What type of algae is this?

[Zachary Hart]

Hello. I'm new to the fish keeping hobby and am still getting to grips with all the different types of algae. This tank is only 3 months old and has 2 turbo snails and a cleaner shrimp in it. I've looked online for the type of algae this is, but I can't pinpoint it. My question is have any of you had this before, and how do you treat it? Thanks!

 

[johnmaloney]

When you find bright green encrusting algae on the rocks a good test is if it comes off when you scrub with your finger it is film algae (or green cyano), if not it is coralline. Looks like there is some of both in your case. 

 

Also some hair algae. 

[Clown79]

The dark stuff doesn't look to be an issues, most likely film algae.

 

The stringy stuff is hair algae and it spreads quickly so getting on the cause and correcting it will reduce and prevent its return.

 

Looks like a new tank,  which go through various stages.

 

 

Check you nutrient levels first.

 

What's your filtration and the media

Have you started your waterchanges? Vacuum sand, Turkey baste rocks?

 

What's your water source?

[mcarroll]

It looks like your CUC isn't touching the hairy stuff, so that makes removing this algae your job.  Rip it out as carefully and completely as you can.  Consider spot-treating with peroxide if it seems like even hand-pulling won't make it go.  Once it's small and low enough, the snails will manage it from there.

 

Consider using a larger number of smaller snails.

 

What do you measure for nitrates and phosphates?

 

 

[Clown79]

Ya peroxide treatment is great.

[Zachary Hart]

The tank is 4 months old. I use carbon and biomax in a sponge filter. I have the fluval Evo 13.5 so it's the one it comes with. I do water changes every week with rodi water made from my own 4 stage rodi system. I also vacuum the sand every other week. As of yet I don't test for phosphate but I use the API test kit for nitrate which reads 5 ppm

[MrObscura]

Likely, the bright green is the beginning of coraline, the stringy stuff hair. 

[Oldsalt01]

Sponge filters are notorious for acting like nitrate factories, which is what I suspect is feeding the hair algae. Often, when you test for nitrates it will appear as though you have little or no levels. That's not the fault of the test kit, it usually means the algae is up-taking the nutrients before they become detectable in the water column. The surest way I've found to beat hair algae is removal of the rock, and manual scrubbing with a stiff toothbrush dipped in Hydrogen Peroxide, after you've pulled as much off as you can. Manual removal in the tank will just spread strands of it around and creates new growth areas. Only treat the hair algae. I'd leave the bright green stuff alone. Once you've scrubbed the hair algae off, you can give the rocks a good swish in some fresh SW and put it back in the tank. I'd look at replacing the sponge filter with something else, mainly because sponges are very difficult to clean thoroughly and can just add to the nutrient load. This is a battle virtually anyone with a SW tank deals with sooner or later, so don't feel like you've done something wrong, or that you're alone.

I'd up your clean-up crew, adding some Dwarf Ceriths, Florida Ceriths and maybe a Nassarius or two. Are there any fish in the tank?

[Zachary Hart]

17 hours ago, Oldsalt01 said:

Sponge filters are notorious for acting like nitrate factories, which is what I suspect is feeding the hair algae. Often, when you test for nitrates it will appear as though you have little or no levels. That's not the fault of the test kit, it usually means the algae is up-taking the nutrients before they become detectable in the water column. The surest way I've found to beat hair algae is removal of the rock, and manual scrubbing with a stiff toothbrush dipped in Hydrogen Peroxide, after you've pulled as much off as you can. Manual removal in the tank will just spread strands of it around and creates new growth areas. Only treat the hair algae. I'd leave the bright green stuff alone. Once you've scrubbed the hair algae off, you can give the rocks a good swish in some fresh SW and put it back in the tank. I'd look at replacing the sponge filter with something else, mainly because sponges are very difficult to clean thoroughly and can just add to the nutrient load. This is a battle virtually anyone with a SW tank deals with sooner or later, so don't feel like you've done something wrong, or that you're alone.

I'd up your clean-up crew, adding some Dwarf Ceriths, Florida Ceriths and maybe a Nassarius or two. Are there any fish in the tank?

Thanks for your help. I currently do not have any fish in the tank as they are in my quarantine tank

[Oldsalt01]

43 minutes ago, Zachary Hart said:

Thanks for your help. I currently do not have any fish in the tank as they are in my quarantine tank

No worries. Are the fish QT’d because of disease or because they’re new to you? If the latter, then good for you! It takes discipline and a certain level of maturity to take the time to QT and not give in to the desire to pop a fish into the DT now! In the long run you’ll be glad you waited, in terms of frustration, heartache, and money. How about a full tank shot? We love those.

