Help, algea!

[stoney1118]

So I used some epoxy last week to attach some corals to my rock, and this purple brown colored hair like algea has started growing like crazy! WTh? So what can i do? It's bad on my back glass! Help! I
About to do my normal weekly water change and I'll scrape it loose the best I can and vacuum it out.

 

[ralph atl]

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px">You must export the same or more nutrients than you put in. Overfeeding, tap water, high phosphate foods, etc. </span></span>
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<span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman">Phosphate reduction/ removal and high trates could be the answer. Wet skimming with a skimmer that is rated at least double your water volume. If you cannot get a fuge or sump (you can maybe make a "Rubbermaid sump with cheato in it for a few bucks) you can get a $35.00 hang on phosphate reactor for your tank and put some GFO in there. In the future, you'll most likely need a refugium with Macro algae. </span></span>
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<span style="color: black"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman">If you choose GFO, you&#8217;ll need to start VERY SLOWLY! Use 25% of the recommended media, slowly increasing every week. You need to acclimate your tank inhabitants over at least a 2 month period especially is you have any stony corals. Once acclimated you&#8217;ll need to change your Iron based media in the phosphate reactor more often. Your media will get saturated within 2 weeks or so depending upon how much is bound up in your rocks, tank, algae, etc. Use less media, change every 2 weeks. Use a great test kit like DD Merck, Hack, or colormeter. If you already have a fuge & reactor, be aggressive & change the media every 2 weeks.</span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px">When you do your water change, take the end of the hose and suck all the algae down like a vacuum. It'll take a few water changes, but it works (especially after the phosphate remover kicks in)</span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px">Use a phosphate reactor with some phosar or ROWA or whatever, and something to lower nitrates like a fuge, AZNO3, Vodka, VSV or other carbon source. </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px">check out:</span></span>
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http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/rhf/index.php"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/rhf/index.php</span></span></span></a>
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[IMG]http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php</span></span></span></a>
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[IMG]http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/july2003/chem.htm"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/july2003/chem.htm</span></span></span></a>
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[IMG]http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php</span></span></span></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"> </span></span>
[IMG]http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-05/eb/index.php"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-05/eb/index.php</span></span></span></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"> </span></span>
[IMG]http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm</span></span></span></a>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"> </span></span>
[IMG]http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1349443"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1349443</span></span></span></a>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"> </span></span>
[IMG]http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2002/chem.htm"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2002/chem.htm</span></span></span></a>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px">VSV:</span></span>
<span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: Verdana">[IMG]http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...nftt/index.php</span></a>


[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1225324"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1225324</span></a></span></span>
<span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: Verdana"> </span></span>
<span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: Verdana"> </span></span>
<span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: Verdana">[IMG]http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22849&highlight=vodka"><span style="color: #0000ff">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forum...ighlight=vodka</span></a></span></span>

 

[nanonano]

You think the epoxy caused it? That doesnt sound right. Is it red slime algae/cyano? I hope not. It's a pain to get rid of. Hopefully it's just hair algae.

Either way it's a possible combination of too much light, nutrients, possible phosphates etc.

 

[stoney1118]

Ok awesome input guys, thanks again, I do not think the epoxy had anything to do with it, I did my normal 44 gal weekly wc and got most of the nasty stuff off the glass and all. Still have some chunky stuff on the sand though, I usually vacuum my sand once a month but this stuff was too dense to be sucked up through the vacuum so it just got mixed in with the sand, all is hopefully good, my biological filter should be going strong by now, so hopefully my algea probs are going away!

 

[nanonano]

Good to hear. Keep us updated.

 

[pamelahaley]

I had a red slime problem... turned out it was just pH and cleared right up.