What is Wrong with my corals?

[Deborah Beveridge]

I've had my reef tank for over two years. I am getting frustrated with it though. I have attached a few pictures of what my tank looked like a couple months ago and what it looks like now. The red stuff on the rocks has appeared in the last week. Here are the particulars:
Salinity is 1.023 to 1.024
Nitrates are good
Nitrites are good
High range pH is 8.2
I add aquavitro Ions and Calcification once a week

It seems I should have it down by now but just when everything looks great, something changes and I have no idea what happened!
I hope someone can help me and it won't cost an arm and a leg to correct!

 

[Aquarian]

It looks like a red turf algae.
What are you useing for lights?
What are your nitrites, nitrates at? We can be more help with the actual numbers.
Have you checked for phosphates?

 

[bjohanson1234]

What kind of flow do you have in the tank?
What kind of lighting?
When was the last time you changed the lamps in the fixture?

How often do you do water changes?
What kind of water do you use when doing water changes?

Why are you adding supplements?
Are you testing to make sure that you need those supplements?
What are the exact readings on your Nitrate and Nitrites?

The red stuff looks like Red Slime algae to me. It is usually caused by elevated levels of nutrients in the tank and lack of adequate flow.
Old lamps also shift the spectrum of light they emit. This shift favors nuisance algae growth.

You can try syphoning it out the next water change and increasing the flow in the areas where the red slime is growing.

 

[Deborah Beveridge]

It looks like a red turf algae.
What are you useing for lights?
What are your nitrites, nitrates at? We can be more help with the actual numbers.
Have you checked for phosphates?

It looks like a red turf algae.
What are you useing for lights?
What are your nitrites, nitrates at? We can be more help with the actual numbers.
Have you checked for phosphates?

I listed all that info in my question. Please check it. thanks

 

[Sakura2282]

I think the guys got you cover. Do you have two royal gramma are they a mated pair?

 

[Sakura2282]

You wrote "nitrates are good" we just want to know what numbers are those like 10ppm, 20ppm, 40ppm. If you can answer the questions that would help a lot and we be able to help you better. Welcome to the forum! :)

 

[Aquarian]

I listed all that info in my question. Please check it. thanks

Really you didn't and we can't be much help without the details.
Lights and nutrients are the most likely reason for algae problems

 

[Deborah Beveridge]

What kind of flow do you have in the tank?
What kind of lighting?
When was the last time you changed the lamps in the fixture?

How often do you do water changes?
What kind of water do you use when doing water changes?

Why are you adding supplements?
Are you testing to make sure that you need those supplements?
What are the exact readings on your Nitrate and Nitrites?

The red stuff looks like Red Slime algae to me. It is usually caused by elevated levels of nutrients in the tank and lack of adequate flow.
Old lamps also shift the spectrum of light they emit. This shift favors nuisance algae growth.

You can try syphoning it out the next water change and increasing the flow in the areas where the red slime is growing.

 

[Deborah Beveridge]

It looks like a red turf algae.
What are you useing for lights?
What are your nitrites, nitrates at? We can be more help with the actual numbers.
Have you checked for phosphates?

What kind of flow do you have in the tank?
What kind of lighting?
When was the last time you changed the lamps in the fixture?

How often do you do water changes?
What kind of water do you use when doing water changes?

Why are you adding supplements?
Are you testing to make sure that you need those supplements?
What are the exact readings on your Nitrate and Nitrites?

The red stuff looks like Red Slime algae to me. It is usually caused by elevated levels of nutrients in the tank and lack of adequate flow.
Old lamps also shift the spectrum of light they emit. This shift favors nuisance algae growth.

You can try syphoning it out the next water change and increasing the flow in the areas where the red slime is growing.

