# Purple Algae?



## sergiotami

*I have this hair like purple algae on my live rock..Is this normal? My tank is three months old and I've been using "Purple Up" to get purple algae to grow.....*


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## Kellsindell

That's cyano bacteria. you need to reduce your feedings and facume that stuff out of the tank and blow it off your rocks and get that out too. The reason you have cyano in the first place, is because your nutrient lvls are really high, that's why you need feed less.

how much sand do you have (inch wise).


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## sergiotami

Thank You for the response...

Its a 90 gallon Oceanic with 1" of aragonite sand and 120 lbs live rock.

Couple of questions?

I'm was feeding twice daily, what do you recommend? 

What the best way to get it out?


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## Kellsindell

You need more flow in that area, the only reason you're getting that is because of lack of flow. the way to get it out is use an airline tubing (maybe 1/5in in diameter) and suck it out. Do you have any anthias? what type of livestock do you have in the tank? what are you feeding, in what portions?

Purple up encourages the growth of coraline algae and encrsts and doesn't look like hair.


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## sergiotami

Will readjust my two Koralia #4 to increase the flow in that area..

What an anthias?

I have: two small ocelaris clowns, 2 peppermint shrimp, 1 camel shrimp, 2 yellow tail damsels, 1 Two Spot Bristletooth Tang, 1 Haitian Reef Anemone.

I have a 30 gallon sump with an Aquac protein skimmer.

I'm currently feeding "Hikari Marine S" pellets, a pinch in the morning and evening...


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## Kellsindell

then you can decrease your feedings to once every other day or every 3days. check your nitrates and phostphates and post the results and i can go from there.


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## onefish2fish

more information on the tank please. 
ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH, temp, SG, phosphates if you can, cal, alk, mag, type of lights, how long are they on, what other equipment? any filtration besides the skimmer? corals? anything else you can include?

i would def. cut back on feedings. if your not running phosban you may want to start.

i see you use pellets. i suggest offering a mixed diet. if you use frozen foods pre-rinse it by putting it in a net and container before adding it to the tank as the water they get frozen with is very high in phosphates.


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## sergiotami

Thank You for the help... I have was using a Berlin sock in my sump, but took it out, should I put it back in? I also have some liverock in my sump.....No corals... Whats Phosban? I'm also using a T-5 lights..

Ammonia- 0
Nitrites- 0
Nitrates- 5.0
Temp- 79 degrees F
SG- 1.025

I dont have any PH strips, but will get some tonight, as well as phosphate test kit... This is my first salt water tank, so I really appreciate all the feedback...


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## onefish2fish

i suggest using a liquid test kit over the test strips as they arnt very accurate. 
how often did you clean the filter sock? this may be the root of the problem.

phosban is a phosphate remover that you put inside of a reactor.


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## sergiotami

Will get the liquid test kit as suggested....

I removed the sock a week ago, but clesned it weekly before I removed it....


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## onefish2fish

what is the source of the water for this tank?


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## sergiotami

RO/DI water...


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## Kellsindell

Sounds like it's a high nutrient lvl. Once you get your feeding down it'll be easier to get this bacteria under control, but you do need to siphon it out of the tank as any left behind will start to grow anywhere.


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## sergiotami

I think I got most of out and off the rock...Is there anything I can add to the water to help keep it in check?


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## Kellsindell

you can, but chemicals are the last resort. Maintaining good parameters and a lot of flow will decrease this by quite a bit. The reason it's growing is because of the lack of flow in that area.


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## sergiotami

*Question? I've been meaning to ask... Is there anything thats eats it?*


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## Kellsindell

Yeah, but i can't remember what it is... it's some kind of invert, but if i remember i'll let you know.


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## sergiotami

*Thanks, once again.....*


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## onefish2fish

i dont think there is anything that eats it. 

your going to want to increase flow, decrease feedings, siphon as much of it out, increase water changes


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## Kellsindell

Seahares will eat it, but they are toxic and i don't recommend them.


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## Pasfur

Cyno is generally caused by excessive nutrients breaking down into the water. The filter sock should not be used, because organic waste is trapped inside the sock, where it is broken down by bacteria. By not using mechanical filtration, you allow the organic waste to remain suspended in the water and removed by the protein skimmer.

Another problem area is your sand depth. At a 1'' depth nutrients tend to accumulate without being broken down by denitrifying bacteria. I would recommend slowing increasing your sand depth to a 4'' minimum, or reducing your sand depth to under one half inch.

