Hey all. I was having issues with my first SPS' (6 different Millipora's from two different reefers) showing no color and no PE. After testing for Phosphates and Nitrates, I found that my Phosphates were .1 and Nitrates were 5. Nitrites and Ammonia were 0, and all other parameters are good. I added the Two Little Fishies Reactor about a week and 1/2 ago, and am running Phosban. Phosphates are now testing at 0, although I'm sure I still have phosphates, but they must have lowered enough that the test kit isn't registering them.

I've never had any bad algae problems. No hair algae or bubble algae at all.
All of a sudden, I noticed on Thursday, that I have what appears so be algae growing on some parts of my rock, and I can see small spots of it appearing on some of the purple coralline. It looks like a deep red/maroon velvet. I also noticed some green circular spots about the size of a dime and a nickel on the overflow that I never noticed before. My overflow has some purple coralline algae on it. Not covered by coralline by any means, but it's starting to get coralline on it. Is the green circular spots on the overflow more likely an algae, or a green coralline?

I'm not concerned about the green algae on the overflow, but curious if it's coralline or algae? The purple coralline is still present on the overflow. It's the red velvet on my rocks that concerns me. It's not a big problem at all right now, just some on a few parts of the rock, but I want to nip it in the bud before it becomes a problem.

I shut off my lights for two days this weekend when I went away, to see if the red velvet would disappear off the rock. I've seen some big cyano problems on the sand at my LFS, and this looks nothing like that. Doesn't look like anything that you could siphon off. Literally looks like a dark maroon velvet on the rock only. I have seen what looks like a red dusting on the back pane of my display, so maybe it's a different form of cyano? I've had for a couple months, what looks like diatoms on the sandbed. A dusting of brown. I would siphon off the top layer of sand when doing a waterchange, but the diatoms would return in a day or two. I'm sure this was because of the phosphates that I didn't even know I had. (phosphates were testing 0 until about December). After shutting off the lights for two days, I came home last night and the sandbed looks super clean. No sign of diatoms at all. Glass also looks super clean, and it's normally pretty dirty after I've been away for a couple days. I know the lights off was the reason for the clean sand and glass. I don't see that the lights off had any affect on the red velvet algae and green algae or green coralline, whichever it is, on the overflow.

I'm now rinsing my frozen mysis and other frozen foods, which I wasn't doing before last week, stopped using flake, and added the phosphate reactor 10 days ago, so hopefully, I'll nip these algae problems in the bud before they get out of control. I've used the Spectrapure Maxcap RO/DI since day one. I'm wondering what's causing these new algaes though? One thing I did, was started increasing my MH lighting period from 5 hours a day to 6.5 hours a day ( increased by about 30 minutes a week), per the suggestion of someone that is supposed to be a SPS guru. Trying to get them up to 7 hours. I'm thinking the increased lighting period of the MH could have caused this new red velvet algae. Four T5's are lit 10 hours a day. I also thought the new algae might be my bulbs getting old. My T5's are about 10 months old. I thought they just needed to be swapped at a year. My 150w MH bulb is about 8 months old.

Any thoughts? Thanks! Pam

Tank has been set up for 11 months.
53 gallon display 7 gallon sump
Spectrapure RO/DI unit. Filters and Membrane 11 months old. TDS is about 135 coming into RO and 0 coming out before it even hits the DI.
10% waterchanges faithfully every two weeks.
Salinity 1.025
Calcium 400
Magnesium 1250
PH 8.3
Alkalinity: 8 dHk
Nitrites and Ammonia: 0
Nitrates: 5
Phosphates, down from .1 to 0 since adding a phosban reactor 10 days ago
Temp: 80f
5 fish and 1 Sabae Anemone. Longnose Hawkfish, 2 Perculas, 1 Yellow Coris Wrasse, 1 Firefish.
1 Scarlett crab, 1 small Emeral crab, Approximately 10 Large and Small Nacarrius, 8Ceriths and 6 Astrea snails, 3 bumblebee snails

Hmm, the green could indeed be coraline. I have some green coraline that comes ad goes. if it has the same growth habit and texture as the purple coraline, then that's probably it.

I have a little of the red velvety algae as well. My mexcan turbos love it. It's never progressed to the point of being a problem, so i haven't really tried all that hard to get rid of it.

It sounds like your bulbs are nearing the end of their useful lives though, and you might want to replace them sooner rather than later.

Thanks Phurst. The green seems to be growing in the same pattern as coralline, but doesn't look as thick. It may be on the rock, and I can't see it because it blends in, but it shows up well on the black overflow. Is there any studys on if when to change bulbs? I've read both, 6 months and 12 months. Do MH bulbs need to be changed more frequently than T5's or visa versa, or are they both about the same?
Thanks, Pam


Hmm, the green could indeed be coraline. I have some green coraline that comes ad goes. if it has the same growth habit and texture as the purple coraline, then that's probably it.

I have a little of the red velvety algae as well. My mexcan turbos love it. It's never progressed to the point of being a problem, so i haven't really tried all that hard to get rid of it.

It sounds like your bulbs are nearing the end of their useful lives though, and you might want to replace them sooner rather than later.

I've heard 6 months and 12 months as well. I've always been able to visibly see my MH bulbs were dimmer/color shifted well before 12 months, so i usualy swap them at 8 or 9. They could probably go a year, but they could also probably stand to be replaced at 6 months....

As for T5s, I just started using them when i got my new canopy, so no real experience there, but I hear it's about the same replacement cycle.

from your discription of the red algae it could be cyano bacteria but then it might not be. can you post a pic? If there are bubles trapted in the red it is a bacteria, if it doesnt have bubles it is probably an algae.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y55/steelhealr/nano28.jpg

its not a great pic, its from google.

I have the red velvet looking stuff on one rock and it never seems to really spread or cause problems.