Algae Algae Everywhere

I wish my back lawn were as green as the bottom of my tank is right now ;D

Seriously though, looks aside what is the great harm in it?

 

The algae can choke out and kill corals..... If you don't have corals, then no harm actually.

 

No corals.

Really just on my sand bed, glass and rocks are largely clear.

 

What type of algae is it? Soft, powdery, hairy, slimy, etc...

 

It will disrupt gas exchange on your sand bed leading to even uglier things if left unchecked. Sounds like diatoms to me.

 

Here is a pic of my mini-jungle

 

looks hairy to me, pic above.

Just burst out on me pretty recently, bed was clean before.

 

Looks like Green Hair Algae to me. Do you use RO/DI water or tap? You may want to invest in a phosphate reactor. They are not that expensive (about $60 with pump) and will help to lower phosphates. That's usually the main causes, although other things (such as excess nitrates) can cause it too.

What are your parameters? Nitrate, Phosphate, Mag, Alk, Calcium. Those numbers could help to figure out what is pushing the GHA growth.

 

Guys,

I hate chemicals as I am sure most or all of you do. I had a green hair algae outbreak that began to take over the tank. I did many water changes, phosphate removal, tried everything suggested, Magnesium, etc, etc. My LFS owner suggested I try Algae Fix, but "be careful and follow the directions." I tried it and it worked like a charm. It is slow so do not, I repeat do not think a little is OK more will be better. My hair algae was totally gone in about 8 weeks. It did not harm anything in my tank including fish, coral, snails, shrimp and the usual other stuff. It worked.

 

i see alot of random rock in there. Are you using cement or any other non reef rock besides that volcanic piece?