On the subject of water flow, you want to identify areas of slow water flow and change the currents to eliminate such areas. These areas are where cyno generally take hold and begin to spread.

Finally, maintaining correct calcium and alkalinity levels are critical. This may be the most important step in discouraging cyno growth. Encouraging the growth of coraline algae makes it very difficult for cyno to take hold and spread.


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## sergiotami

*Whats the best way to monitor and maintain correct calcium and alkalinity levels?*

*I've cut back feeding to once every four days, amonia, nitrates and nitrites read zero, SG 1.025 and I'm still getting a little growth....I'm using Phosban....Done 20% water changes using RO/DI water.... I have a Haitian Reef Anemone, so am trying to keep the lights to just 8 hrs a day.....So what can I do better to get rid of the stuff???*


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## Pasfur

sergiotami said:


> *Whats the best way to monitor and maintain correct calcium and alkalinity levels?*


There are a dozen answers to this question, so I will just tell you my method. I use Kent Marine Super Buffer DKH as a buffer to raise alkalinity and I use Kent Marine Liquid Calcium as a calcium additive.

I want alkalinity between 10 and 12 DKH. I want calcium at 420 to 460 ppm. When I test, there are 5 possible outcomes and solutions:

1) alkalinity low, calcium low = add buffer and calcium.
2) alkalinity low, calcium normal = partial water change. This should be rare. Typically a magnesium issue, sometimes borate. In any case, a water change is the easiest solution.
3) alkalinity normal, calcium low = add calcium.
4) alkalinity normal, calcium normal = do nothing. 

I test every weekend. I want the outcome to be #4. I dose calcium daily. I dose buffer 2 times per week. If I am dosing correct, then my test results will give me normal readings. It takes time and slight adjustments to how much you dose and how frequently to achieve the #4 test results consistently. Your stocking level will make a difference, as will the quality of your protein skimmer and the amount of organics it removes.

If you are getting result #1 or #3 on a regular basis, then increase the frequency of your dosing of buffer or calcium, as indicated. If you are getting result #2 on a regular basis, then you probably need to consider a higher quality protein skimmer or reducing your stocking level, because the organic waste being produced by your system is not being removed effectively.

This is a very simple approach to a very complex topic, but it is one that most hobbyists can utilize to be successful.


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## Pasfur

Here are the kits I use. I just tested my 58 reef. My alkalinity was 8DKH, Calcium 380ppm.

I mixed 1/2 tablespoon of the buffer in a small cup of water and added it to my sump. I also added 1 teaspoon of the liquid calcium to my sump.

I will retest tomorrow. I expect to see my calcium > 420ppm and my alkalinity >10DKH. It this is correct, i will begin adding a small daily dose of calcium, say 1/4 teaspoon. I will also add 1/2 the alkalinity dose every 3rd day. Hopefully when I test next weekend I find that this dose is the correct dose that my system needs to maintain these levels.

Weekly testing is critical, because changes will occur as your system matures. Coraline algae growth will utilize calcium. Corals will grow and utilize calcium, even soft corals. Additionally, as your livestock grows it will produce more waste, in the form of organic acids. These acids remove carbonates from your buffer system, causing you to add the alkalinity buffer on a more frequent basis. 

This is where a high quality skimmer comes in to play, because the skimmer directly removes these organic acids. If you allow these acids to be broken down by a biological filter, their impact on the buffer system is far worse, and they indirectly input phosphates into the system, which can bond with calcium and lower calcium levels. 

I'm getting long winded, but the point remains. You can not take your system for granted. Weekly testing of alkalinity and calcium are necessary. And a high quality protein skimmer pays for itself quickly as you save money on test kits, buffers, and additives.


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## Bartman

Great post Pasfur, really explained a lot of the questions I had.

Just another question, not to hijack.

Can you add the doses directly to the tank if you are not using a sump? Or should you mix it into the top up water?


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## Pasfur

Liquid calcium can be added directly to the tank. Buffer should be mixed first in a cup of water. If you do not have a sump, slowly add the dose to an area of high water flow.


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## Bartman

Cool, thanks!


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## sergiotami

*Thanks for all the great info... I ordered the PH/Alkalinity kit recommended...I bought a PH kit from my local fish store and it read 8.2... This is within normal parameters????*


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