If I can't get help I quit the SW scene

[jmccown]

Sorry for the harsh title, but I've about had it with saltwater. I have had my 150g up for four months now. I'm sure I started it up right. From the beginning, I had an established 75g that I emptied the water out of for the second half of my water (RO/DI). The first half I used all RO/DI water as well. I let the tank run a week before I transferred my fish in just for safe measures. I have two clowns, a yellow tang a foxface and several hermit crabs. All goes well till 3 weeks ago. (this is strike one) Brown algae and hair algae galore! It first started out really small, like a mini-cycle and I didn't think anything about it. Brown patches here and there, then it went into full bloom. Then the green algae on the glass seemed to amplify as a result. Example I would have to magnet the glass 2-3 times a day (which cannot be normal). I bought 50 nassarius snails and they couldn't even phase the glass. I know they cannot do anything about brown algae and have read that it usually disappears with time, well it still hasn't and I've had it for over a month. Strike two goes back 2 weeks ago. I purchased an immaculate (perfect health) Powder Blue Tang (I know, I know I was asking for it), it got ich a week after I got it. Well, it died and then infected all of my other fish with ich as well. As soon as I recognized they had ich I pulled them out and quarantined them and began treating with copper. They are all fine now, healthy and looking fine. But they are staying QT'ed until I figure out what the heck is going on with my display tank. They have been QT'ed about a week now. The brown algae is still there and not disappearing. I have stopped all my powerheads because to be quite honest I was about to just drain it the other day I was so sick of it. The only flow I have now is the return pump. I have noticed for several days that there are micro-bubbles coming up from the sand (which is live sand). Not just a bubble here or a bubble there. There are hundreds of bubbles coming up from the sand and there is not a bubble wand or anything of the like in there. I do not understand where these bubbles can come from. I have some copepods on the glass of my tank and the few corals I have are still fine. I have a GSP, and a mushroom as of now. Can you guys give me some direction on this? I don't want to hang it up, but this is a whole lot harder than I thought it would be. I can try and post some pics tonight if it will help.

[Swanwillow]

calm yourself

first thing first: nass snails clean the sandbed, not glass. you can get turbos for that, but thats not first.

first is where are the nutrients coming from. if there are bubbles coming outta the sandbed, I'm placing the bet that they are coming from there. do a water change, and stir the sand bed-25% of it.

try and account for as many nass snails as possible

[bradhinz]

I am fairly new hear to. Can you post you water perameters? This will help all to come up with some possible solutions for you. I would definitely turn the power heads back on. Algae loves to grow in dead areas.

DON'T GIVE UP!!!

[SteelRoad]

Turn your pumps back on!

The algae is probably signs of a cycling tank, and more flow will help it go away faster. But if it's cycling, then expect to wait a while.

Note: It's very bad to add copper to a tank with invertebrates!

[FormulatedFire]

i just had a seriously bad algea encounter with my new lighting being played on my tank.....you may want to try a product called chemi-clean its reef,invert,and fish safe you should try that.......i used it in my tank and worked great.....but it's only a temporary fix to whatever problem your having so you may want to try it while your solving the main issue.....which could be leaving your lighting on for to long, not enough flow, over feeding.......just a few things that come to mind

[techigirl78]

I agree, turn the powerheads back on. Have you tested your RO water with a TDS meter?

I'd agree that getting a PBT maybe wasn't the best idea. Try avoinding tangs, angels, etc. until your tank has been stable for 6 months. Did you QT it?

I'd follow through with a full treatment for the remaining fish and leave the display fishless for 8-12 weeks. During that time, try doing a number of water changes on the display. How much flow do you have in the tank? What type of filtration are you using? Do you have a good protein skimmer? Adding some filter floss will help in cleaning up the water.

In addition to turbos, I also like nerites for cleaning my glass.

Hang in there, it gets much easier after the first 6 months or so.

[jmccown]

I didn't add copper to the display. I have a spare 55g that I dosed with copper to treat the fish. I have a Berlin Turbo HOB skimmer that does okay. I have not tested the RO unit with a TDS, but the unit is a month and a half old, couldn't be too bad. I'll crank the powerheads up when I get home. I have 4-5 smaller ones that flow pretty good. I just want the brown algae to clear up. I have done one water change since then. My filtration is via a Pro Clear Aquatics 200 model. I am running filter media in it as well as with the bio balls (I know the nitrate factory thing is debatable but not proven) I will hang in there a little longer to see what happens. I am just bumfuzzled on how oxygen bubbles can rise from the sand bed with no way of getting there in the first place.

[Swanwillow]

they probably aren't oxygen bubbles, but nitrogen type of bubbles.

ya got big fish, big eaters, lots of nutrients.

do you know your ammonia, nitrate/trite levels? I bet that the trate levels are a bit high. maybe the ammonia is showing that theres SOME, just less than .25

[techigirl78]

Try using some filter floss and chemi-pure.

I would assume that the use of bioballs is pretty much deemed a nitrate factory, not really much of an agruement. They can work well for FO tanks, but seem to only cause problems for reef tanks. Even trace nitrates can cause issues in reef tanks, where FO tanks wouldn't be effected. If you have sand bed and enoung live rock, remove the bio balls and use that area of the filter to put some cheato. It will help as a nutrient export.

[jmccown]

Doesn't chaeto have to have light though?

[techigirl78]

Yes, buy you should be able to make a mod to accomodate. You can spend $15 at HD to get a bulb and fixture. Its kind of hard looking at a picture at the model you have and making a suggestion, but many people here make mods. If you can't modify it to a refugium right away. Test your nitrates. If you have any, I would remove the bioballs as they tend to trap a alot of debris.

[jmccown]

Probably just a small clip on light would do the trick.

[WaterKeeper]

I'm interested with what you observed with the sandbed. Bubbles are normal from the bed but it shouldn't look like you are running an air stone. This is especially true in the morning. Even with an algae bloom the should only be minor bubbling during the nocturnal photoperiod. If the bubbles are present in heavy amounts when you turn on the lights, I might suspect that something caused dieoff in the sandbed itself. Losing most of the biofilm on the sand could be what is creating your problems. I'd do some major water changes and maybe add some more LS to help boost the sandbed performance.