# Cyanobacteria, Brown Algea ??? What can it be?



## jdiaz (Nov 6, 2011)

So if you have read my previous post I said I had to clean my tank every few hours because I was getting a diatom bloom. But it has since cleared but I do have this string algae or cyano that grows all over the tank, espesially on the high flow. It grows on the powerhead and the live rocks corals ect. It is growing alot on my SPS and it seems to be bothered and soo does my GSP that is almost always open is now closed except a few polyps. What can It be ??? I will put pictures for you to see.


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Ya gots Hair Algae and Diatoms going on. Whats your Phosphate readings? How old is the tank?


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

Reefing Madness said:


> Ya gots Hair Algae and Diatoms going on. Whats your Phosphate readings? How old is the tank?


I feel like the bottom picture shows cyano. I definitely see GHA and diatoms, but I think he has a cyano problem too.

How old is this tank?


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

wake49 said:


> I feel like the bottom picture shows cyano. I definitely see GHA and diatoms, but I think he has a cyano problem too.
> 
> How old is this tank?


 Yea, prolly right. He's got it all going on in there right now.


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## jdiaz (Nov 6, 2011)

Reefing Madness said:


> Ya gots Hair Algae and Diatoms going on. Whats your Phosphate readings? How old is the tank?


IDK on the phosphates. But I read all the time that it does not matter if the reading is 0 because the cyano eats it faster than what can be shown on the test. I know I have hair algae, not avoidable because I have no access to RO/DI water. Tank is about 10 weeks old. I added a second powerhead and it seems to be growing where the high flow is. Like one power head is pointed at the back wall and it is growing like crazy there and one is pointed to a sidewall and it grows crazy there too. 

Sooo since I added the second powerhead it got worse.


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

jdiaz said:


> IDK on the phosphates. But I read all the time that it does not matter if the reading is 0 because the cyano eats it faster than what can be shown on the test. I know I have hair algae, not avoidable because I have no access to RO/DI water. Tank is about 10 weeks old. I added a second powerhead and it seems to be growing where the high flow is. Like one power head is pointed at the back wall and it is growing like crazy there and one is pointed to a sidewall and it grows crazy there too.
> 
> Sooo since I added the second powerhead it got worse.


Do you have a Wal-Mart near you? They have stores with a RO/Di
Unit in the store, and if not, sell RO water I'm the jugs as "drinking water". They also have steamed distilled in the jug as "distilled water". With both of these you will probably need to run a phosphate sponge, but at least you can use more pure water.


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## jdiaz (Nov 6, 2011)

wake49 said:


> Do you have a Wal-Mart near you? They have stores with a RO/Di
> Unit in the store, and if not, sell RO water I'm the jugs as "drinking water". They also have steamed distilled in the jug as "distilled water". With both of these you will probably need to run a phosphate sponge, but at least you can use more pure water.


I do, but I am alrady using gallon jugs of water that I buy from a local grocery store as drinking water. I also noticed that I saw some or better said A LOT of red bugs on my glass where the algae is growing and some white ones. They are supper tiny. I stoped my flow and all of the algae kinda got off the glass and have some free floating at the top from no flow. I am going to remove this algae thing.


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

jdiaz said:


> I do, but I am alrady using gallon jugs of water that I buy from a local grocery store as drinking water. I also noticed that I saw some or better said A LOT of red bugs on my glass where the algae is growing and some white ones. They are supper tiny. I stoped my flow and all of the algae kinda got off the glass and have some free floating at the top from no flow. I am going to remove this algae thing.


The bugs are good. Are you running a phosphate sponge?


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

did you say red bugs? these may NOT be good and are an invasive type of flatworm.

i hope we are talking amphipods and copepods and anything else.

im curious to what your "pure waters" TDS is, just because its labeled "pure" doesnt mean they have changed their filters in a few years.

what and how often are you feeding? how is the flow in the tank? sump/skimmer/carbon/phosban?


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

onefish2fish said:


> did you say red bugs? these may NOT be good and are an invasive type of flatworm.
> 
> i hope we are talking amphipods and copepods and anything else.
> 
> ...


I know that "Tigger pods" are usually a brownish red color when I used to buy the bottle of them. I know they are colder water pods, but I figured that some could survive in a tank and be transferred in Live Rock... Maybe a pic would help?


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## jdiaz (Nov 6, 2011)

onefish2fish said:


> did you say red bugs? these may NOT be good and are an invasive type of flatworm.
> 
> i hope we are talking amphipods and copepods and anything else.
> 
> ...


Yes, red bugs. You could see them when the flow stops and the "algae" stops moving. I did do a huge water change, sadly not with "pure" water but tap water. I noticed most of it disapeared. The thing is that I also did remove most of the sand, only leaving enough for the bottom glass to stay sorta covered. The sand smell like rotten eggs from what I have heard this is a big indicator of cyano. It has been about 9-10 hours since I did this and the "algae" seems halted for the while. Fish and shrimp are good corals are good also, no longer covered with this "algae". I will update this next morning. I am now feeding at about once every two days. Flow is good. I have a 500gph circulation pump on the left side and a 620gph pump on the right. No skimmer no sump no reactors. I doo have a phosphate sponge but I don't have a way to use it. Any ideas, I have a second HOB filter that is empty.


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## jdiaz (Nov 6, 2011)

Morning update. 

Got up and I saw not much growing on the glass anymore, but there is a spot where I can see some cyano, i am sure it is cyano know. The fish are doing awesome. I use to have my royal gramma rubbing on the rocks and hiding, but now he is out and not stressed. I think the sand was what was causing it. I noticed that the sand was a black color in the deeper ends of the sand? strange.


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

jdiaz said:


> Morning update.
> 
> Got up and I saw not much growing on the glass anymore, but there is a spot where I can see some cyano, i am sure it is cyano know. The fish are doing awesome. I use to have my royal gramma rubbing on the rocks and hiding, but now he is out and not stressed. I think the sand was what was causing it. I noticed that the sand was a black color in the deeper ends of the sand? strange.


Where did you get the sand?


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## jdiaz (Nov 6, 2011)

wake49 said:


> Where did you get the sand?


At petco. It was only normal sand. It came Back so I am just leaving it alone to see what happens.


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