filtration problems?

mlaper · 09/01/2007, 07:56 PM

I was wondering if my filtration is sufficient for the amount of fish i have.my problem is that i have a brown and somtimes green diatom looking algae that seems to keep growing on my glass and on my powerheads. i wash this off with the magenent every day but it seems to always start over the next day. I have a 6 month old 90 gal. tank. for filtration i have a mega flow 3 sump with a makeshift refugium in the mid section. i have two koralia 4 powerheads for circulation in my tank, and i have a aqua c 120ev protien skimmer, a 25 watt current uv sterilizer, and a fluval 205 as a suplemental filtration to my sump where i have the pura carbon bags. also i have a 750 watt total light in my canopy, which consists of 2x 250watt metal halides and also 2 actinic bulbs, the lights are on a timer that run for 10 hours. my tank consists of about 150 pounds of liverock and one hippo tang, one algae blenny, 3 false percula clowns, one madrin, one decorator goby, one green clown goby, 2 firefish, and a sixline wrass. invertebrates are 3 emerald crabs, a sand sifting star which keeps the substrate free of this brown algae for the most part, and a cleaner shrimp. then there are a bunch of snails around 20 total.
I am new at this hobby so i still dont know all that much about stocking levels and such, i hear differnt opinions on that quite frequently. so basically i need to know if i should add another canister filter or if somthing else is wrong with my tank setup that is causing this algea every mourning on the glass. im sure it could also be some other problem such as lighting, feeding or even somthing else i've over looked and thats why im here, is to find out what im overlooking or neglecting. please help me figure this out so that my tank can slowly establish into a nice show tank. thanks to anyone who takes the time to help.

Piscator · 09/01/2007, 08:16 PM

What kind of snails? 20 is kinda light, IMO, for a 90 gallon heavily stocked aquarium (at 6 months this may be a bit overstocked). I would think about bumping that up, with some that work the glass well. Maybe 1/2 dozen Turbos too.

How about your water parameters and what is your feeding schedule like, as well as water change schedule?

At 6 months the tank is still in the early maturing phase. Be patient. Sounds like you have made a good start.

-Jason

Andrew · 09/01/2007, 09:05 PM

To Reef Central

Percula9 · 09/01/2007, 09:54 PM

The algae is caused by high nitrate and phosphate levels. Check the levels to see if this is the cause. Water changes help. Your filtration is fine. Remove sponges from your canister filters, these are nitrate factories. Let your refugium and skimmer do the work. Clean out detritus from your filters.

coast2coast7390 · 09/01/2007, 10:08 PM

IMHO its all a part of setting up a new tank...i had to deal with it for a while and it went away

coast2coast7390 · 09/01/2007, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Percula9
Remove sponges from your canister filters, these are nitrate factories.

technically anything that changes nitrite into nitrate is a nitrate factory

wooden_reefer · 09/01/2007, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by coast2coast7390
technically anything that changes nitrite into nitrate is a nitrate factory

So nitrate factory is a good thing, since nitrite is worse.

mlaper · 09/02/2007, 10:14 PM

so i should remove the sponges out of the canister, but should i leave the poly fiber in the trickle tray for catching debris? also i thought i read somewhere that somtimes the algae in the fuge would somtimes cause the green filmy algae. is this true? cause i have a bunch of macro algae in there. i'm going to test the water again, but last time i tested things seemed fine. i can never find traces of phosphate, unless im just using a bad test kit. the kit i use is the api master test kit. also my feeding schedule is in the mourning around 6 or 7 and at night around 4 or 5. so twice a day. and formula one reef flake in the mourning about 5 big flakes and i use a turkey baster for feeding frozen mysid shrimp, krill, mix at night, ussually about 2 cubes total. which may be too much, but i worry that certain things in my tank arnt eating enough because the current and the suction from the overflow seem to prevent bottom dwellers from being able to eat.

09/01/2007, 07:56 PM	#1
mlaper Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 16	filtration problems? I was wondering if my filtration is sufficient for the amount of fish i have.my problem is that i have a brown and somtimes green diatom looking algae that seems to keep growing on my glass and on my powerheads. i wash this off with the magenent every day but it seems to always start over the next day. I have a 6 month old 90 gal. tank. for filtration i have a mega flow 3 sump with a makeshift refugium in the mid section. i have two koralia 4 powerheads for circulation in my tank, and i have a aqua c 120ev protien skimmer, a 25 watt current uv sterilizer, and a fluval 205 as a suplemental filtration to my sump where i have the pura carbon bags. also i have a 750 watt total light in my canopy, which consists of 2x 250watt metal halides and also 2 actinic bulbs, the lights are on a timer that run for 10 hours. my tank consists of about 150 pounds of liverock and one hippo tang, one algae blenny, 3 false percula clowns, one madrin, one decorator goby, one green clown goby, 2 firefish, and a sixline wrass. invertebrates are 3 emerald crabs, a sand sifting star which keeps the substrate free of this brown algae for the most part, and a cleaner shrimp. then there are a bunch of snails around 20 total. I am new at this hobby so i still dont know all that much about stocking levels and such, i hear differnt opinions on that quite frequently. so basically i need to know if i should add another canister filter or if somthing else is wrong with my tank setup that is causing this algea every mourning on the glass. im sure it could also be some other problem such as lighting, feeding or even somthing else i've over looked and thats why im here, is to find out what im overlooking or neglecting. please help me figure this out so that my tank can slowly establish into a nice show tank. thanks to anyone who takes the time to help.

09/02/2007, 10:14 PM	#8
mlaper Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 16	filtration so i should remove the sponges out of the canister, but should i leave the poly fiber in the trickle tray for catching debris? also i thought i read somewhere that somtimes the algae in the fuge would somtimes cause the green filmy algae. is this true? cause i have a bunch of macro algae in there. i'm going to test the water again, but last time i tested things seemed fine. i can never find traces of phosphate, unless im just using a bad test kit. the kit i use is the api master test kit. also my feeding schedule is in the mourning around 6 or 7 and at night around 4 or 5. so twice a day. and formula one reef flake in the mourning about 5 big flakes and i use a turkey baster for feeding frozen mysid shrimp, krill, mix at night, ussually about 2 cubes total. which may be too much, but i worry that certain things in my tank arnt eating enough because the current and the suction from the overflow seem to prevent bottom dwellers from being able to eat.

09/01/2007, 08:16 PM	#2
Piscator Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Whitinsville MA Posts: 264	What kind of snails? 20 is kinda light, IMO, for a 90 gallon heavily stocked aquarium (at 6 months this may be a bit overstocked). I would think about bumping that up, with some that work the glass well. Maybe 1/2 dozen Turbos too. How about your water parameters and what is your feeding schedule like, as well as water change schedule? At 6 months the tank is still in the early maturing phase. Be patient. Sounds like you have made a good start. -Jason

09/01/2007, 09:05 PM	#3
Andrew Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 13,640	*To Reef Central*

09/01/2007, 09:54 PM	#4
Percula9 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Orange County CA Posts: 3,819	The algae is caused by high nitrate and phosphate levels. Check the levels to see if this is the cause. Water changes help. Your filtration is fine. Remove sponges from your canister filters, these are nitrate factories. Let your refugium and skimmer do the work. Clean out detritus from your filters.

09/01/2007, 10:08 PM	#5
coast2coast7390 Moved On Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Garden Grove Posts: 3,627	IMHO its all a part of setting up a new tank...i had to deal with it for a while and it went away