New lights spark algae bloom

TheKman · 12/02/2012, 03:30 PM

Well I upgraded lights from 48" PC's to 48" aquaticlife T5HO - I installed them at night time so the lunars were on I went to work at 6am and came home at 6:15pm and that was in my tank.. Here is my current chemistry as of 0500 this morning.

Temperature 79.5 F
TDS 0 ppm
Nitrite 0.1 ppm
Nitrate 5 ppm
Calcium 445 ppm
Alkalinity 9 dKH
Phosphate 0 ppm
Salinity 1.024 SG
pH 8 pH
Ammonia 0 ppm

kfisc · 12/02/2012, 05:27 PM

With nitrates where they are, I'd say the lights were secondary to a nutrient export problem. Your tank also doesn't look very "old" yet- is it fair to say you set it up within the last month or two? I'd say it's still cycling and there is either too much feeding or not enough means of getting rid of detritus.

Sk8r · 12/02/2012, 05:28 PM

Curious stuff. Is it producing the bubbles or are those normal for your tank?

If it's a variation on cyano (produces bubbles), turn out all light and protect tank from light for 3 days, then bring lights up a few hours a day while keeping skimmer going well constantly. You might have to do that 3 days a month till it gets it all.

If it's just green stuff, try a gfo reactor: could indicate a little reservoir of phosphate that needs cleaning up.

TheKman · 12/02/2012, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Curious stuff. Is it producing the bubbles or are those normal for your tank?

If it's a variation on cyano (produces bubbles), turn out all light and protect tank from light for 3 days, then bring lights up a few hours a day while keeping skimmer going well constantly. You might have to do that 3 days a month till it gets it all.

If it's just green stuff, try a gfo reactor: could indicate a little reservoir of phosphate that needs cleaning up.

Yes it is very curious stuff to me... This lunch break I went home and turned off my lights and covered my tank. I've been fighting algae for awhile and they all have produced little bubbles like that. I just dont want to lose my livestock from this and it all started once I installed those lights.. I'm also running a GFO Reactor, hopefully i'll just starve it out.

steve888 · 12/02/2012, 06:00 PM

How old is your tank? And how long did you have the T5's on when you first bought them? It might just be going through the normal growing pains that most tanks go through before they become fully cured.

I just ordered some AquaticLife 4X39 T5HO's (36") for the new 30G tank I'm putting together so I hope they don't do the same thing to my setup.

I would definitely do lights out for 3 days as others have suggested along with regular water changes and a good skimmer.

TheKman · 12/02/2012, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve888

How old is your tank? And how long did you have the T5's on when you first bought them? It might just be going through the normal growing pains that most tanks go through before they become fully cured.

I just ordered some AquaticLife 4X39 T5HO's (36") for the new 30G tank I'm putting together so I hope they don't do the same thing to my setup.

I would definitely do lights out for 3 days as others have suggested along with regular water changes and a good skimmer.

My tank is almost 8 months old, I started with a set of Power Compacts 48" and just installed the T5's the other day. These lights are SIGNIFICANTLY brighter then my power compacts though.

steve888 · 12/02/2012, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheKman

My tank is almost 8 months old, I started with a set of Power Compacts 48" and just installed the T5's the other day. These lights are SIGNIFICANTLY brighter then my power compacts though.

Hmm, 8 months is almost fully mature. I'm amazed that so much algae could grow in such a short amount of time. I will definitely keep that in mind when I set up my T5's. I'm at a loss as to what to tell you.

I wish I had some solid advice for you but I'm afraid I don't. I think I would just do lights out for three days, keep up with your water changes, and hopefully someone else will reply to your thread with better advice.

Good luck!

Daimyo68 · 12/02/2012, 11:05 PM

Not to sound rude, but I highly doubt that this was caused inside of 12 hours from lighting. If it was, then my thoughts about the lights would be that the bulbs are old, and not producing the correct spectral wavelengths.

You mentioned that you have been fighting an algae issue, and now with the new light, it is much brighter. I think that the "bubbles" are just more visible now than before under compacts.

As mentioned, running the gfo and lights out for a couple days will help with the algae.

Also, when you test for Phosphates, take your sample right from the outlet from the reactor. If the gfo is getting near the point of saturation, it's possible that it's leaching back into the tank. Your current reading is 0.00, but this could be justified by the amount of algae present, and it is consuming any phosphates as it grows.

