Bubble covered Algae

[saltwater-nut]

Morning all.

My reef tank has been set-up for about 2 months.

I have a algae outbreak. It's green/brown rusty color.

Its covered with bubbles! During the day,the bubbles are consistently shooting to the surface.

Most of it goes away when the MH's are off. After a thorough cleaning,it's back in full force within two hours.

Can anyone ID this?
Thank you!

 

[dnjan]

Kind of a slimey layer? On rock as well as sand? Could be dinoflagellates.
These can be a sign of excess nutrients. What all do you have in the tank? You may be stocking faster than your (immature) system can deal with the waste produced. Or you may be overfeeding.

Siphon the slime out (this essentially becomes a water change). If it doesn't go away in a few weeks, you may need to move to some more drastic measures. Re-post then.

 

[Alice]

Is it just air bubbles breaking away to the surface or does the algae break up too and rise to the surface, forming a mat or scum on the surface of the water?

If it's the latter, it could indeed be dinos which are a royal PITA. If it's just the air bubbles and since the problem comes and goes with the timing of the lights I'd be more inclined to think it's diatoms (if it looks rusty or dusty and not slimy) or cyanobacteria (if it is slimy.) Both of these should clear up given a little time, extra circulation and a water change or two.

The amount of bubbles increases as the day goes on due to the photosynthesis in the algae.

HTH and please report on your progress.

Alice