[Clown79]

I agree. I would ditch the sponge filter.

 

They lead to nutrient issues. Not very efficient in Sw.

 

Getting a media basket or diy one is the way to go. Use carbon and filter floss.

 

Carbon changes every 2-3 weeks, filter floss 2 times a week.

 

The gha will not disappear on it own, it will take careful manual removal.

 

I prefer turning off all water movement, pulling the gha off carefully with tweezers, then spot treating with 3% peroxide with a syringe.

 

Use no more than 2ml of peroxide at a time.

 

Allow to sit for 10-15mins them turn water movement back on or continue to proceed with a waterchange.

 

 

I don't like scrubbing rocks in the tank as it allows the gha to spread, it impossible to catch every piece.  

[Zachary Hart]

On 12/16/2018 at 6:36 PM, Oldsalt01 said:

 

Thanks. The two fish are new. I previously had two clowns, but they died from brooks shortly after purchasing them. I had to wait 8 weeks before I could put anything in the tank and so realised I needed a quarantine. 

 

[Zachary Hart]

On 12/16/2018 at 6:36 PM, Oldsalt01 said:

 

How long should I leave the clownfish in the quarantine tank for? It's not the best to look at. Thanks

[Clown79]

Fish should be in quarantine for 4 weeks minimum. 

Depends on if you are doing observation or pre treatment.

[Oldsalt01]

I qt my fish for a minimum of 4 weeks, 6-8 if I’ve had to medicate them. It gives them time to chill from transport stress, get on a feeding schedule without competition from tank mates, and time for me to observe for issues and treat if I feel it’s warranted. I have a 5.5 set up for qt continually. Not that I have it actually qt’ing fish all the time, but I usually put new corals in there for a couple of weeks also. So far I’ve not lost a fish to disease in the 3 years I’ve been back in reefing.

[Zachary Hart]

When you mentioned peroxide for the treatment of the green hair algae, I take it you meant hydrogen peroxide. Is there a specific type of hydrogen peroxide which is fish safe or will any do. Im doing an aquascspe change and so will take the rocks out and treat them by scrubbing the hair algae off with a toothbrush and peroxide. Thanks

[Oldsalt01]

Regular old hydrogen peroxide from the pharmacy. Don’t soak the rock, rather dip the toothbrush, as soaking it can adversely effect the bacteria inside the rock. Labor intensive but worth it. Give it a good swish in RO/DI when you’re done and good to go.

[Clown79]

7 hours ago, Zachary Hart said:

When you mentioned peroxide for the treatment of the green hair algae, I take it you meant hydrogen peroxide. Is there a specific type of hydrogen peroxide which is fish safe or will any do. Im doing an aquascspe change and so will take the rocks out and treat them by scrubbing the hair algae off with a toothbrush and peroxide. Thanks

I use regular 3%.

 

I turn off all water movement. I then apply the peroxide with a syringe directly to the spot after pulling off as much gha I can with tweezers.(don't release any of the pulled algae into the tank)

 

I then proceed with a waterchange. 

 

I use no more than 2ml peroxide at a time.

 

 

I have also done spot treatments in between waterchanges. I leave water movement off for 10mins after.

[mcarroll]

2 hours ago, Clown79 said:

I use regular 3%.

 

I turn off all water movement. I then apply the peroxide with a syringe directly to the spot after pulling off as much gha I can with tweezers.(don't release any of the pulled algae into the tank)

 

I then proceed with a waterchange. 

 

I use no more than 2ml peroxide at a time.

 

 

I have also done spot treatments in between waterchanges. I leave water movement off for 10mins after.

This!  🙂

 

If it seems necessary because the algae will not give up/retreat, there is A LOT of room to escalate this treatment.  

 

(It's worth stating that if you aren't increasing your CUC at the same time, you're asking to repeat these treatments in most cases.  :))

 

Increase concentration

3% peroxide is extremely weak.  

 

Start with 3%, but if it doesn't work, see if you can get your hands on "food grade hydrogen peroxide" at (e.g) a health food store.  That's probably 30% concentration or so.  

 

Folks have used that in the same manner as 3%, just like Clown79 described.

