Red Sea MAX User Manual
Blue-green, cyanobacteria
These organisms actually appear dark red to the naked eye.
Closely related to bacteria, these algae often constitute the
scum on polluted, poorly aerated or circulated, over-fertilized
waters. These algae feel slimy to the touch. The presence of
the clusters, threads and chains of these organisms indicates a
circulation or filtration problem in marine aquariums.
Green filamentous
These hairy, dark green algae spread throughout the tank,
especially on live rock where coralline algae do not proliferate
well. Hair algae can easily overgrow other specimens in the
aquarium, including coral. To control their population,
introduce herbivores. Small tangs and many species of sea
urchins perform this function well. Astrea snails and blue-leg
hermit crabs also help.
Algae prevention
Chemical activity
Algae thrive in nutrient-rich water. Initially, provide as little
phosphate and nitrate for them as possible.
Circulation
Most micro-algae do better under stagnant conditions. Keep
the water moving and monitor your pump's performance.
Filtration
Protein skimmers reign supreme in preventing micro-algae;
they expediently remove organics that might otherwise fuel
algae growth. Monitor your skimmer performance regularly
and keep it clean.
Macro-algae
These organisms help to control micro-algae. They cut down
on the light that the micro-algae need and use some of the
nutrients otherwise available for undesirable forms. The fast-
growing caulerpa and encrusting corallines (a group of red
algae resembling coral) are best.
Pollutants
Do not overfeed. Perform frequent, partial water changes to
dilute nutrients.
Biological controls
Turbo and astrea snails, and herbivorous fish such as blennies,
graze on the algae. Snails tend to be both popular and
effective scavengers for this purpose.
Feeding
As you might expect, the feeding and nutrition of marine life
forms is one of the most important factors in keeping healthy
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