Algae In Sump

[hzheng33]

I have never dealt with algae running like wildfire before so I don’t know much about them and their control.

this algae appears to be in the refugium section of the sump only and I would like it eliminated if possible.

anyone know what this is?

 

[bg2311]

Might try fluconazole powder (Reef Flux ok Amazon) however a side effect can be it also sometimes killing off desired macro algae like Chaeto if you have some growing in your refugium. If you decide to use it, be aware it will make your skimmer go into overdrive if you are running one. Can turn the skimmer off for the first couple days or pull the collection cup and let it overflow back into the sump so it doesn't skim out the treatment.

 

[hzheng33]

Might try fluconazole powder (Reef Flux ok Amazon) however a side effect can be it also sometimes killing off desired macro algae like Chaeto if you have some growing in your refugium. If you decide to use it, be aware it will make your skimmer go into overdrive if you are running one. Can turn the skimmer off for the first couple days or pull the collection cup and let it overflow back into the sump so it doesn't skim out the treatment.

Any idea what type of algae I’m dealing with?

 

[bg2311]

Any idea what type of algae I’m dealing with?

Perhaps Cladophora?

 

[90gDreams]

How big is the sump? I've removed my 20long twice during "the uglies" to get all detritus out and scrubbed it all with peroxide. That's probably the easiest and most fool proof way. If you have a skimmer, live rock, or a DSB it's a good time to get it all nice and cleaned out. Tank will be fine with out the sump for a bit.

It doesn't look like bryopsis so I wouldn't jump into fluconazole. I'm a huge fan of Turbo snails for this stuff and in a sump you don't need to worry about their frag making side hustle.

 

[hzheng33]

How big is the sump? I've removed my 20long twice during "the uglies" to get all detritus out and scrubbed it all with peroxide. That's probably the easiest and most fool proof way. If you have a skimmer, live rock, or a DSB it's a good time to get it all nice and cleaned out. Tank will be fine with out the sump for a bit.

It doesn't look like bryopsis so I wouldn't jump into fluconazole. I'm a huge fan of Turbo snails for this stuff and in a sump you don't need to worry about their frag making side hustle.

it's the trigger 34 sump.

i have scrub it down with vinegar and bleach before i set back up my tank (i had to move the main tank from upstairs to downstairs) and i'm also using freshly bleached rocks and cleaned out the pipe work as well. not sure where this came from....

having said that, yes it's not bryposis and it's only in my refugium. maybe i will do some snails in there and i agree that i cannot do reflux or fluconazole because i have a good amount of dragons breath in there.

thanks for the suggestion.

 

[90gDreams]

it's the trigger 34 sump.

i have scrub it down with vinegar and bleach before i set back up my tank (i had to move the main tank from upstairs to downstairs) and i'm also using freshly bleached rocks and cleaned out the pipe work as well. not sure where this came from....

having said that, yes it's not bryposis and it's only in my refugium. maybe i will do some snails in there and i agree that i cannot do reflux or fluconazole because i have a good amount of dragons breath in there.

thanks for the suggestion.

"Life will find a way" lol.

You probably had some microscopic bits of this funk on a frag plug but was outcompeted before the tank move. After the move it found a nice spotless place free of predators to take off. Not unlike New tank diatom blooms. That's just my theory on it.

Best of luck

 

[sharis100]

Is that turtle weed or maiden hair algae? If so, it is a great hard to get macroalgae. Hard for me to tell in photos. It also could be an enteromorpha macro algae. Depending on the tube like appearance of the strands.

 

[hzheng33]

Is that turtle weed or maiden hair algae? If so, it is a great hard to get macroalgae. Hard for me to tell in photos. It also could be an enteromorpha macro algae. Depending on the tube like appearance of the strands.

Its definitely broader than the turtle weed in terms of leaf width. I think it is Cladophora but I don’t see people dealing with this problem much….

 

[sharis100]

Its definitely broader than the turtle weed in terms of leaf width. I think it is Cladophora but I don’t see people dealing with this problem much….

If it is cladophora then manual removal is the only option and it is hard to remove everything as little pieces can remain. Bleach supposedly kills it, although not always. No lights, manual removal and luck has worked for me in past. It comes in on other plant material typically as you probably know. Weird that it showed up in your sump. Trying total sump blackout.