Purple Algae?

[kiwi210]

Why do I have dark purple algae growing on my live rock? There are also some bright green spots. I just cleaned my tank and there was brown algae all over the substrate and walls. How do I take care of this WITHOUT adding chemicals? 

 

[RRaquariums]

If it's what I think it is you should read this on it and it will explain what you got
http/saltaquarium.about.com/od/aboutcorallinealgae/ss/coralline.htm

 

[kiwi210]

If it's what I think it is you should read this on it and it will explain what you got

http/saltaquarium.about.com/od/aboutcorallinealgae/ss/coralline.htm

I'm just a little confused because I never added coralline to my tank. It grew by itself. I can't distinguish if it is red slime or coralline. Either way, I don't like it. What are some says I can get rid of it? Will adding snails or cleaner shrimp help?

 

[RRaquariums]

If it's coralline algae then you do want it and I can't say if it is or not unless I could take a look at a pic do you have one?

 

[kiwi210]

My phone is currently dead so I can't take a picture right now but I'm just looking at a few pictures online and it definitely looks more like red slime than coralline. 

 

[RRaquariums]

Then we will have to dig into this a bit deeper.
How big is the tank?
Is it a fish only tank or is it a reef set up?
What do you have in the tank?
How long has the tank been set up?

 

[kiwi210]

1. 10 gallons
2. For now it is fish only but I would eventually like to make it a reef setup
3. 1 clownfish
4. 3 months 

 

[RRaquariums]

What kind of water are you using when you do the water changes?
And how much and how often are you feeding the clown fish?

 

[RRaquariums]

This clip will help explain the reason people slime algae happens and how to prevent it http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuQ6eMYeeEY

 

[kiwi210]

I use tap water, I know it's not the best but I have never had any problems with it killing my fish because of bad chemistry levels. I feed my clown a little bit every day or two. I feed him only the amount he can eat in a minute. I try not to feed him that often because I know in the wild he might only eat once a week and if I feed him too often, it might increase the ammonias. 

 

[Donya]

If it's what I think it is you should read this on it and it will explain what you got

http/saltaquarium.about.com/od/aboutcorallinealgae/ss/coralline.htm

 
In general, that site is a pretty awful resource for aquarium-related things. An example from that particular page...
 
"Unlike Brown, Green Hair and Red Slime Algae, which (frequently) grow in your tank whether you like it or not, Coralline Algae must be physically brought into your tank in order for it to reproduce and populate the various surfaces."
 
This is a rather strange statement. Corralline algae must be physically brought in, but not the others? Algae doesn't appear out of thin air. All of those algaes, whether good or bad, will try to grow given the right conditions and all of them ride in on something like live rock, water contamination when adding livestock, or various shelled animals like snails. 
 
 
 
 

 I can't distinguish if it is red slime or coralline

 
The two are very easy to tell apart: give it a poke with something. Coralline will be hard like stone and has to be scraped away with a hard tool like a razor blade, whereas red slime is a soft film that can be easily dislodged with a finger or blown away by directing strong flow at it.
 
 

I use tap water, I know it's not the best but I have never had any problems with it killing my fish because of bad chemistry levels.
 

 
 
What did you test? Tap water can cause havok with a marine system if it's adding even very small amounts of phosphate, nitrate, or carbonates.

 

[kiwi210]

It is red slime algae for sure then. Can I add a cleaner shrimp or snail to eat it? 


I was only testing ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, chlorine/chloramine, pH, alkalinity, and hardness.

 

[Donya]

Almost nothing will eat red slime. It has to be taken care of by a combination of flow and nutrient control. It also needs light, but the problem with light-deprivation methods of controlling pest algaes and red slime is that it can end up with a big nutrient spike since the root of the problem is that there are too many nutrients and nothing else competing for it. Some more questions:
 
- What equipment are you using with this tank? List everything including pumps, lighting, the type of bulbs being used, any other things like skimmers, etc. 
 
- Are you using live rock? If so, how much is in the tank?
 
- Is the fish the only animal in the tank right now? 

 

[kiwi210]

Right now it just has a 15W bulb. I will be replacing it with a t5 soon. I have a circulation pump for 500 GPH and a power filter, of course. There is 10 pounds of live rock and only 1 clownfish.