purple algae

[Nonfamous]

My sand is a mix of pink and white Fiji. The crushed coral you see is, quite literally, a hand full I fully regret placing in two corners of the tank for looks. Most of it has been removed and I'm slowly working on getting the rest of it out. I just don't want to disturb the sand bed too much.

To be fair, I did scoop a lot of that black crap out, but it is returning. I'm going to use a sifter attached to my "stick" to get even more hopefully leaving most of the sand undisturbed.

I'm not trying to make enemies here. Just sort through why everyone offers up the same answer all the time. I don't what anyone to stop replying to my threads because I got argumentative in one. I'm just looking for solid answers.

Before I forget, thanks for the links. I will read them and see if anything new pops into my hard head.

 

[FishyReef]

Nonfamous, you are right, flow isn't going to solve all problems. I don't think you have cyano problems - I think you have some other sort of algae that isn't going to be solved by flow and is going to be much harder to get rid of like a turf algae. BUT, to the OP who was talking about cyano, increased flow will help solve cyano, along with lowering nutrient levels and making sure lighting is good. I think when people hear "purple algae" they automatically think cyano and it isn't always the case.

 

[Bifferwine]

Flow is good but it's not THE answer as it seems so many suggest.

I cannot recall ever telling anyone on here that low flow is the only cause of cyano. Nor have I seen that from any of the other posters. If you can find any threads that support what you are saying, please post them. As I said before, there are many causes of cyano, and when people post that they have cyano problems, increasing flow is just one of the suggestions given. Overfeeding/overstocking/tap water/crushed coral/canister filters etc. are also always mentioned as other possible causes.

 

[kevdogg]

Nonfamous - No need to to get really bent out of shape at the flow comment obviously you have another issue. There are lots of knowledgeable people here that know a lot more then me but we all try to add our opinions to help out.

However a lot of trolling around has pointed to the face that most people that have a cyno issue are only turning over the tank volume 5x per hour. This is more of an ideal FW turnover rate for pond dwelling fish and yet a lot of pet stores, (non specific SW stores) still recommend for SW tanks. There is a major lack of knowledge and research done before getting into this hobby by many people.

Some times if people hear several times that "lack of flow" or "poor lighting" are possibly an issue then they are more ready to try solving that problem. Personally I more readily accept when I have an issue when several people chime in that a specific thing that I am doing is causing harm. No harm done, just trying to clarify things.

 

[Nonfamous]

Interesting point in the first article I have never seen mentioned. Temperature. Not too long ago I did boost the temperature from a constant 78.8 up to 80.5. I'm going to slowly reduce it back to around 79 again.

Not much I haven't already read in the second article.

The third article goes a little deeper into depth, slightly at the end, about nitrates. My readings have always been at or near zero. I have had them tested by other trusted sources not just at home. However, it does point to the fact that the levels could be high but that the cyano is using it. Thus giving tests a false report. Would testing water from near the bottom give a more accurate result? Since I have tried different foods, rinsing foods, less food and less frequent feedings with out results, where else might stray nitrates be coming from? I have also gotten positive tests for Phosphates. We all know how unreliable they are, and I run phosban. So how can I tell if these positive tests are in any way accurate?

Fourth article simply restates previous knowns.

Fifth article was interesting but had little in the way of enlightening information about cyano. The section on pests was interesting though!

Article 6 refers to "Grease Algae". This is exactly what the stuff on my sand looks like. It also shed more light on ....wait for it....LIGHT! My next step.

The last article is pretty basic. Not much useful, new or enlightening, information.

I can relate to being at my wits end, but it does not appear that I have the same type of algae.

 

[FishyReef]

Yeah, I really don't think you have cyano. Did you read through the link I posted about red turf algae? I think that is much closer to what you have becuase it thrives in the conditions you've described in your tank.

 

[Bifferwine]

The third article goes a little deeper into depth, slightly at the end, about nitrates. My readings have always been at or near zero. I have had them tested by other trusted sources not just at home. However, it does point to the fact that the levels could be high but that the cyano is using it. Thus giving tests a false report. Would testing water from near the bottom give a more accurate result? Since I have tried different foods, rinsing foods, less food and less frequent feedings with out results, where else might stray nitrates be coming from? I have also gotten positive tests for Phosphates. We all know how unreliable they are, and I run phosban. So how can I tell if these positive tests are in any way accurate?

Unfortunately, this is why testing can only go so far. Phosphate tests in particular aren't worth it, IMO. I read a study that showed that in tanks with algae, phosphate stays in the water column for an average of 7 seconds before being taken up by the algae. So you can consistently read 0 on a test kit, but that's because the algae is using it all. So in general, if you have algae problems, you also have nitrate and/or phosphate problems regardless of what a test kit is telling you.

So for people with algae problems, it's a good approach to fixing all the possible causes of high nitrates and phosphates even if their readings are good.

 

[LoveJC03]

Switch your flow directions, feed less, check your lights, check your bulbs & keep doing water changes.
Also take a turkey baster and either suck it up and remove it or blow it off the areas and catch it with a net in front of your powerheads. Try different things and see if it goes away or increases.. most of the time I think it's food and flow related.