I have a friend who set up a 10g SW tank probably a couple of months ago with a couple of clown fish. Recently, he has been asking me what to do about a horrible algae problem he is having, but I don't really know anything about marine setups (I am still learning for my FW tank!). I've seen it, and it is a brown algae that covers all of his glass as well as decorations and substrate. Anyways, I am looking for some articles I could direct him to that might help deduce the source of the problem.
Marine Algae Articles
- Thread starter nate_lockhart
- Start date
That problem is pretty common. Your friend is enjoying a lush growth of cyanobacteria, aka blue-green algae, aka red slime. Often happens in tanks with either undergravel filters, or HOB filters, but without live rock. The problem is that nutrients like nitrate and phosphate are building up, and water changes aren't keeping up with them. It won't hurt anything, but it's pretty ugly.
Reducing feeding and frequent partial water changes will help a bit. Some detritivores, like scarlet hermits will eat some of the stuff. Ultimately, the tank will be better off with a good skimmer, some cured live rock, and maybe a refugium with some macroalgae, to keep the nutrient levels to a minimum.
Reducing feeding and frequent partial water changes will help a bit. Some detritivores, like scarlet hermits will eat some of the stuff. Ultimately, the tank will be better off with a good skimmer, some cured live rock, and maybe a refugium with some macroalgae, to keep the nutrient levels to a minimum.