Algae issues, please help

saline solution · 01/10/2009, 03:13 PM

I have been fighting algae, and am loosing. I have added a media reactor and run carbon and gfo, I do 15 gallon water changes on my 80 gal tank every other week, feed 2 frozen cubes/day. Equipment is listed in my signature. I am having trouble with fuzzy algae on my back glass, and a bit of diatoms on the sand bed, as well as a few spots of cano.

Specs:
2 year old tank
o nitrates
420 Ca
9 Dkh
79-81 temp
1.024 SG
all top off is kalk

I know the algae is pulling out the nitrates, but my chaeto grows like crazy too. I am looking for real solutions. I have been thinking about adding vinegar to my ATO, or doing vodka, but I go out of town alot, so vinegar would be easier. I want to know what else I can do to make my tank look super clean like the TOTMs. Looking for super clean here. Here are a few pics to help. Please help.

mb167204 · 01/10/2009, 03:18 PM

stop complaining. the tank looks amazing.

saline solution · 01/10/2009, 03:32 PM

Thanks, but as a med student you should understand the type-a personality I have become. Nobody wants to hear looks great, we got MOST of the cancer out. :>

wrott · 01/10/2009, 03:38 PM

Tank looks good!
Algae comes and goes. I would increase WCs to every week, and add 4-5 turbo snails if you can.
I think that "large particle sized" sand bed maybe a culprit, after 2yrs it could be leaching nutrients.
But, as long as your Acros retain color and growth, I would not drastically change things (BTW, I wish my tank looked as good as yours).

saline solution · 01/10/2009, 04:03 PM

I just changed out half the old sand for the large stuff last week. But the FTS shows the old sand, and the rest show the new crushed coral. I used it so I could up the current in the tank. Currently about 35-40x. I have an army of mini snails and slugs that come out every night. Would turbos make a difference? They always knock stuff over.

E.intheC · 01/10/2009, 04:14 PM

the TOTM's typically mention scraping algae off consistently... you have to remember that with a little elbow grease your tank would look a ton better.

Your fuge is pretty small for an 80 gallon as well.. I'm planning on having a 20 gallon fuge for my 30 gallon tank (that is completely oversized, but fun anyway) .. If I were you, I'd do 3 things: get a bigger fuge (20 gallons would be fine), scrape the algae off, and take a few minutes and enjoy your tank. It looks great.

Do the above, apply some patience, and you'll have a tank that looks like the TOTM tanks as well.

You dont' want to get burned out of this hobby either.

Tunjee · 01/10/2009, 05:18 PM

Check your source water. Make sure your getting a 0ppm reading. Double check your tds meter buy another one or borrow a friends. A reading of anything but zero is unacceptable.

saline solution · 01/10/2009, 05:20 PM

Just bought a new 5 stage from BRS in September. I will try scraping/cleaning more, more WC. Hopefully that will do it.

BigJay · 01/10/2009, 06:12 PM

See if you can cut feeding down to one cube per day. I have a 180 that doesn't get much more food than that, maybe a small pinch of pellets or flake if some fish missed out on the frenzy.

Ritten · 01/10/2009, 06:29 PM

Do you use carbon and/or polyfilters. They sure keep my tank clean and the water polished.

saline solution · 01/10/2009, 11:48 PM

I use a dual chamber media reactor with GFO AND CARBON, as well as filter socks that get cleaned about every 3rd day. I may start feeding less, they always look so hungry though. I have 9 small fish and two juvi tangs.

Ehaze · 01/11/2009, 12:02 AM

Stop feeding(or if you do, melt the ice on the cubes away, and wash the food), turn the light out for 3 days, get ur mag up to 1500, get a few mexican tubos.

that should cure it.

If you got your RODI and used tap water before, and just kept topping off with rodi then you will still have the problem. and ide say do a 50%WC.

30reef · 01/11/2009, 12:19 AM

I hope you can catch the Vlamingi in a few more months when it is a foot long.

Ehaze · 01/11/2009, 12:21 AM

btw, that tank looks flippin great!

saline solution · 01/11/2009, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 30reef
I hope you can catch the Vlamingi in a few more months when it is a foot long.

I have been hopeing that he will change colors before I have to let him go. I have a fish trap, so no big deal.

Also, I dont test for mag, so I don't really does it. The CA++ I use has Mag in it, so I get away with it. Will low Mag cause excess algae? Thanks.

Ehaze · 01/11/2009, 12:37 PM

not sure, but people with like 9k + posts tell me to raise it... so I pass it along. LOL

01/10/2009, 03:13 PM	#1
saline solution Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Coeur D'alene, ID Posts: 142	Algae issues, please help I have been fighting algae, and am loosing. I have added a media reactor and run carbon and gfo, I do 15 gallon water changes on my 80 gal tank every other week, feed 2 frozen cubes/day. Equipment is listed in my signature. I am having trouble with fuzzy algae on my back glass, and a bit of diatoms on the sand bed, as well as a few spots of cano. Specs: 2 year old tank o nitrates 420 Ca 9 Dkh 79-81 temp 1.024 SG all top off is kalk I know the algae is pulling out the nitrates, but my chaeto grows like crazy too. I am looking for real solutions. I have been thinking about adding vinegar to my ATO, or doing vodka, but I go out of town alot, so vinegar would be easier. I want to know what else I can do to make my tank look super clean like the TOTMs. Looking for super clean here. Here are a few pics to help. Please help. __________________ its a grand hobby Shaun Current Tank Info: just a glass box, and a flashlight

