PascuaReef
New Member
Hello everyone,
In the last month, this algae (video attached) has been appearing in my aquarium, and I can't seem to eliminate it. I would like to know what type of algae it is and how to get rid of it.
Things I have done in chronological order:
- Tested my phosphate and nitrate levels to see if the issue was nutrient-related: Phosphate 0.01 ppm, Nitrate 0 ppm (Hanna tests). I have a refugium with Chaetomorpha in the SUMP to consume nutrients with a photoperiod opposite to the display of 12 hours (it was at 10 hours, but I decided to increase it to 12 to see if it would solve the issue).
- Measured silicate and TDS in my RO filter, I measured TDS and Silicate from the RO water: Silicate 0 ppm (Hanna test), TDS 0000.
- Scraped the algae with a toothbrush, did a water change, and increased the UV filter time to 16 hours, but 2-3 days later, the algae reappeared. Detail that after scraping the algae, the rocks have a brown color, and I assume it's because the base of the algae is brown.
- I started suspecting that my phosphate and nitrate could be zero because there were already many algae in my display consuming all the nutrients. I thought about eliminating the algae, continuing to feed the fish the same way, and measuring nitrates and phosphates after eliminating the algae to see if the values increased. So, I scraped again and did a blackout (0 light) in the aquarium for 48 hours. As usual, the algae completely disappeared. I measured nitrate and phosphate again: Nitrate remained zero (0 ppm), and phosphate was 0.01 ppm.
- Currently, I don't know what to do. From my research, there is a treatment with Fluconazole that could solve the problem, but I imagine it's temporary since the crucial part is finding the cause. What I am doing is to keep the lights off (just natural light) and the algae is controlled, but when I switch on the lights it appears again.
Additional information:
- 650-liter aquarium with 9 months of setup.
- I have a refugium with Chaetomorpha (12 hours, photoperiod opposite to the display).
- I started dosing with Triton (Triton method) because the dKH was very low (5.9 dKH), and I am gradually raising it to introduce corals in the coming months. Currently, the dKH is at 5.8 dKH. I am dosing with GHL Doser (6 x 1ml per day).
- Livestock: 1 Fridmani, 2 Neon goby, 1 Hepatus, 1 Powder Blue, 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Purple Tang, 2 Clown Fish, 2 cleaner shrimp. Hermit crabs. No corals yet.
- I have a 60W UV that I leave on for 16 hours with the water flow recommended by the manufacturer. (Increased the number of hours to see if it solves the problem).
Thank you very much,
Fernando
In the last month, this algae (video attached) has been appearing in my aquarium, and I can't seem to eliminate it. I would like to know what type of algae it is and how to get rid of it.
Things I have done in chronological order:
- Tested my phosphate and nitrate levels to see if the issue was nutrient-related: Phosphate 0.01 ppm, Nitrate 0 ppm (Hanna tests). I have a refugium with Chaetomorpha in the SUMP to consume nutrients with a photoperiod opposite to the display of 12 hours (it was at 10 hours, but I decided to increase it to 12 to see if it would solve the issue).
- Measured silicate and TDS in my RO filter, I measured TDS and Silicate from the RO water: Silicate 0 ppm (Hanna test), TDS 0000.
- Scraped the algae with a toothbrush, did a water change, and increased the UV filter time to 16 hours, but 2-3 days later, the algae reappeared. Detail that after scraping the algae, the rocks have a brown color, and I assume it's because the base of the algae is brown.
- I started suspecting that my phosphate and nitrate could be zero because there were already many algae in my display consuming all the nutrients. I thought about eliminating the algae, continuing to feed the fish the same way, and measuring nitrates and phosphates after eliminating the algae to see if the values increased. So, I scraped again and did a blackout (0 light) in the aquarium for 48 hours. As usual, the algae completely disappeared. I measured nitrate and phosphate again: Nitrate remained zero (0 ppm), and phosphate was 0.01 ppm.
- Currently, I don't know what to do. From my research, there is a treatment with Fluconazole that could solve the problem, but I imagine it's temporary since the crucial part is finding the cause. What I am doing is to keep the lights off (just natural light) and the algae is controlled, but when I switch on the lights it appears again.
Additional information:
- 650-liter aquarium with 9 months of setup.
- I have a refugium with Chaetomorpha (12 hours, photoperiod opposite to the display).
- I started dosing with Triton (Triton method) because the dKH was very low (5.9 dKH), and I am gradually raising it to introduce corals in the coming months. Currently, the dKH is at 5.8 dKH. I am dosing with GHL Doser (6 x 1ml per day).
- Livestock: 1 Fridmani, 2 Neon goby, 1 Hepatus, 1 Powder Blue, 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Purple Tang, 2 Clown Fish, 2 cleaner shrimp. Hermit crabs. No corals yet.
- I have a 60W UV that I leave on for 16 hours with the water flow recommended by the manufacturer. (Increased the number of hours to see if it solves the problem).
Thank you very much,
Fernando
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