Algae HELP!

I am unsure of what kind of algae this is, but I am having some issues with it. I need to figure out what it is, and why it is growing in this frag tank, and not the other, and why it isn't growing in the display or sump, since they are all connected on the same system. I set up this tank 2 weeks ago and it is getting out of hand.

Curtis

I have a yellow tang, lawnmower blenny, and foxface in there. None of them are showing interest. I will read up on painting the eggcrate though.

thats a crazy amount of growth in 2 weeks I would take the egg crate out and give it a good fresh water bath and scrub as much algae off but it will come back most likely

Mark Peterson wrote: jwoo wrote: ... RC that said egg crate can leak phosphates into the water so that may be why painting it can help. No way. No offense, but that's simply not possible. I'm not a chemist but that sounds absolutely incorrect to me. That's the trouble with RC. A lot of dumb stuff is said there and nobody with brains has the time to monitor it all.   It's possible that a newly painted surface is still releasing some VOC's which would suppress algae growth. It's also probable that a hobbyist made other changes to suppress algae growth and the combination did the trick.   That algae has the appearance of a crooked hair algae and does not look like Bryopsis. It's possible that high Mg could affect it but I'll bet you have already increased the Mg, right.   Can you show a larger pic of the entire system Where does this tank sit in the system/water flow   This problem with eggcrate is exactly why I do not use it. Hermits and snails cannot easily climb up on it. If it is possible to remove the frags to the sand and discard the eggcrate, that is what I would do. It's only a matter of time before it will start up in other areas on other eggcrate. At least you can swap it for new eggcrate anytime the algae gets out of control like that.

I will try to get a pic tonight.

Yes I have high Mag already, 1500-1600 usually.

As the tank is plumbed there is a display upstairs, and a sump in the basement. Next to the sump is the frag tanks, which are 2 tank sitting on top of eachother (nothing in the top tank yet). The return pump tees to the frag tank and to the display and also to the skimmer. The drain comes from the display and so does the drain from the frag tanks.

In reguards to the eggrate, I may just remove it and use a sand bed. I always thought it looked nice, but I cant replace it all the time when it gets algae on it. If it is leaking phosphates, wont it stop over time?

I think my bulbs are a little on the older side, so maybe I will replace them. I still think that it has a lot to do with the phosphates that are leached by the eggcrate. In which case, it would not make sense to get rid of the eggcrate and use sand, but have the eggcrate in the tank on the sandbed.

i think the issue is the eggcrate leaching PO4, so i would rather not have it in the system at all. the white definitely reflects more light than black would, but i have no idea if it is the wavelength or intesity that this algae likes, i think that algae just likes light and food...

This is the best info I found and suggests that there is leaching, but only from the surface, so once the algae has consumed that PO4, then it will not leech any additional. Also, there is some info in here on the other nasties they spray on egg crate in the manufacturing process.