Help With identification

Panther28

Panther28

Superstar Fish
#1
Jun 7, 2006
1,024
0
0
Fremont, CA 94536
#1
I am posting this on a new thread because no one is replying my posts on the other thread.(finally 20 gallon reef tank) And I really need help with this. I need some identification and ways of controlling it. I am already Using R/O water and have a skimmer too. Its like a layer of algae on the sand. It was holding air bubbles. In the morning it does not release bubbles but when the light is on it releases air bubbles. HELP!!!













So please help me out. Thanks.
 

C

CoolWaters

Superstar Fish
#2
Dec 10, 2006
1,028
1
0
Milpitas
#2
its bubble algae...lol funny name?

heard there's a crab or snail that eats that not sure (think some blennys too correct me if im wrong)

use google to find a cure


----------------------

did some research and found out that emeral crab eats bubble algae and hair algae too i think..
 

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Dadstank

Dadstank

Large Fish
#5
Nov 4, 2006
162
2
0
Minnesota
#5
That is definately not bubble algae.
It's usually a sign of nitrates or nutrient buildup in your substrate.
Stronger water flow might be needed. In my low current areas I get algae from time to time.
Lighting type might be culprit. I have read that certain lighting wavelengths can be bad....
There are many things that can cause unwanted algae.
What are your water parameters? Nitrates, phosphates.....
What do you have as for a clean-up crew? Sand sifting stars can help to turn your sandbed but if foodsource dwindles the stars can die...A blenny sounds like a decent idea although it is only a temporary fix... you should try to narrow down the cause of why it started in the first place. In other words... you need to stop the leak before mopping up the water or you will be mopping for a long time...

edit* the bubbles are from the algae photosynthesizing(sp?) and they are probably nitrogen bubbles...
 

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TRe

TRe

Elite Fish
#7
Feb 20, 2005
3,645
1
0
ft. lauderdale
#7
also do you have any crabs??? in the pics above i didnt see any but they will help stir up the sand bed and some actually eat algea too...... also some type of sand sifting goby will help too .... ...like they said about the water flow how much do you have??? you said you switched to r/o??? how long has it been since you switched?????
 

Panther28

Panther28

Superstar Fish
#11
Jun 7, 2006
1,024
0
0
Fremont, CA 94536
#11
Dadstank said:
That is definately not bubble algae.
It's usually a sign of nitrates or nutrient buildup in your substrate.
Stronger water flow might be needed. In my low current areas I get algae from time to time.
Lighting type might be culprit. I have read that certain lighting wavelengths can be bad....
There are many things that can cause unwanted algae.
What are your water parameters? Nitrates, phosphates.....
What do you have as for a clean-up crew? Sand sifting stars can help to turn your sandbed but if foodsource dwindles the stars can die...A blenny sounds like a decent idea although it is only a temporary fix... you should try to narrow down the cause of why it started in the first place. In other words... you need to stop the leak before mopping up the water or you will be mopping for a long time...

edit* the bubbles are from the algae photosynthesizing(sp?) and they are probably nitrogen bubbles...
Click to expand...


I checked my nitrates and they are zero. The water is actually pretty good. As for cleanup crew I have 10 blue leg crabs and one emerald crab and 11 turbo snails. And I have coralife lighting with 1 blue and 1 10,000 k lighting with a total of 130 watts. From the first day i have been using R/O water. I never used tap water! So what should I do. I even have a bak pak 2 skimmer running? So what else can be effecting it.. I am attaching a link to the lighting i have

Aquarium Lighting: Coralife Lunar Aqualights Compact Fluorescent Strip Lights
 

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A

aresgod

Superstar Fish
#13
Jan 14, 2004
1,987
2
0
mass
Visit site
#13
carbon shouldnt really do anything, I replied to your other thread...A blenny would be a stupid idea, it would add to the bioload and would not even eat that kind of algae, before making recommendations please atleast be informed concerning the requirements/qualifications of those recommendations. Just because your reading nitrates and phosphates at 0 does not mean you have none, the algae is simply using them all up so it looks like they are at 0.
While the duration of light could play a part, large water changes will help, reduce light schedule, and reduce bioload if possible, feed less, etc... again I remind you this is a young tank, algae out breaks are part of the natural cycle of a young tank, your tank won't really settle down for atleast a year. Patience, diligence, and going slow will help you deal with your algae problem.
 