TheKman · 12/02/2012, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daimyo68

Not to sound rude, but I highly doubt that this was caused inside of 12 hours from lighting. If it was, then my thoughts about the lights would be that the bulbs are old, and not producing the correct spectral wavelengths.

You mentioned that you have been fighting an algae issue, and now with the new light, it is much brighter. I think that the "bubbles" are just more visible now than before under compacts.

As mentioned, running the gfo and lights out for a couple days will help with the algae.

Also, when you test for Phosphates, take your sample right from the outlet from the reactor. If the gfo is getting near the point of saturation, it's possible that it's leaching back into the tank. Your current reading is 0.00, but this could be justified by the amount of algae present, and it is consuming any phosphates as it grows.

I will do that in the morning for sure, I turned off my lights and took a peek in my tank and I don't see any of the spots I could see, I did buy the fixture used with used bulbs but the seller said they we only used 2 months and I have another st of bulbs on order.. But I agree with your statement about the lights, but there was substantial growth in the 1 day I was gone to work. I'm going to check n it in the morning and do a full chemistry work up

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12/02/2012, 03:30 PM	#1
TheKman Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 227	New lights spark algae bloom Well I upgraded lights from 48" PC's to 48" aquaticlife T5HO - I installed them at night time so the lunars were on I went to work at 6am and came home at 6:15pm and that was in my tank.. Here is my current chemistry as of 0500 this morning. Temperature 79.5 F TDS 0 ppm Nitrite 0.1 ppm Nitrate 5 ppm Calcium 445 ppm Alkalinity 9 dKH Phosphate 0 ppm Salinity 1.024 SG pH 8 pH Ammonia 0 ppm __________________ 65gallon reef tank - 30gal Sump - Evergrow IT2080 LED - NAC 6 Skimmer - RKL Controller - Jebao WP25 - JBJ ATO \| 2 Clowns, 3 Pajama Cardinals, 1 Hovens Wrasse, Flame Angel, lots of corals.

12/02/2012, 05:28 PM	#3
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Curious stuff. Is it producing the bubbles or are those normal for your tank? If it's a variation on cyano (produces bubbles), turn out all light and protect tank from light for 3 days, then bring lights up a few hours a day while keeping skimmer going well constantly. You might have to do that 3 days a month till it gets it all. If it's just green stuff, try a gfo reactor: could indicate a little reservoir of phosphate that needs cleaning up. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

12/02/2012, 06:00 PM	#5
steve888 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 241	Yikes! How old is your tank? And how long did you have the T5's on when you first bought them? It might just be going through the normal growing pains that most tanks go through before they become fully cured. I just ordered some AquaticLife 4X39 T5HO's (36") for the new 30G tank I'm putting together so I hope they don't do the same thing to my setup. I would definitely do lights out for 3 days as others have suggested along with regular water changes and a good skimmer. __________________ 30G Long, Aqua-C Remora HOB Skimmer, Cobalt Aquatics MJ1200, Vortech MP-10, Koralia 240 GPH, Talbot's Damsel, Forktail Blenny, 2 Skunk Cleaner Shrimps, 2 Snails, 2 Hermits

12/02/2012, 11:05 PM	#8
Daimyo68 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: North Palm Beach, FL Posts: 2,270	Not to sound rude, but I highly doubt that this was caused inside of 12 hours from lighting. If it was, then my thoughts about the lights would be that the bulbs are old, and not producing the correct spectral wavelengths. You mentioned that you have been fighting an algae issue, and now with the new light, it is much brighter. I think that the "bubbles" are just more visible now than before under compacts. As mentioned, running the gfo and lights out for a couple days will help with the algae. Also, when you test for Phosphates, take your sample right from the outlet from the reactor. If the gfo is getting near the point of saturation, it's possible that it's leaching back into the tank. Your current reading is 0.00, but this could be justified by the amount of algae present, and it is consuming any phosphates as it grows. __________________ 120g, 50g Sump, SRO XP2000i, MP40W x2, DIY Hybrid LED/T5 Fixture, Apex PBMAS VP 2010-11 PBMAS 2017 President

12/02/2012, 05:27 PM	#2
kfisc Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 2,020	With nitrates where they are, I'd say the lights were secondary to a nutrient export problem. Your tank also doesn't look very "old" yet- is it fair to say you set it up within the last month or two? I'd say it's still cycling and there is either too much feeding or not enough means of getting rid of detritus.