Algae that wont quit! What would you do?

[james30ct]

I believe its dino but not totally sure. It wont scrub off the rocks with a toothbrush, it has bubbles trapped in it on the glass. It's starting to take over the rocks and I dont want it to kill any corals.

Tank is 155g. I have tried blackout with peroxide. I run carbon and gfo, tank is bare bottom. I use ro/di water with 0 tds. I recently added chaeto and an ats. The ats barely grows anything. Nitrates are zero. I stopped doing water changes because I read trace elements fuel dinos. I only have 5 small fish so I dont feed that much.

I'm afraid to try the blackout again because I have a rbta and a gig anemone. I also have a bunch of sps frags and a small hippo tang that I dont want to come down with ich due to not eating for 72hrs.

So my question is, What would you do?

[james30ct]

Here are pics of the algae on the glass

[james30ct]

growing on the base of a montipora

[Uncle Salty 05]

Need more info.
How big is the tank?
How long has it been running?
Was RO/DI used from day 1?
What are you keeping and how often do you feed, what do you feed?
What is your WC % and how often is it done?
What are your parameters?

[Fish_King_25]

Originally Posted by Uncle Salty 05

Need more info.
How big is the tank?
How long has it been running?
Was RO/DI used from day 1?
What are you keeping and how often do you feed, what do you feed?
What is your WC % and how often is it done?
What are your parameters?

+1 help us help you sir!

[james30ct]

Tank is a 155g with 3 reefbreeder value fixtures. 2 wp40's and another basic 1600gph powerhead for flow. bubble magus bm155 skimmer, chaeto, jbj ato,

Yes ro/di since day one. All water, rock, and livestock were transfered from my old 72g which was set up over a year. The 155 is probably approaching a year also.

sg 1.026
temp 80
alk 8
ph 8.0
cal 410
mg 1250
trates, ammonia, nitrites all zero


I feed once a day either live black worms or frozen blender mush that I make and some nori for the tang.
I do 10 gallons water changes a week with reef crystals after scraping glass and blowing out rocks

Fish are 1 chromis, 2 small occ clowns, 1 purple pseudocromis, and a 2" hippo tang

[Fish_King_25]

Do you currently have a test for phosphates? If so, what are they reading.. If you have any algae it's phosphate related.. If your phosphates are saying 0, there because your algae is consuming them and you're getting a false reading.

Do you run GAC or GFO at all?

[james30ct]

Sorry forgot to post that. I run carbon and gfo all the time. I dont have a phosphate test. I thought phosphate tests only tested for phosphates in the water column?

[Fish_King_25]

Hmph... I thought I may have had something for you...parameters look good..mg may be considered a LITTLE low..but not really. And not going to cause algae..GFO and GAC being run along with chaeto should be taking great care of any phosphates/ nitrates present..reef crystals is obviously very widely used, it doesn't seem like overfeeding good be possible unless you're feeding way too much when you feed 1x a day..hopefully someone else may have something to add, I'm subscribing to this one to see what else we can look at! Sorry James!

[wgood33]

Trying to think outside the box here. The tank is not getting hit with sunlight, right? Are your fixture bulbs worn out or did you recently change color? If not I would be after the phosphate. Any new rocks recently added that could be leaching? Your blended food sounds cool but it's not a lot of colored water right, some guys strain the food.

I am a big believer in an ATS and have 4 yrs experience with different styles. It takes me a few months to grow a really good screen but when they are mature there are many benefits including reducing display tank algae. If you had a mature screen in a well designed ATS I doubt this dang problem would have hit you, very sorry for your trouble~. Bill

[wgood33]

I have had phosphate tests go bad

[ReeferBill]

Raise magnesiun

[Reefmedic79]

Originally Posted by ReeferBill

Raise magnesiun

+1, low mag won't necessarily cause algae and dino growth, but higher mag may inhibit it's growth.

[Uncle Salty 05]

Originally Posted by james30ct

Tank is a 155g with 3 reefbreeder value fixtures. 2 wp40's and another basic 1600gph powerhead for flow. bubble magus bm155 skimmer, chaeto, jbj ato,

Yes ro/di since day one. All water, rock, and livestock were transfered from my old 72g which was set up over a year. The 155 is probably approaching a year also.

sg 1.026
temp 80
alk 8
ph 8.0
cal 410
mg 1250
trates, ammonia, nitrites all zero


I feed once a day either live black worms or frozen blender mush that I make and some nori for the tang.
I do 10 gallons water changes a week with reef crystals after scraping glass and blowing out rocks

Fish are 1 chromis, 2 small occ clowns, 1 purple pseudocromis, and a 2" hippo tang

Alk is a little low, I like to keep mine between 9.5 and 11.
Calcium is good.
Mg is a little low, try raising it to 1400-1500.
Temp is a little high, a fan on the sump might help.
If I were you I would do larger WCs less frequently.
In a large Brute you can mix approx. 45 gallons. I would do 45 gallons every 3 weeks and switch from Reef Crystals to regular IO.
Before draining water from the tank, turn off all pumps and the water settle down.
Take an old credit card and a tooth brush and go after that algae.
Buy a small fine mesh net. After you have cleaned all of the algae to your satisfaction, take the fine mesh net and start dragging it back and forth through the tank and catch as much as possible.
The net will have to be cleaned frequently. I keep a newly lined garbage can nearby to bang it on every few minutes.
Once you have caught as much as you can with the net, start draining water, put your siphon hose on all the caves and crevices to pull out what has fallen back in the rocks. Refill the tank with new water that matches your parameters. Run filter socks or some other means of stringent mechanical filtration for 24 hours afterward.
Do this same procedure at every WC and it will be gone before you know it.

