Green Slime Algae?

[dlhirst]

I had an almost overnight outbreak of a slimy, dark green algae that seems to generate really large gas bubbles. The bubbles kinda stick to the algae until you disturb them, and only then do they rise to the surface. They have no discernible smell - at least not for me.

Any thoughts on what this is? How'd I get it? And, how do I remove it?

pH = 8.0, N = 0.0, NO3 = 0.25

Today I just scooped out a bunch, it seems to clump up with the aragonite, but I expect it to return...

[larryandlaura]

Got a picture by chance?

[dlhirst]

Yeah, I thought of that AFTER I scooped it all out. I am expecting it will return to some degree. I will try to take a picture if/when it does.

[MyNemesis]

Any time something major is going on in the tank, I think that a healthy water change is in order and helps most any reef difficulty.

[dlhirst]

Well noted. I generally change five gallons three times a month. Its a 66 gallon system. And its due. Got a bucket mixed, gonna do a change Saturday am. Thanks for the reinforcement!

[MyNemesis]

If you are having a problem, do a 25% water change at a minimum. Three or four 5 gallon buckets would make a better dent in whatever problem you are having. I guarantee it is water related.

[dlhirst]

As expected, it did return. The favites in the back of the pic is about 1" across. That makes some of these gas bubbles more than a sixteenth inch in diameter. Water change followed, including some siphoning out of slime.

[Reefing Madness]

Whats your flow in that area? Do you run a phosphate reactor? Phosphates can affect this. How old are your lights? Old lighting will affect this.It looks like the Blue/Green Cyanobacteria. Nutrients are an issue also.

[Manoj's Reef]

I have faced something similar. this is what I found that worked.

1. Manual clean as much as possible
2. Run the red slime remover treatment
3. Run a 48hr dark cycle ( Do step 1, 2, and 3 at one time)
4. Use microbacter for 5-7 days - Use this after the first three are done

Sounds like a doctors prescription :)

[dlhirst]

Madness: I don't have a proper Phos reactor, but I can throw in a bag of GFO. Not able to test for Phos.
My lights (T5s) are ten mos old. Planning to run them til April. I also added a LED strip (all blue) right over the offending spot in Sept., so I don't THINK it's a color shift issue? Played with a LUX meter last month and PAR was pretty good, maybe <200 in that spot.
Manoj: Thanks for the Rx. Gonna attempt a holistic approach first, but now I have a Plan B!