Orange Algae?!?!?!

Looks a lot like diatoms(brown algae)... how new is your tank? This is a common algae noticed during some cycles(usually in new tanks). List all your water test results and we may be of more help, though.

     Jason

The pics make me think that overfeeding is causing some trouble. Try stopping the feeding for two days and then feed half as much for a while and see what happens. I have been extemely busy lately. I'll come visit and bring your snails as soon as I have time.

An additional thought is that it needs macroalgae. Is there any currently growing in the tank?

Edited by Mark Peterson

improdigal wrote: I feed them three small servings daily: - Flakes in the morning - Alternate Blood Worms or Brine Shrimp at noon - Rotate various frozen cubes at night

WOW!

Adam

I think we will all agree that rotating their diet is the best practice.

I think Adam's WOW response was due to the amount of food being feed.

I think that most reef fish act like that all the time.  They have a tendancy to push food through their bodies as fast and as much as they are fed.

Here's my general practice... I feed 3 x's per week. It's a 55 gl tank with 7 fish. On Mon, Wed, and Sat, I feed 2 tsp of A homemade fish mush(clams, oysters, crawdad tail, sushi nori, brine shrimp, and vitamins) and a small pinch of Cyclop-eeze... For tangs, you can leave a clip of algae(commercial, sushi, microalgae) on the days not feeding. On Sun, I try to stir the top 1/4 - 1/2 inch of the sandbed to get any detritus that's caught back into the water column and feeds the filter feeders at the same time. Marine fish (most) generally have a much slower metabolizm than FW fish.

Although feeding your fish as much as you are is probably not hurting them, it directly correlates with you nitrate problem.

I would stop feeding altogether for a couple of days and then start feeding them a little each day.

I would also recommend a large water change ASAP to take care of the immediate nitrate problem.

What types of filtration do you have on your aquarium?  How much live rock?  What type of sand bed and how deep is it? etc.

Bio balls could be a major part of your problem... pure nitrate factories. IMO, slowly remove the balls(20% per week) until until gone.

     Jason

My quick take.  The "wow" was for both regularity and quantity.  I would say that I am one of those people on the far side of feed your fish a ton.  I feed my feed about once per day when I first get them, but after a week or so, I go back to my regular feeding schedule.  Typically, I feed my tank about once every 3 days. 
Jake on the other hand is a "a hungry fish is a healthy fish" guy and he feeds his tank about once every 3 weeks. 

Your variety is great, and similar to mine (except my staple is the food we made at the meeting) but that is a lot of food to add to the tank.  Remember whatever goes in the fish, comes out on the other end.  That could be a big source of nutrients for your tank.

Adam

Bio balls are the area in which bacteria builds and where nitrites and ammonia, through chemical reaction, produce nitrates(IMO, the nitrate factory). I do agree that macro algae is an awesome ingredient to any sump. LR is also a great asset for filtration/denitrification. As well as a good skimmer. I don't intend to offend with my opinion, though. It just goes to show that there's no "one way" to have and maintain a successful captive reef.

     Jason