[Berje]

Originally Posted by Uncle Salty 05

Alk is a little low, I like to keep mine between 9.5 and 11.
Calcium is good.
Mg is a little low, try raising it to 1400-1500.
Temp is a little high, a fan on the sump might help.
If I were you I would do larger WCs less frequently.
In a large Brute you can mix approx. 45 gallons. I would do 45 gallons every 3 weeks and switch from Reef Crystals to regular IO.
Before draining water from the tank, turn off all pumps and the water settle down.
Take an old credit card and a tooth brush and go after that algae.
Buy a small fine mesh net. After you have cleaned all of the algae to your satisfaction, take the fine mesh net and start dragging it back and forth through the tank and catch as much as possible.
The net will have to be cleaned frequently. I keep a newly lined garbage can nearby to bang it on every few minutes.
Once you have caught as much as you can with the net, start draining water, put your siphon hose on all the caves and crevices to pull out what has fallen back in the rocks. Refill the tank with new water that matches your parameters. Run filter socks or some other means of stringent mechanical filtration for 24 hours afterward.
Do this same procedure at every WC and it will be gone before you know it.

Why not siphon it as you scrape it off? that way you can get more of it out.

[Uncle Salty 05]

It is tough to do both things at the same time.
If you are concentrating on cleaning while you siphon it is easy to over siphon. The way I describe is what I have found to work best for me.
Once you loosen the algae it is not going anywhere, it will stay in the tank where the net and hose will get it.
You would be surprised how much turbulence is created by dragging the net through the water. (a small net only like 5"-6", but fine mesh)
It keeps the algae in suspension for the most part.
The siphon hose will get the larger pieces.

[skinsfan1]

Originally Posted by Uncle Salty 05

Alk is a little low, I like to keep mine between 9.5 and 11.
Calcium is good.
Mg is a little low, try raising it to 1400-1500.
Temp is a little high, a fan on the sump might help.
If I were you I would do larger WCs less frequently.
In a large Brute you can mix approx. 45 gallons. I would do 45 gallons every 3 weeks and switch from Reef Crystals to regular IO.
Before draining water from the tank, turn off all pumps and the water settle down.
Take an old credit card and a tooth brush and go after that algae.
Buy a small fine mesh net. After you have cleaned all of the algae to your satisfaction, take the fine mesh net and start dragging it back and forth through the tank and catch as much as possible.
The net will have to be cleaned frequently. I keep a newly lined garbage can nearby to bang it on every few minutes.
Once you have caught as much as you can with the net, start draining water, put your siphon hose on all the caves and crevices to pull out what has fallen back in the rocks. Refill the tank with new water that matches your parameters. Run filter socks or some other means of stringent mechanical filtration for 24 hours afterward.
Do this same procedure at every WC and it will be gone before you know it.

Sounds like great advice. Im stuck on the Reef Crystals part. Can you explain??

[Uncle Salty 05]

I bought one 200 gallon box of Reef Crystals. (only one)
I did not like the brown scum that formed on the surface in my Brute when aerating.
I have a large piece of styrofoam that I have zip tied the mounting bracket for a 700 gph pump to. This way the flow is directed at the bottom of the vessel. Once mixed to the correct SG, I take a piece of 3/8" tubing and stick it in the intake of the pump and this aerates the water very well.
After just one box of Reef Crystals I am still trying to remove the brown film from my Brute.
Regular IO does the job to my satisfaction without the brown scum.

[richiero]

algae scrubber, google turboauatics or floyd turbo on this site

[richiero]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...ht=floyd+turbo

[bif24701]

I had a similar problem as you and had miracle like results with carbon dosing vinegar. Please view this thread, there is a lot of input from very experienced/successful reefers and a lot of information here.

[bif24701]

Sorry here is the thread
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2057103

[james30ct]

I'll try raising mag and doing a big water change.

[james30ct]

Originally Posted by bif24701

I had a similar problem as you and had miracle like results with carbon dosing vinegar. Please view this thread, there is a lot of input from very experienced/successful reefers and a lot of information here.

Can't Carbon dosing fuel algae growth?

[bif24701]

No it prevents it because the carbon grows bacteria that consume the phosphate and nitrate a much faster rate then alga. The skimmer removes the dissolved organic compounds that now hold the phosphate and nitrate now bonded by the bacteria.