algae

[Ryan]

I haven't been able to ID this, nor has anyone else... This brown stuff is stringy, but it's slimy. The only thing that eats it is my yellow tang. Normal levels for the most part. Ca and alk are high and ph has been just a little low. Phosphates are good. I keep chipping away at potential causes, but I've run out of avenues of approach. Any ideas?

[Dustin Pedretti]

I'm no expert and I'm still a noob but it looks like gha (green hair algae)...someone else with better knowledge will answer soon

[Ryan]

I'm no expert and I'm still a noob but it looks like gha (green hair algae)...someone else with better knowledge will answer soon

The green on the rock definitely is green hair, but that has been kept in check (but not eliminated) by my very small cleanup crew and my tang. That brown stuff is something different though. It has even taken over my substrate! I don't think it's gha, but I could be wrong. I think we have all been wrong in this hobby more than we'd like to admit.

[ct67stang]

could it be a cyano strain? how often do you clean your substrate? syphon it out and do a good substrate syphoning. you'll be surprised at how dirty it is (If you don't regularly clean it)

[Bpb]

Looks like one of the browner strains of cyano. Or possibly dinoflagellates

[Timfish]

I've run into a cyano that likes nutrient poor waters that, for lack of a better description, looks like snot as it grows. Physical removal is required, animals that scrub the rock like some urchins and hermit crabs off will help. The few times I've had to deal with it, it runs it's cycle in about 3 - 4 months.

[Ryan]

Wow guys thanks for all the help. I did run a cyano treatment that didn't seem to affect it and I've been doing weekly water changes for the past two or three weeks. I do clean the substrate every time I do a water change. There used to be bubbles in that Brown mess. I haven't seen them as much lately, but with the bubbles present cyano makes sense. I just don't know why my cyano treatment didn't touch it.

[Timfish]

I don't know why either although I guess it could be something else. I've never seen it directly kill corals which argues it's not one of the less desirable free living dinoflagellates, shading is an issue. Once it runs through it's cycle I've never seen it return.

[Bpb]

Yeah I dealt with various colors of cyano and dinoflagellates for about 8 months after setup. Water changes, GFO, and substrate siphoning eventually cleaned it all up and hasnt made a return. Glad to see it go. Once it was gone it was gone. When it was there, no matter how clean I got the tank it would be covered again in a day or two. Cant tell you how many threads I posted on here asking for help.

[Ryan]

I don't know why either although I guess it could be something else. I've never seen it directly kill corals which argues it's not one of the less desirable free living dinoflagellates, shading is an issue. Once it runs through it's cycle I've never seen it return.

Yeah I dealt with various colors of cyano and dinoflagellates for about 8 months after setup. Water changes, GFO, and substrate siphoning eventually cleaned it all up and hasnt made a return. Glad to see it go. Once it was gone it was gone. When it was there, no matter how clean I got the tank it would be covered again in a day or two. Cant tell you how many threads I posted on here asking for help.

Sounds about right... I'll clean the tank really well and the next morning it'll be back. So, course of action is just to let it do its thing and clean as much as I can?

[esacjack]

have you tried killing your lights for a few days? or at least cutting back the light cycle and feeding? My wife had very similar brown/greenish algae for a while. We cut back on feedings, cut back the light cycle then eventually just killed the lights for the weekend. Some corals were a little angry about it, but no losses.