algae issue?

[uniquee1]

hi guys newbie reefer here just went through the whole forum and couldnt find anything whatsoever on what looks to be my type of algae..

 

Story goes like this...left 2 weeks ago for NJ to visit family..did a 40% water change in the tank before i left on my evolve 8 gal. Was told by LFS that i should be okay..came back and my tank was covered in this brownish looking algaie with alot of long hair like strands and some slimey looking crap..been trying to rid of it since then..

 

methods so far for removal...i use a baster and take excess off the rock and walls..i have implemented new CUC(snails) to clean my glass etc that has been effective so far. additionally i have added PolyFilter to my back to help with level controls...I have done a one day blackout and have been cautious to a 3 day due to my corals.

 

 

I would love to hear some words from you guys on what i should possibly do...is my tank doomed? my corals seem to be doing alright except for my torch coral..its not looking as good as it was and i think it might be because of this.

 

levels currently:

pH look to be lower then 7.4 im assuming this is a big big problem..if so what can i do to raise it?

ammonia :0ppm

nitrite: 0 ppm

nitrate: roughly between 10-20 ppm this is normal in my tank with the water i get from the LFS. i have yet to be able to get it down to 0-1ppm since.

 

 

pics are below:

http://i.imgur.com/tWtizUp.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/EXfq6GN.jpg'

 

 

 

any help and/or recommendations would be wonderful! i dont want to lose the stuff i have in my tank!!

[Tamberav]

Looks like that might be dino, in which case, you are going to have to be very aggressive to get rid of it. Most methods involve blackouts, peroxide, and regular H2O.

 

A 3 day black out won't even effect corals, you will want to cover the tank with multiple towels so it is a 100% blackout. Some people do as long as 7 days. I did 3 days because I have a clam and not even my clam cared.

 

A dip in fresh water kills it but that won't really help with the sand.

 

Research dinoflagellates.