Hi there
I’m a relative newbie to reef tanks, although I have had a fish only tank before. I have a problem and I'm hoping you can offer advice!.
In the last few weeks, a brown, hairy algae that looks like long strings has formed in the tank. It's smothering everything and the corals aren't looking good because of it. It covers the rock and corals, plus the glass. I brush it off but can't get rid of it all and it comes back thick and fast
The tank is about 7 months old, 735 litres, has a sump and a protein skimmer.
The Heylides are on 8 hrs a day and blue lights about an hour earlier and 1.5 hrs after. I’ve heard about turning he lights off but won’t that kill the corals?
Nitrates and Nitrites negligible, usually zero or hardly detectable. Calcium maintained at about 440, kH (alkalinity) at about = 8, ammonia between zero and 0.6 tops, Salinity 0.24, Magnesium around 1200 to 1280, pH 8.3, Phosphates = 0, Temp 25
In the tank I have built up over the last few months:
3 clowns
1 bi coloured Blennie
1 Purple tang
1 Blue tang
1 Yellow tang
1 Lieutenant tang
2 Golden headed Gobbies
1 Pixie Hawkfish
1 Royal Dotty
1 Foxface
1 Flame Angel
1 Harlequin tusk
These fish are all small except the lieutenant tang.
I have a dozen or so frags (mostly polyps) and 2 anenomes.
I feed them about a teaspoon of flakes in the morning and about 1-2 tsp in the evening of chopped fresh mussel or frozen marine foods.
Any ideas?
Cheers
Vicki