I should have got rid of it in the beginning, I know that now , but in the small patch that it was, it was quite nice looking. So this is a full tank shot from a few months ago and you will see how green it is:



It is the only problem algae I have in my tank (except for the pesky bubble algae, hiding to nothing on that one!!!) and it is only receding a little as my ATS competes for the nutrients. The best way to describe the patch to the right, below the acro is like astroturf. It is short and stubbly like a shaving brush. In places where it has become weakend I can pull it away, but it is rooted deep within the rock.

I have had a scrubber running for 12 monhs now and although the algae hasn't become worse, it certainly doesn't seem to be getting any better. I am removing around 450g of green every 10 days from my system, so some muck is really being pulled out.

A bad closer up picture of the algae is:



Using Salifert test kits, my NO3 is currently 0.2ppm and my PO4 0. The nutrients are being used up quite effectively by the scrubber and the display algae.

I contemplated using Fauna Marin Algae-X which would have meant removing the scrubber from my system for a couple of months and relying on a good skimmer. That was my first pitfall, I only have an Oceanskim 400 (not currently in use). Claude at FM has advised against my use of the product primarily because I would continue scrubbing again afterwards, and apparently I have a high phosphate level??

Lawnmower blenny, sea hare and tangs won't touch the stuff. True Mexican turbos have been suggested to me as a muncher, will try to source some. I would prefer a natural remdy to the problem as plucking out the individual strands isn't an option, neither is removing he rock.

I have 4x 20w cfl at the moment until I finish my new led scrubber. When I replaced 2x 20w with 2x 45w, all it did was succeed in burning the algae and turned my existing brown to green. I am contemplating:

a) Starving the tank of food for one week, so introducing no new nutrients to the tank.
b) Reducing photoperiod of main tank (currently 8 hours blue & white)
c) Complete black out of tank to encourage algae breakdown due to no photsynthesis.
d) Combination of all the above.

Would be a bit worried about a total blackout due to the corals in the tank.

If anyone has any suggestions, please throw them in my direction

Thanks

Mark