I wish I knew, because I really don't ever want to go down that road again and if I knew what not to do, I'd be sure to not do it!

The first time I got them was after I had done a massive caulerpa pruning (I had foolishly let caulerpa grow in the main display). I'm not sure if it was the caulerpa releasing something noxious as it was pruned, or the disruption to the sand bed (the caulerpa had invaded the sand bed so removing the rhizome things from the sand had caused a lot of sand turnover).

The second time I got it ... I can't remember if I had done something to provoke it. It's possible I attempted a second pruning, because I can't seem to 100% eradicate the stuff out of my main display. My lesson is learnt, never put that stuff in your main display, have it in a satellite refugium or something like that (if at all).

Do you have caulerpa in your system by any chance?

dinos
 

My tangs seem to be eating a lot of it. Will this be harmful to them?


No caulerpa in the tank either. I did move the tank a few weeks ago however and that would have disturbed the sandbed.

In my tank, I have what appears to be 2 types of brown algae. One the fish eat, the other they don't. The other is also what kills snails. So far I've had bubbly brown stuff in my tank for most of the last six months. Scrape it off, it comes back in hours. Disturbing the substrate seems to increase it, so that's likely what has caused your outbreak.

I have no idea, sorry. My tang is still with me after living through both times having dinos in the tank, but I never noticed him sampling the stuff. .. Snails, however, would literally drop dead, I lost a LOT of snails both times.

Do you have a calcium reactor? How old is the media in it?

dinos
 

No calcium reactor. I'm planning on moving the contents of this tank into my 180G within the next month or so though. Would this be a bad idea with the condition it's in?

I'm having the same problem and its getting worse. I'm extremly worried because the more I syphon off the more comes back. Its spreading extremly fast, as in to a new rock every day.

So while many people have this nobody knows how to get rid of it?

I'm really worried this morning it started encrusting on my acroporas, and its working its way towards my clam!

I haven't seen any snail death as of yet, but I do not have many snails in my tank at this time.

Here are some pics of what we have!!!

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...nk_010-med.jpg
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...nk_008-med.jpg
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...nk_007-med.jpg
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...nk_006-med.jpg

That's certainly cyano, very different from this brown goop. I would buy cyano if I thought it would out compete this brown stuff.

So suggestions on how to get rid of what KrazyKuch and I have?

We are using RO water now, will that help?