purple algae, i need help!!!

[Rival.]

hey guys, my tank has been up and running for about a month and a half now. theres a purple algae thats growing on my sand. i have lots of snails and hermit crabs but they dont seem to like the stuff. water changes are weekly. any suggestions?

[mark]

If it's slimy and sort of grows in matts it's probably cyanobacteria, there's articles in the library here.

I dealt with it on my first tank and though can be tough, controlled it by changing make-up water to ro/di, siphoned out when built up and increased flow.