 

Increase time

10 minutes isn't all that long to leave the treatment on....work your way up to 20-30 minutes if it seem to be needed.

 

Increase the quantity

Depending on the size of your tank, 2mL isn't much.

 

Folks will routinely dose their tanks with 1mL per 10 gallons when they follow one of the miracle cure recipes online.

 

Doesn't cure algae.  But it doesn't seem to hurt tanks much if at all, either.

 

So start with just 2mL.....but work your way up to 1mL/10gallons of 3% peroxide if it seems necessary.  This seems to be a safe quantity.  (I know folks who have dosed pretty large quantities of 3% in spot-treatments.)

 

 

[Zachary Hart]

Well I've only got a 13.5 gallon fluval sea Evo nano aquarium so I guess I can't use too much in high concentrations otherwise I risk the inhabitants livelihoods. Thankyou very much for all your help. I shall get some H2O2 asap and try it out. 

[Clown79]

2 hours ago, Zachary Hart said:

Well I've only got a 13.5 gallon fluval sea Evo nano aquarium so I guess I can't use too much in high concentrations otherwise I risk the inhabitants livelihoods. Thankyou very much for all your help. I shall get some H2O2 asap and try it out. 

That is correct.

 

Some dose peroxide directly to tank and will dose 1ml/gallon but I myself have never felt comfortable with over use of peroxide.

 

The spot treatments have always worked and the gha hasn't returned after with other changes I made. 

 

 

[Zachary Hart]

In this moment in time I am unable to obtain some peroxide, due to me being only 17 and you need to be 18 to buy medicine where I'm from. Do you think that if I kept the lights off the tank for a while, it would eventually go. This is what I have been doing for a week and the amount of gha looks to have diminished. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Oldsalt01]

Lights out will help, but isn’t the solution. U need to figure out where the nutrients are coming from. Usually it’s from overfeeding, over stocking, too few CUC, or source water being high in nutrients. Be aware that testing won’t always show elevated No3 or Po4 as the algae can uptake them before they become apparent in the tests. Also depends on the test kit, API being notorious for unreliable results. Do you baste your rock daily, and do you vacuume your sand with water changes?

[Zachary Hart]

I vacuum the sand with every other water change but don't baste the rocks. I didn't know that was a thing to do

[mcarroll]

5 hours ago, Zachary Hart said:

I vacuum the sand with every other water change but don't baste the rocks. I didn't know that was a thing to do

Turkey Basting

Since the tank is new, basting is probably not your solution as (so far) there's no source of food, poop or detritus to accumulate yet (or very minimal amounts)....but it's definitely a good part of regular maintenance going forward when the fish are in.  Consider using a small powerhead rather than a turkey baster if you can.  Blast both the rocks and sand when you do - it should be a good storm simulation.  Vacuum everything off when you're done blasting.

 

Other Things

In a tank's early phase, algae usually grows due to three factors: 

1. all the open rock space
   which provides growing space AND nutrients*
2. no competition for space/nutrients from coraline algae (yet) 
3. lack of CUC

So boosting your CUC is the main thing you'd want to do to keep the problem from coming back, since you can't do much to directly influence the other two factors.  Adding corals to take up space and cast shade, and keeping the tank chemistry stable so that coraline grows are about all you can do for #1 and #2.

 

* Aragonite works just like GFO in binding phosphates, so even when there appears to be none in the water from the perspective of your test kit...there's plenty of phosphate available for algae growth.  (Coraline algae is one of the most important reef-building organisms for this reason and others.)

 

Cleaning The Algae

As everyone else has said, for now cleaning out the algae now is still your job.  Use whatever makes the most sense to your situation to remove it:  fingers, tweezers, toothbrushes, scraping tools...whatever. 

 

When you have a space cleared, you probably want to add some new CUC to keep it cleaned (since the existing CUC wasn't sufficient). 

 

So make tank cleaning and CUC-shopping parallel activities until the algae is under control.

 

Remember that snails like Nassarius are carnivores/carrion-eaters...very few snails like this will be required and they won't help with algae at all.  (Since you're maintaining your own sand bed, you can get away with zero, or one at most.)  As dedicated omnivores, hermit crabs may eat algae, but they are more grouped with the carrion eaters like the Nassarius in terms of preferences.

 

You will want 99% of your CUC population to be algae eaters or herbivores:  Cerith, Turbo, Astrea, Trochus, Nerite, Stomatella, etc.