whats going on in my tank?

awilkens · 04/21/2008, 04:02 PM

the past few days i have come home to see this horribly ugly green algae in my tank...

how can i get rid of this?

cbjohnston · 04/21/2008, 04:05 PM

How old is your tank? What kind of fish/corrals do you have in there? Do you have a clean up crew? Do you have any flow?

jdieck · 04/21/2008, 04:06 PM

Seems like high nutrient issue, how long has the tank being set? It could be just part of the cycle.
Proper skimming, reduced feeding, reduced lighting and water changes could help.

awilkens · 04/21/2008, 04:15 PM

the tank has been set up with fish for almost 2 years with just fish but recently i got a frogspawn, 2 xenia's and a BTA

i have a true percula, blue damsel, mandarin, yellow long nosed butterfly, fire shrimp, a couple dozen hermit crabs and a couple snails

as for flow i have 2 powerheads that keep things moving pretty well

i just did a 20% water change 2 days ago to try and get this under control but it hasnt helped

smalls383 · 04/21/2008, 04:21 PM

Does the sun from that window come into contact with the tank?

That might have some effect on the tank especially now that it is spring/summer when the suns solar rays are the strongest (closest to the earth I think)

awilkens · 04/21/2008, 04:31 PM

ya thats what i was thinking too but i closed the blinds today and it didnt seem to change much

jdieck · 04/21/2008, 04:39 PM

There are some basic things that feed algae. Light, CO2, Nitrate and Phosphate. Remove two out of the equation and you shall be basically OK so...

You may need to keep that window closed most of the day. Also test your phosphate levels, over time they accumulate and you may need to use some phosphate adsorbing media like Phosban or Phosar.

High Nitrates could also be at play here. Good skimming, refugium, deep sand bed etc. could help with nitrate reduction.

smalls383 · 04/21/2008, 04:44 PM

It may not have been a noticeable problem before but now it is getting brighter cause its spring....Yeah I agree with the high nitrates being a culpret...what are you readings

Also, you will probably have to wait more then a day to notice a difference

Rockhead21564 · 04/21/2008, 04:51 PM

Gee, what are your parameters? ie nitrates, nitrites, light cycle, feeding items (flake, pellets, or frozen) when were the lights replaced? all this info is important. Oh yeah, what about a picture, anybody care if its hair algae, a bloom, possible cyano(green type). We need ALL the info before we fix it. PIC 's please.

Rockhead21564 · 04/21/2008, 04:54 PM

Oh crap, didn't see the pic(dial up,lol) Its a bloom. Turn light cycle down. IE 12hrs down to 8hrs, 10hrs to 6hrs. Then slowly bring back up, or shut blinds, lol. Good luck.

ws6kid · 04/21/2008, 05:13 PM

Dont forget that you have also added more biological load to the tank. Make sure your filtration is adequate. Also, that isnt much live rock for the size of tank.

And yes, a combo of things along with sunlight will make that pretty green bloom

awilkens · 04/21/2008, 05:24 PM

When looking at pictures of a typical aquarium bloom it seems as though the water is green which is not the case within my tank. Rather all live rock has now turned bright green and the walls of the tank seems to accumulate green algae within a few hours. Our sand once white is now turning red/green on a daily basis. The sand also has tons of little clear bubbles sitting on top and slowly releasing into the tank. The clear bubbles have also accumulated on most live rock.

We cant test phosphate levels but have done some recent significant water changes to try and combat these issues but have not succeeded obviously.

Pictures coming soon

awilkens · 04/21/2008, 05:31 PM

these pictures are with the actinic lights turned OFF

jdieck · 04/21/2008, 06:55 PM

Well that is a bad case of Cyanobacteria. Same issues causes it. Adding more flow, changing lamps and using organics adsorbing media (Purigen) also may help. Vaccum as much as you can when making water changes. Need to keep up with the changes at least 10% per week.

04/21/2008, 04:02 PM	#1
awilkens Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 16	whats going on in my tank? the past few days i have come home to see this horribly ugly green algae in my tank... how can i get rid of this?

04/21/2008, 04:06 PM	#3
jdieck Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Maumee, OH Posts: 15,673	Seems like high nutrient issue, how long has the tank being set? It could be just part of the cycle. Proper skimming, reduced feeding, reduced lighting and water changes could help. __________________ Did I write what I wrote? What the heck am I talking about! Well..... Nevermind. Current Tank Info: 225 gal reef, DSB, 40 g sump w/ LRT100 return, 37 g pre-sump, 3 MH 250 W 15K, 4 96 W PC dual actinic,ETS 1500 Skim.w/LRT70, 20 lb Ca R., 40 W UV, 1/3 HP chiller, two 350 W Htrs, Neptune II Cont., 330 P LR/ 330 P LS. 55 gal Refugium

