Duke Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 Alge looks like small air bubbles ? How do I get rid of this stuff? starting to spread..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 is the algae red and slimey under the bubbles? if so it's cyano. the bubbles are it's waste product. check water quality/flow, lighting, optimise skimming, increase biological filtration, etc, etc. http://www.netpets.org/fish/reference/reefref/cyanobacteria2.html if green and round, it's bubble algae or valonia. don't pop the spores or they will spread. manually remove carefully. http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/algaecontrol/a/aa011501.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted April 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 Water quality seems fine and the skimmer is going well. I have hair agle grow in my tank. Anything I can do ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 algae like that only grows when it outcompetes good algae (like the coralline's) phosphates maybe too high? (get a low range test kit) check again. only time will fix, just keep removing the best you can. you could increase LR (if you dont have enough) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 Chimera has said most of it, but remember this happens to new tanks on and off anyway whilst it is maturing. It will gradually go away as long as everything else is being done right. I still have a little bit occasionally and mine is 7 months old, only starting to slow down now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 Is the hair algae red or green? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 I have tried removing valonia manually, and got very frustrated. :evil: Bought a yellow tang and all my valonia problems disappeared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 you haven't clarified the type of algae? bubbles - but are they green bubbles as in valonia? or red bubbles on top of a red slime as in cyano? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 Is there anything wrong with having bubble algae in your tank? I have plenty and quite like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 Do you have algea blooms? If so, I will suggest getting rid of the bubbles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 this is still dependant upon what algae Duke has. If it's cyanobacteria, probably the easiest way to describe how it's caused is 'when nutrients meet light in an aquarium'. Typically the biggest cause is phosphates, and as cracker has suggested, it will often appear during the early establishment phases (around 5 or 6 months) If you keep it under control by having a good maintenance plan (including water changes), have good optimised skimming, good water flow and good lighting the cyano will not be visible (I say 'not be visible' rather than 'disappear' as all tanks have cyano, its just the ongoing maintenance and filtration that dictates whether it will reappear and spread again) It is evil stuff because it spreads so quickly, covering your sand, rocks etc and covering/killing good algae's like coralline. If you can get through this phase and have good coralline growth, then it simply gets out-numbered. It will reappear if you slack off with your maintenance though. Hence why I believe RODI or a good source of phosphate-free water is so crucial (and the main reason Im buying a TDS meter from marine depot!) Regarding bubble algae, here's a quote from saltaquarium.about.com (IMO, get rid of it) Dictyospheria form mats of small bubbles in a tight vicinity of each other in an irregular pattern and their growth follows the shape of the live rock or item they are growing on. Fast growing, these rough bubble species can cover rocks, prevent corals from attaching and may even overtake coral growths. ... Bubble algae are usually brought into an aquarium when introducing live rock. Living on very small amounts of nutrients and low lighting (even in dark areas of an aquarium), if they become a nuisance they usually require removal or thinning by hand. Reducing tank nutrients will not do the job with the Dictyospheria sp. Great care should be taken not to break open the bubbles. As the bubbles mature they contain spores, and if broken this can cause them to spread more rapidly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 No problems with other algae, there was quite a bit of hair algae that came with the tank, which has been quickly declining, it has gone from around a square foot to maybe a square inch or to. Dont think it worth pulling my tank apart to clean it out, I'll leave it and if ever becauses a major problem think about a rebuild then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted April 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2005 It is not the green type put appears red slime as in cyano. I do a water change weekly etc etc and have done for months now. Need to look at RO water to amke sure it's not coming from my tank water. Any ideas what they cost and where I can purchase a good one ? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted April 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2005 Hair alge is light brown and short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 19, 2005 Report Share Posted April 19, 2005 light brown and short - sounds like diatoms? not actually an algae if it is but still a nuissance for RODI systems, try Anthony Preston Limited in Howick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted April 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2005 Any Idea how much ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 19, 2005 Report Share Posted April 19, 2005 depends, 4 stage i'd guess around $400 - $450? thats prefilter, carbon filter, RO then DI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted April 19, 2005 Report Share Posted April 19, 2005 sounds like diatoms? not actually an algae if it is but still a nuissance ? Diatom is a type of algae. If its not what is it? Pie PS: Best plave to get RODI is the net. Spinedoc brought a 6 stage of EBAY, brand new less than $300NZ delivered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmatix Posted April 19, 2005 Report Share Posted April 19, 2005 Aaron if your that worried i can hook you up with an expert on this matter ie does K tarltons, filtration, huge water/sewage filtration/pumps. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 19, 2005 Report Share Posted April 19, 2005 $400 - $450 new. if you can get for $300 2nd hand, go for it. just be aware RO needs replacing probably every 6mths - 1 year? and DI every year or more, depending on use. also pre-filter and carbon filter obviously needs changing every now and then too. RE: Diatoms, read here: Referred to as a microalgae, brown or golden algae is actually not an algae at all, but diatoms. What you are actually seeing in your tank are diatom skeletons, all linked together. It can appear as a simple dusting on the tank walls and substrate surfaces, or it can turn into a massive growth that covers just about everything in the tank. REF: http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/algaecontrol/a/aa091100.htm but then they go and contradict themselves and call it an algae later on. go figure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted April 19, 2005 Report Share Posted April 19, 2005 Just had a looks though some of my books and a quick google search, its definatly algae. Pieola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 20, 2005 Report Share Posted April 20, 2005 speaking of Cyano, something I read from a reef guy with a PhD in science - maybe something someone could try next time they get Cyano? Do not use red slime killing products, usually erythromycin. Aside from jeopardizing nitrification and denitrification, antibiotics just kill off all susceptible strains of algae or bacteria, then a few weeks later the resistant survivors take over. Your slime killer stops working. The safest way to suppress red slime is with light, specifically with the long UV available in actinic sources. Increase the actinic light or other UV source and remove any glass or thick acrylic between the light and the water. UV sterilizers do not help with this because they do not illuminate the aquarium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted April 20, 2005 Report Share Posted April 20, 2005 The best way to remove cyno is improve water quality. cyno normal means you have a high nutrient load . Using slime killing products is only a short term view. as it will come back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 20, 2005 Report Share Posted April 20, 2005 i believe cyano is a mix of more than just high nutrients (although nutrients, specifically phosphates, is the limiting factor!), it includes poor lighting, poor water flow, high temperature and poor maintenance as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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