I apologize about the message I sent with the pics. I had a bit of trouble and ended up sending an earlier draft of the email. Anyway, here is the info: the lighting is 10,000k (installed 10-14-13) and actinic (installed 8-28-13), and I replace them every three months. The actinic is getting due for a change, but it shouldn't be degrading yet.
As to the water flow, in addition to the filtering system, I have a power head in the tank. Because the water flow is very high when they're both on, I turn the power head off at night.
I do water changes every two weeks with salt water I get from my local fish store. Between water changes I level the tank off with RO.
I tested yesterday and the Nitrates and Nitrites were both at 0 ppm, ammonia was between 0 and .25 and the high range pH was at 8.2. I haven't checked for phosphates since I don't have that test in my kit, which is an API Saltwater
Master Test Kit. Are there kits that test for things like phosphates?
About adding supplements, I had a problem a while ago and the guys at the fish shop told me to use those two and it corrected the problem I was having so I kept using them as directed. Should I not add those?
I also feed the corals Marine Snow, etc., a few times a month. Thank you!

 

[Aquarian]

API makes a phosphate test kit mine was less that $20. See if your LFS can test for the phosphates
Is you tank getting any natural sunlight?
What do have for fish and what are you feeding them?
Most flake and pellet food contain phosphates and you could be adding them through feedings. Check the ingredients on the label.
With ammonia at <.25 you must have trace amounts of nitrite and nitrate. It's likely just getting used up by the algae as it's produced. So it's too low to get a reading.
In your pics I do see some red slime but the stuff on the rocks looks more like red turf algae to me, which I have had bad luck with in the past. (I had a lighting and phosphate problem)
If you contact http://www.reefcleaners.org/ and email them your pics I'm sure they can point you in the right direction for a CUC that will attack your problem.

Also check your filter built up debris in drain and supply lines that could be fueling the algae.
If you are running the filter and the power head throughout the day and shutting down the power head at night. You may be getting dead spots in the tang at night allowing the ciano a place to spread.

 

[DCONKLIN]

I QUIT GETTING PREMIXED SALT WATER & TOP OFF WATER FROM MY FISH STORE. I STARTED BUYING WATER FROM ONE OF THOSE WINDMILL WATER PLACES. THAT HAS MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN MY ENTIRE TANK. I ALSO CUT BACK THE AMOUNT OF HOURS I RUN MY LIGHTS. THAT TOO MADE BIG CHANGES FOR THE BETTER.

 

[Sakura2282]

Good to know your tank is doing better. ;)

 

[the guy]

From what you are saying it sounds very much like a phosphate and nutrient build up, I would not depend on a color chart kit to check phosphates. I was using this kind of test kit and it was indicating a 0 to 0.05 level and a friend of mine checked my water with his Hanna checker and my levels were real high like 0.55. I have since been doing a weekly 25% RO water changes as well as running a reactor with GFO phosphate remover and my levels are coming down, not where I want it yet but getting there. I also was advised by a fellow Guru reefer to remove at least half of the crushed coral on the bottom of the tank as I had 2-2.5" on the bottom which is a great place for nutrients to build. I now have 1/2"-1" only. My corals are showing lots of color and the bad algae is mostly gone now. I also added 1 more wp25 Jebao wave maker power head to ensure lots of flow in the display tank and avoid dead spots.
I'm very blessed to have quite a few veteran reefers as friends so I'm always picking up great tips as I've only been reefing for a couple of years and there is always something to learn in reef keeping I find.
Oh I forgot mention I spent the little extra a bought my own Hanna digital phosphate checker, not depending on the color chart testers any more.

 

[2XAl]

Phosphate checkers are nice to have, but personally I don't really see the advantage. If you have algae any reading you get will be skewed, and no algae battle doesn't benefit from thorough and often water changes which a phosphate checker will indicate is necessary anyway. I would rather spend the money on a phos reactor that will actually contribute to helping solve the problem.

 

[Nonfamous]

PO test kits are notoriously bad. The API kit will give me a positive .25 reading with straight DI water right out of the filter system! I've never gotten anything but a .25 reading even when I know it was high in the tank. I run a reactor 24/7, 365 just to make sure. Rowaphos last longer than other GFOs. I change mine about every two months. It cost more per can, but you make it up by not changing so often. You also use much less.