't suggest siphoning out a lot of water, just get some of the cyno off the CC.
You can use a net if you want to - up to you.
Removing 5 gallons or so from a cycling 55 gallon tank isn't a substantial amout IMO. But you do what you think is best.
Having a lot of surface area, with substrate, base rock, live rock and all the other surface area's in the tank don't mean a whole lot to me regarding a fast or slow cycle.
It's the ammount of ammonia that fuels the initial bacteria growth, then the amount of nitrite that fuels the next phase, and so on.
If I was in your situation - I'd remove as much of the sheet algae as I could, restrict the lighting of this cycling tank, cease adding "any" additives or supplements and just wait it out.

 

[sal t. nutz]

Broomer,
Check this out. I told you my Nitrites have been carzy above 5 for 2 weeks with no releif in sight. Last I tested was on Sat. Well, I came home today from work, and the damn Nitrites have gone from over 5 ppm 2 days ago, to 0 today. Does it usually happen that fast? That sounds crazy but I am excited.

 

[sal t. nutz]

So what happened to them? I know they get converted to Nitrates, but my Trates are only like between 5-10 ppm. I guess it takes a lot of Nitrites to make Nitrates.
Guess it's time to introduce a small bioload to make more ammonia. Off tto teh fish store. Gonna get a small maroon clown, since they are pretty hardy anyway.

 

[broomer5]

go easy ...