Panther28

Panther28

Superstar Fish
#14
Jun 7, 2006
1,024
0
0
Fremont, CA 94536
#14
aresgod said:
carbon shouldnt really do anything, I replied to your other thread...A blenny would be a stupid idea, it would add to the bioload and would not even eat that kind of algae, before making recommendations please atleast be informed concerning the requirements/qualifications of those recommendations. Just because your reading nitrates and phosphates at 0 does not mean you have none, the algae is simply using them all up so it looks like they are at 0.
While the duration of light could play a part, large water changes will help, reduce light schedule, and reduce bioload if possible, feed less, etc... again I remind you this is a young tank, algae out breaks are part of the natural cycle of a young tank, your tank won't really settle down for atleast a year. Patience, diligence, and going slow will help you deal with your algae problem.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I read somewhere that activated carbon absorbs some nutrients. Site below

marineandreef.com/ Aquarium Filter Guide

I was not going to get a blenny anyways I knew it would add to the bio load. As for the recommendation I don't think I made any recommendations to anyone. If you were not referring to me then that's fine. I have cut back on the feeding and even cut down on the light (Thanks). This is my 1st tank so I didn't know if this much algae was normal or not. I am going pretty slow actually. Really appreciate the help. Thanks
 

Dadstank

Dadstank

Large Fish
#16
Nov 4, 2006
162
2
0
Minnesota
#16
Going slow is a must in SW. Everyone makes mistakes to some degree:)
I still stand with finding out what the cause is and I know it can be frustrating trying to find the cause...*crazysmil
For the meantime the quickest thing to do is to scrape/vacuum it up.
When I get patches of it I remove it and then stir the sand in that area up to help get any unwanted detritus etc out of the sand.

I also remember reading that there is more than one type of phosphates..organic and inorganic or something like that and most test kits will only find one type. A google might help on that one.

Have you done checks on your rodi water besides TDS readings?

I'm not real familiar with the bakpak.... maybe it could be acting like bioballs do after a while and becomes a breading ground for nitrates.... like ARESGOD said
Just because your reading nitrates and phosphates at 0 does not mean you have none
Click to expand...
SW problems are basically a process of elimination*SUPERSMIL

GL and hope the algae gods go on vacation *SUNSMILE*
 

Likes: Panther28
YahooFishKeeper

YahooFishKeeper

Superstar Fish
#18
Jan 14, 2006
2,177
11
0
34
A little town outside Kansas City, Kansas
www.youtube.com
#18
yea, i noticed that my tank also went through an algae cycle, and still kindof is. i started with diatoms, then i got a little patch of hair algae, then the diatoms went away, then i started getting red slime and the hair algae dissapeared, after there was red slime everywhere... i got bored one day, and took a toothbrush to ot... no more red slime. now i have major diatoms, but those dont bother me, and my coralline is going nuts. i can see the growth daily. it seems that your tank is just developing. id wait it out, no matter how bad i felt like taking a lawn mower to that hair algae, i left it, and it dissapeared.
 

SALTY WATERS

SALTY WATERS

Large Fish
#19
Feb 6, 2005
893
2
0
47
Waterloo, ON Canada
#19
One word on those photo's "Cyanobacteria" that is my opinion.
As already stated previously this is a new tank and will go through stages, as well tests may not show as the cyano will be using it up.

Temperary steps to take:

-Syphone or scoop out as much of the Cyano as possible
-Large water changes
-Reduced lighting
-Reduced feeding

Perminent steps:
-Increased water flow
-Regular water changes

Good luck on this and let us know how it turns out
 

Panther28

Panther28

Superstar Fish
#20
Jun 7, 2006
1,024
0
0
Fremont, CA 94536
#20
Thank god the algae is just a stage. I have reduced feeding and increased flow, decreased lighting and things are looking better. As for water changes I do regular weekly 5 gallon water change. I think that is more then enough on a 20 gallon tank. Thanks everybody for the advice.
 

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