Algae Issues

[amonchak]

So I have been battling this green slime algae for a while now and can't seem to get rid of it. It appears to be green cyano and calothrix (see this ID page http://www.reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=60 ).

I have tried manual removal and it comes back with in days, uped my water changes and it seem to get worse, and tried seachem phosphate remove (the white pellets) in a bag in the sump. I don't think its the lights cause they should be good as the t5 lamps are only 8 months old, all fish and corals seem to be doing fine but kinda at a sticking point. What methods have you used to rid your tank of algae and keep it crystal clear.

Some of the tanks around I have seen you all keep are crystal clear and clean sand and rock. What are your tricks, What am I missing??

 

[bsharpe]

Well to keep my sand looking white, I keep the sand back from the front of my aquarium and before I do a water change I take a wooden chopstick and go around the tank between the glass and the sand bed and get the ugly algae and green nastiness out. I try not to stir up the sand too much, just a chopstick thickness.

 

[CRW Reef]

Are your phosphates testing real high? Any way your RO could be at blame? Need some cheato? I have a bunch I could bring some next week.

 

[cremer9]

I was fighting the same battle I had hair alge too I started using a gfo and carbon in the sump and put a rotating head on the pump and bought some CUC's within a month or two problem solved.and I only run my lights about 6 hours a day..

 

[ShelbyJK500]

Same boat with you!! I'm starting to get beat down. I've been doing manual removal of green slime and GHA every few days (grows that fast) along with dosing NoPx (by RedSea). I dosed NoPx for 3 weeks until I got to "0" nitrates and "0" phosphates. I let up some as I know you need a trace amount. I figured this would starve out the algae. Well, that was about a week or two ago and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. I have no idea how it's growing like this without any nutrients?!?

To add to the confusion, I'm only getting green slime in the reef and GHA in the FOWLR....BUT...they're connected to the same sump and equipment. Makes NO sense (to me at least). So I'm very curious about others ideas, and in the same boat with you.

OH, and I got two big sea hares about a week ago after the nitrates were under 15 or so. One died, and I can't find the other one. Seriously, this is getting old!!!!

 

[ReeferMatt]

I had bad red cyano algae a while back, tried everything... finally bought some Chemi-clean, got rid of it with no ill effects, some people have not been so lucky though.