Bubble and Purple Algae

[mling]

What is the best way to get rid of Bubble and Purple Algae when your cleaning crew does not do the job ? The purple algae in my tank only appears when the lights are on, is this common ? Is it true that Purple Algae is a sign of a mature tank ?

I only have bubble algae on the rock where my Sinularia is. Can I remove my Sinularia from the rock and toss the rock ? If so how do I do it without harming the Sinularia ?

[Telco Guy]

Well, depending on the type of bubble algae, you can carefully remove it by rocking it back and forth until it comes loose. Be careful not to pop the bubble since this will release spores. Some people like to take the rock out and remove the algae while in a bucket of saltwater, then rinse the rock in another bucket of clean saltware to remove as many spores as possible.

As for the "Pruple" algae, that depends on what you are talking about. The fact that you say it only appears when the lights are on tells me that it is not Purple Coraline algae which is good for the tank and is what people are referring to as a sign of a mature tank. What you are talkging about sound like cyano bacteria which is a sign of excess nutrients in the tank. You can get rid of this several ways. One way is to reduce the light cycle of the tank for a while Maybe cut the time in half for a week or two, then slowly increase in back to normal after you have gotten rid of the cyano outbreak.

Also remove the food source. You can do this by doing more water changes and try to remove as much detritus as possible. Also, reduce the amount of food you put in the tank. Try feeding the fish every other day for a while until you get rid of the Cyano.

What are your water parameters? Amonia, Nitrites, Nitrates? Do you use RO water for your make-up and top-off water?

[Telco Guy]

Also, there is a recent, ongoing discussion about Red Slime algae at

http://www.coralforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=17331#17331

[MikeS]

Nick pretty well covered it :D

Mike