Help with new tank

[Lynxone]

Help, please, with my problem: Brown algea everywhere and green star polyp not opening at all. Just did a 20g water change 2 days ago and algea is already covering everything. Pulsing xenia isnt fully extended either however green hairy metallic mushroom and purple hairy mushroom both look fine as do my zoas.

Size of tank: [80g]

Age of tank [7 months]
Sump? no. rena xp3 canister filter
Skimmer: Seaclone
nitrate: 10-20ppm
ammonia:0
temperature:79
Water source {store bought}
Salinity: [eg, 1.023]
Alkalinity: [eg, 8.1]
Lights [LED Ecoray 60d (x2)]
Calcium: [ 400]
Magnesium {unknown]
Dosing?[Marine buffer and tropic marine bio-calcium]


Thank you!

[Zappo]

Nitrate is a bit high. Without knowing your livestock and feeding habits, all I can say for sure is that something needs to be done to reduce available nutrients. Continuing to do big water changes frequently will get things under control, but that gets expensive long term. You could be overstocked, or you could be overfeeding. Or you could just be letting too much detritus build up in the canister filter between cleanings. There's a lot of possible reasons for your symptoms.

[seapug]

Most likely a nitrate-phosphate related issue. All algae issues come down to one thing-- more nutrients going are going in to the tank than are coming out or being assimilated into biomass. Using a relatively weak protein skimmer and a canister filter are common "achilles heels" of a marine tank. Upgrading the protein skimmer and installing an overflow and sump/refugium will do a lot to improve the system.

That said, you mention you use "store bought water." Is that saltwater from the LFS or something else? What kind of water do you use for topoffs?

[Lynxone]

Livestock: 2 clowns, 1 cardinal, 2 yellow-tip damsels, coral banded shrimp, and a few hermits and snails. The only corals in my tank are the ones mentioned originally.
Feeding: About a teaspoon of flakes or blood worms a day.

I also thought the same thing about the canister filter, so I have been cleaning it almost every week, and it doesn't seem to be helping the algae.

[Lynxone]

Originally Posted by seapug

Most likely a nitrate-phosphate related issue. All algae issues come down to one thing-- more nutrients going are going in to the tank than are coming out or being assimilated into biomass. Using a relatively weak protein skimmer and a canister filter are common "achilles heels" of a marine tank. Upgrading the protein skimmer and installing an overflow and sump/refugium will do a lot to improve the system.

That said, you mention you use "store bought water." Is that saltwater from the LFS or something else? What kind of water do you use for topoffs?

Using distilled water, and mixing to correct silinity and temp. with Marine Salt by Seachem. Top-off water is just distilled water with no salt.