algae bloom

[rica5tully]

For some reason, I have algae growing like crazy on the front glass of my tank. I figure I have two options:

1) I can scrape it off and let all that algae float around in the tank and get stuck on the rocks

2) I can scrape it off and do a water change to suck it out (but then I can't use that water in my quarantine tank)

What should I do to get rid of huge algae blooms like that?

Thanks.

 

[Dale W.]

This is not really concidered an algae bloom. You can however scrape the algae off and do a water change to get rid of the filaments that you scraped.

How old is the tank?
what does the algae look like?

 

[rica5tully]

the tank has been up six months but I just totally re-started it about three weeks ago.

the algae is mostly brown (or maybe all brown). I had it all over my sand substrate, then it went away. Now it's on the glass.

What could be the problem? I tested my Nitrates and didn't come up with anything. Usually my Nitrates are really low. And I only have one damsel in there. (It's a 55 with a skimmer and a lot of rock-work)

 

[Dale W.]

Its Cyano bacteria which almost always happens on a fairly new tank. It will go through a cycle and die off but if you want to help it along, make sure your calcium levels are up to about 450. This should deter it from coming back to rapidly. If it really gets to be a problem you can use Chemiclean to get rid of it. That is a reef safe product which I have used many times over.