01/10/2009, 03:32 PM	#3
saline solution Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Coeur D'alene, ID Posts: 142	Thanks, but as a med student you should understand the type-a personality I have become. Nobody wants to hear looks great, we got MOST of the cancer out. :> __________________ its a grand hobby Shaun Current Tank Info: just a glass box, and a flashlight

01/10/2009, 03:38 PM	#4
wrott Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,912	Tank looks good! Algae comes and goes. I would increase WCs to every week, and add 4-5 turbo snails if you can. I think that "large particle sized" sand bed maybe a culprit, after 2yrs it could be leaching nutrients. But, as long as your Acros retain color and growth, I would not drastically change things (BTW, I wish my tank looked as good as yours). __________________ OK, but where does the meat go! ------------------------------------------------ 120g SPS, 125g mix, 56g FOWLR, 20g qt

01/10/2009, 04:03 PM	#5
saline solution Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Coeur D'alene, ID Posts: 142	I just changed out half the old sand for the large stuff last week. But the FTS shows the old sand, and the rest show the new crushed coral. I used it so I could up the current in the tank. Currently about 35-40x. I have an army of mini snails and slugs that come out every night. Would turbos make a difference? They always knock stuff over. __________________ its a grand hobby Shaun Current Tank Info: just a glass box, and a flashlight

01/10/2009, 04:14 PM	#6
E.intheC Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 5,373	the TOTM's typically mention scraping algae off consistently... you have to remember that with a little elbow grease your tank would look a ton better. Your fuge is pretty small for an 80 gallon as well.. I'm planning on having a 20 gallon fuge for my 30 gallon tank (that is completely oversized, but fun anyway) .. If I were you, I'd do 3 things: get a bigger fuge (20 gallons would be fine), scrape the algae off, and take a few minutes and enjoy your tank. It looks great. Do the above, apply some patience, and you'll have a tank that looks like the TOTM tanks as well. You dont' want to get burned out of this hobby either. __________________ -Eric

01/10/2009, 03:18 PM	#2
mb167204 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cleveland ohio ( Chardon). Posts: 503	stop complaining. the tank looks amazing.

01/10/2009, 05:18 PM	#7
Tunjee Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Winchester VA Posts: 404	Check your source water. Make sure your getting a 0ppm reading. Double check your tds meter buy another one or borrow a friends. A reading of anything but zero is unacceptable. __________________ "You gotta be smarter than the equipment you operate." Current Tank Info: 20gallon reef external glass overflow, diy light 175w 20k XM MH, 65w Actinic PC, 65w 10k PC, LED moonlight, OceansMotion, Velocity T-2 650gph, Euro-reef ES-52,RO/DI auto top off, pinpoint PH meter, diy acrylic sump, titanium pro II heater....

01/10/2009, 05:20 PM	#8
saline solution Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Coeur D'alene, ID Posts: 142	Just bought a new 5 stage from BRS in September. I will try scraping/cleaning more, more WC. Hopefully that will do it. __________________ its a grand hobby Shaun Current Tank Info: just a glass box, and a flashlight

01/10/2009, 06:12 PM	#9
BigJay Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Southlake, Texas Posts: 1,872	See if you can cut feeding down to one cube per day. I have a 180 that doesn't get much more food than that, maybe a small pinch of pellets or flake if some fish missed out on the frenzy. __________________ PBITAWA

01/10/2009, 06:29 PM	#10
Ritten Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 2,164	Do you use carbon and/or polyfilters. They sure keep my tank clean and the water polished.

01/10/2009, 11:48 PM	#11
saline solution Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Coeur D'alene, ID Posts: 142	I use a dual chamber media reactor with GFO AND CARBON, as well as filter socks that get cleaned about every 3rd day. I may start feeding less, they always look so hungry though. I have 9 small fish and two juvi tangs. __________________ its a grand hobby Shaun Current Tank Info: just a glass box, and a flashlight

01/11/2009, 12:02 AM	#12
Ehaze Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Thornton, Colorado Posts: 1,259	Stop feeding(or if you do, melt the ice on the cubes away, and wash the food), turn the light out for 3 days, get ur mag up to 1500, get a few mexican tubos. that should cure it. If you got your RODI and used tap water before, and just kept topping off with rodi then you will still have the problem. and ide say do a 50%WC. __________________ 75g SPS tank, 30gal sump/refuge. Melev RO/DI, Coravue duel calc reactor, MSP 200 skimmer, 2 Vortech MP40, Mag drive 9.5 return, autotopoff.com ATO, 2 CoralVue 250W SE finished pendants(with 20k Radium bulbs), powered by 2x Icecap ballasts, controlled by a ACJR.

01/11/2009, 12:19 AM	#13
30reef Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 1,401	I hope you can catch the Vlamingi in a few more months when it is a foot long.

01/11/2009, 12:21 AM	#14
Ehaze Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Thornton, Colorado Posts: 1,259	btw, that tank looks flippin great! __________________ 75g SPS tank, 30gal sump/refuge. Melev RO/DI, Coravue duel calc reactor, MSP 200 skimmer, 2 Vortech MP40, Mag drive 9.5 return, autotopoff.com ATO, 2 CoralVue 250W SE finished pendants(with 20k Radium bulbs), powered by 2x Icecap ballasts, controlled by a ACJR.

01/11/2009, 12:37 PM	#16
Ehaze Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Thornton, Colorado Posts: 1,259	not sure, but people with like 9k + posts tell me to raise it... so I pass it along. LOL __________________ 75g SPS tank, 30gal sump/refuge. Melev RO/DI, Coravue duel calc reactor, MSP 200 skimmer, 2 Vortech MP40, Mag drive 9.5 return, autotopoff.com ATO, 2 CoralVue 250W SE finished pendants(with 20k Radium bulbs), powered by 2x Icecap ballasts, controlled by a ACJR.