What kind of algea is this???

[aredmon]

Hello all.
The Problem:
I have this problem with this nasty algea growing on everything. I had it identified by my lfs but now it lookes to me like several types of algea. I will get a pic of it as soon as I can but it may be awhile. It grows over everything. sand, decor, lr, even starting to show up on snails!! It is very slimy and it makes like a carpet. If it is starting to come up in a spot I can grab it and peel it up like your skin peeling from a sunburn. It is like a dark brown sometimes I see spots of yellow and green in it but 98% dark brown. It is growing realy long hairs (don't know how else to describe it). It will get not as bad looking one day and then realy dark the next. If it gets realy bad in one spot it makes like what you could call a pile. It also has bubbles all over in it. Not just a few a whole bunch of bubbles. Looks like a glass after you put soda in it.
Prevention messures I have taken:
I have increased the flow over the sand and rocks.
I feed every other day and only enough that the fish eat in about 5sec.
It has been running for 5mo. (This is the time after the cycle)
I use RO water
My water tests results:
Amm. 0
Nitates 0
Nitrites 0
PH 8.2
If you need anything else let me know and any help would be great.
BTW I have been fighting the stuff for about 2mo. now.

 

[rainfishy]

check your phosphates

 

[jerthunter]

sounds like it could be a type of cyanobacteria. Check your phosphates like was mentioned already. cyanobacteria doesn't require nitrate or nitrite since it can fix gasseous nitrogen but it still needs phosphates...

 

[dr. evil]

have you tested for phosphate,alkalinity, sounds like some kind of wierd brown hair algea. also what size tank do you have, filtration, lighting, fowlr, reef? oh and have you ever used tap water?

 

[aredmon]

Thank you for the quick responses. Ihave not checked my phosphate but I will as soon as I get a test kit for it. I keep my SG at 1.025. It is a 75 gal, fowlr. I only have 2 very small fish. 1 clown and a 4 stripe damsel. I have a hang on back filter. And I did use some tap when I filled it up but has been RO ever since. My lighting is the florecent that came with the lighting fixture.

 

[aredmon]

Oh I have also cut back on lighting and do 10% weeky water changes.

 

[jerthunter]

If you don't have corals or anything else that requires lighting you might want to consider drastically cutting back on light. Keep up the water changes and after it clears up slowly increase your light again.

 

[aredmon]

Ok I will try little light for awhile. I will get a phosphate test this weekend. If it is my phosphates what should I do to get rid of them?

 

[jerthunter]

Originally Posted by aredmon
Ok I will try little light for awhile. I will get a phosphate test this weekend. If it is my phosphates what should I do to get rid of them?
What you are already doing should lower your phosphates over time but you can buy some phosphate sponge like PhosGuard and run it for a few days in your filter...

 

[aredmon]

Just to let anyone know that is reading this post for reference I could not find any phosphate tests for the life of me. EVERBODY was sold out. I bought some stuff called phos ban anyway and put it in my filter. In 2 days I noticed a change in the amount of brown goo in my tank for the better.