04/21/2008, 04:39 PM	#7
jdieck Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Maumee, OH Posts: 15,673	There are some basic things that feed algae. Light, CO2, Nitrate and Phosphate. Remove two out of the equation and you shall be basically OK so... You may need to keep that window closed most of the day. Also test your phosphate levels, over time they accumulate and you may need to use some phosphate adsorbing media like Phosban or Phosar. High Nitrates could also be at play here. Good skimming, refugium, deep sand bed etc. could help with nitrate reduction. __________________ Did I write what I wrote? What the heck am I talking about! Well..... Nevermind. Current Tank Info: 225 gal reef, DSB, 40 g sump w/ LRT100 return, 37 g pre-sump, 3 MH 250 W 15K, 4 96 W PC dual actinic,ETS 1500 Skim.w/LRT70, 20 lb Ca R., 40 W UV, 1/3 HP chiller, two 350 W Htrs, Neptune II Cont., 330 P LR/ 330 P LS. 55 gal Refugium

04/21/2008, 04:51 PM	#9
Rockhead21564 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Up North Vanderbilt, Michigan Posts: 525	Gee, what are your parameters? ie nitrates, nitrites, light cycle, feeding items (flake, pellets, or frozen) when were the lights replaced? all this info is important. Oh yeah, what about a picture, anybody care if its hair algae, a bloom, possible cyano(green type). We need ALL the info before we fix it. PIC 's please. __________________ Sometimes I just don't get IT ! I want IT, but she won't let me buy anything else. Well, that she knows about anyway, Bah hahahaha Current Tank Info: 280g reef w/90g refug/reef & 90g sump;210g FOWLR W/20"Pnthr Grper,10"niger,36"zebra & 24" Tiger eels. 55g clam tank w/ 9,"8",6",5"& 4" Corceas, 9" Blue &12"orange squamosas

04/21/2008, 04:54 PM	#10
Rockhead21564 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Up North Vanderbilt, Michigan Posts: 525	Oh crap, didn't see the pic(dial up,lol) Its a bloom. Turn light cycle down. IE 12hrs down to 8hrs, 10hrs to 6hrs. Then slowly bring back up, or shut blinds, lol. Good luck. __________________ Sometimes I just don't get IT ! I want IT, but she won't let me buy anything else. Well, that she knows about anyway, Bah hahahaha Current Tank Info: 280g reef w/90g refug/reef & 90g sump;210g FOWLR W/20"Pnthr Grper,10"niger,36"zebra & 24" Tiger eels. 55g clam tank w/ 9,"8",6",5"& 4" Corceas, 9" Blue &12"orange squamosas

04/21/2008, 04:05 PM	#2
cbjohnston Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thornton, Colorado Posts: 29	How old is your tank? What kind of fish/corrals do you have in there? Do you have a clean up crew? Do you have any flow?

04/21/2008, 04:15 PM	#4
awilkens Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 16	the tank has been set up with fish for almost 2 years with just fish but recently i got a frogspawn, 2 xenia's and a BTA i have a true percula, blue damsel, mandarin, yellow long nosed butterfly, fire shrimp, a couple dozen hermit crabs and a couple snails as for flow i have 2 powerheads that keep things moving pretty well i just did a 20% water change 2 days ago to try and get this under control but it hasnt helped

04/21/2008, 04:21 PM	#5
smalls383 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Saratoga, CA Posts: 483	Does the sun from that window come into contact with the tank? That might have some effect on the tank especially now that it is spring/summer when the suns solar rays are the strongest (closest to the earth I think)

04/21/2008, 04:31 PM	#6
awilkens Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 16	ya thats what i was thinking too but i closed the blinds today and it didnt seem to change much

04/21/2008, 04:44 PM	#8
smalls383 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Saratoga, CA Posts: 483	It may not have been a noticeable problem before but now it is getting brighter cause its spring....Yeah I agree with the high nitrates being a culpret...what are you readings Also, you will probably have to wait more then a day to notice a difference

04/21/2008, 05:13 PM	#11
ws6kid Spongebob Squarepants Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Blacklick Posts: 203	Dont forget that you have also added more biological load to the tank. Make sure your filtration is adequate. Also, that isnt much live rock for the size of tank. And yes, a combo of things along with sunlight will make that pretty green bloom

04/21/2008, 05:24 PM	#12
awilkens Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 16	When looking at pictures of a typical aquarium bloom it seems as though the water is green which is not the case within my tank. Rather all live rock has now turned bright green and the walls of the tank seems to accumulate green algae within a few hours. Our sand once white is now turning red/green on a daily basis. The sand also has tons of little clear bubbles sitting on top and slowly releasing into the tank. The clear bubbles have also accumulated on most live rock. We cant test phosphate levels but have done some recent significant water changes to try and combat these issues but have not succeeded obviously. Pictures coming soon

04/21/2008, 05:31 PM	#13
awilkens Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 16	these pictures are with the actinic lights turned OFF

04/21/2008, 06:55 PM	#14
jdieck Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Maumee, OH Posts: 15,673	Well that is a bad case of Cyanobacteria. Same issues causes it. Adding more flow, changing lamps and using organics adsorbing media (Purigen) also may help. Vaccum as much as you can when making water changes. Need to keep up with the changes at least 10% per week. __________________ Did I write what I wrote? What the heck am I talking about! Well..... Nevermind. Current Tank Info: 225 gal reef, DSB, 40 g sump w/ LRT100 return, 37 g pre-sump, 3 MH 250 W 15K, 4 96 W PC dual actinic,ETS 1500 Skim.w/LRT70, 20 lb Ca R., 40 W UV, 1/3 HP chiller, two 350 W Htrs, Neptune II Cont., 330 P LR/ 330 P LS. 55 gal Refugium