Firday nights (late) Karma game….

OK, I said Friday night Karma but my Friday nights have been a touch hectic (traveling for work).

Anyway, just a recap – I post a question and new(er) aquarists post the answer and are awarded karma for correctness and completeness. By any more senior members of 3reef that feel’s you nailed the answer. I will award karma to all who play my game. The goal is education and fun…..

For this weeks I need to change the rules, you need to have less than 6 months experience as a marine aquarist. experiance level will depend on difficulty of the question...yes, some of these will go up to 5+ years of experiance in time - we'll stump the best of them in the name of education!

Please identify the following two types of algae, causes and cures for both young and mature tanks (if there is a difference)

*pictures borrowed from fellow 3reefer* credit given later.....

 

This will turn out to be a fun game!!!
Great idea here I look forward to playing the harder questions

 

bump - for someone who can ID these algaes and tell me what to do about them


Steve

 

1 looks like diatoms. solution : wait it out if its cycling, if its a mature tank...you may have added silica somehow and wait it out as well.

2 cyano? solution: more flow, less nutrients, less light.

 

Great idea CrimsonGhost! Ive been an aquarist for a few years but still much to gain.

Ill be watching this thread!

 

Ahh great idea! I'll award karma as well

 

OK – tonight’s game subject and answer come complements of Mr. JohnMaloney a 3Reefer for years….here is a link to his “Ultimate Nuisance Algae” thread – well worth the read friends…. http://www.3reef.com/forums/algae/ultimate-nuisance-algae-thread-58657.html


><><><>< Cyano Bacteria (not algae) ><><><><

Scientific Description: Red slimy mess. Can be long and stringy, can be brownish, can be powdery on your glass or rocks.

Manual Removal - wipe glass with mag float, etc... Light toothbrush harder corals covered and gorgs, and the rocks. Stir sand and siphon

Clean Up Crew- Ceriths, Nerites and Blue Legs

Why it happened - too much phosphate, and you probably have a phosphate imbalance. Meaning you probably have less than a 20:1 N ratio. Alkalinity may be a factor too.

Starving it out - Use a phosban reactor or a macro like chaeto to take down phosphate. If you have a nitrate problem too, you can add more live rock or rubble to the tank, do some more wcs, add macro, add dsb, etc...

John's Tip - Increase the flow in your tank to take care of dead spots. Are you using RO/DI? Either way check your source water for phosphates.


><><><>< Diatoms ><><><><

Scientific Description: Brown Powdery like substance that can cake in extreme cases like the one above. Usually occurs right after a tank finishes its cycle.

Manual Removal - wipe glass with mag float, etc... A blast from a turkey baster takes care of rocks. Stir sand and siphon.

Clean Up Crew- Ceriths, Nerites and Chitons

Why it happened - bio available silica, probably from sand or rock or something plastic your recently added to the tank.

Starving it out - Diatoms starve themselves out, just try to keep something eating it in the mean time so it isn't so ugly as it slowly removes the silica from your tank.

John's Tip - Pods love diatoms. Left with no predation from fish, and a steady supply of diatoms over a month's time, (you do this by keeping the diatoms under control), you should be able to see rapid pod maturation in your tank.