Algae in a new tank

[Wolv18]

Hey everyone I have a new ref tank it's been up about 3 months. I only put 2 clowns, a cleaner shrimp and some hermit crabs in about a month ago. I am starting to get some pretty fast growing algae. I have been taking phosphate reading with an api test kit, and I keep getting .25 or less readings. They look more like 0 to me on the color guide.

Anyways I have to have alot of phosphates for it to be growing so quick right? Do test kits go bad. My nitrates also are near zero. I'm thinking of getting some macro algae to put in the sump. Here are a couple of pics of the algae to the algae on the rocks looks like fine hairs kinda like the rocks growing a beard. The algae on the sand looks more like a brownish red slime. Any suggestions would be appreciated thanks.

[tomreefer]

API test kits are awful fo testing phosphate. I like red sea ones or get yourself a hanna for phosphate. You look like you have hair algae and cyano. Whats your nitrites at. API kits are ok for Ammonia, nitrate checking and maybe nitrites. Others like phosphate, calcium, alk and mag should be either salifert or red sea and Hanna digital.

Your phosphates I can tell you are a lot higher probably than that. For one phosphates are eating by the algae.

Whats your water change schedule and how much water?

Tell me your nitrites as well

[sublime9182]

IN MY EXPERIENCE. .. phosphate are pointless when you have a hair algea problem they are quickly consuming the phosphate so no matter what test kit you have it will not give you an accurate representation of the phosphate in your tank. They way I look at it is if you have low nitrates and hair algea you probably have plenty of phosphate. Do you run gfo and use rodi? For cyano increase flow and or cover red leds. I have ebay lights and as soon as I taped off the reds all my cyano went away and never came back again just my experience I am certainly no expert

[Wolv18]

I don't run a gfo and I do use Rodi. I change 5 gallons a week on a 55 gallon system. I haven't seen the need for a gfo since phosphates have always been zero but just recently the algae has been spiking. So I know I have phosphates now.

[tomreefer]

Well test your nitrites. I would do a bigger water change to try and take down some of the nutrients in your water. I am sure you have high phosphates and nitrites. Phosphates and Nitrites cause algae blooms but since your tank is new this happens. Also is your RODI at 0? you testing it with a TDS?

[Wolv18]

Yes my tds are 0 and haven't tested nitrites lately. I will do that tonight and do a 10 gallon change tomorrow. Also what do you think about the use of macro algae

[tomreefer]

Yes macro algae works.. You have a sump or no?

[Wolv18]

Yeah I have a 46 gallon dt and a 20 gallon sump. I was thinking of buying some macros at the lfs after changing the water. And thanks for the help too.

[tomreefer]

what you have in the sump now? Reason I am asking is my tank I couldnt figure out why my nitrites would stay at 40ppm. I figured it out my problem was detrius was getting trapped on my rocks in my sump. I sold my rock out of my sump and my nitrates are 5ppm or lower. I have very little algae which I am figuring its phosphates and I am dosing right now vinegar which you could read up on.

If you have any rocks in your sump I would get them out my experience and yes I have chaeto. If you get chaeto make sure you get a good light thats the trick with it. Mine grows like crazy

[Wolv18]

Ok thanks for the advice.

[Dan_P]

Originally Posted by Wolv18

Hey everyone I have a new ref tank it's been up about 3 months. I only put 2 clowns, a cleaner shrimp and some hermit crabs in about a month ago. I am starting to get some pretty fast growing algae. I have been taking phosphate reading with an api test kit, and I keep getting .25 or less readings. They look more like 0 to me on the color guide.

Anyways I have to have alot of phosphates for it to be growing so quick right? Do test kits go bad. My nitrates also are near zero. I'm thinking of getting some macro algae to put in the sump. Here are a couple of pics of the algae to the algae on the rocks looks like fine hairs kinda like the rocks growing a beard. The algae on the sand looks more like a brownish red slime. Any suggestions would be appreciated thanks.

What is growing in your tank right now happens in many new aquaria. The most commonly suggested cause is nutrient levels, typically phosphate, but also nitrate. I think this is true but not quite the entire story because established tanks can have higher nutrient levels but no nuisance algae growth. So, pursue the nutrient reduction but please, don't starve your fish. Feed them small amounts a couple times a day. The less food that goes uneaten the better, but don't become overly obsessive about it.

To get a handle on the water level amounts of phosphate and nitrate, use a decent test. I use Salifert. I tested the kits against standards and they provided good test results. If you have trouble seeing light colors, get a friend to look at the color intensity of your test solutions. The exact number is not so important. For nitrates, you can achive a nondetectable level, that is the solution colorless, but for now a few ppm would be OK. A phosphate level recommendation is generally at or below 0.03 ppm, or a very, very light tint of color in the test solution.

I have proven that you can grow hair algae and cyanobacteria quite successfully with undetectable levels of nitrate and phosphate. And no, these nutrients are not leaching from the rocks because I have only a few pieces of granite and an inch or so of silica sand. I mention this to illustrate that water chemistry provides only a rough idea of what is happening in the aquarium and that nuissance algae are quite good at acquiring nutrients.

The simplest way to reduce phosphate is with GFO in a reactor.

I never owned an aquarium that did not develop a decent community of dentrifying bacteria that kept nitrate levels below 1 ppm. But these bacteria are slow growing and it will take time for the population to grow. So, stock your aquarium slowly.

Another way nitrate levels drop off is if something is consuming the ammonia or the nitrate. Micro and macro algae will do this. Bacteria can as well but usually not well enough until you feed them a carbon source like a carbohydrate, ethanol or vinegar.

You may need to physically remove some nuisance growth by hand or with the appropriate animal. Once established, nuisance algae can become part of the biological filter, and potentially out competing smaller, invisible species we would prefer. This idea is still uncharted water though. Only recently are aquarists more frequently resorting to adding bacteria suspensions to improve the bacterial communities in their aquaria. If my 6 month old cyanobacteria community does not die off soon using the popular remedies (nutrient reduction, light, flow, blackout, ...), I am going to try Using Dr. Tim's.

Getting rid of nuisance growth takes time and vigilance.

[Wolv18]

Thanks for the advice Dan. I have already ordered some salifert tests and they should arrive today. I'm going to try them out today. I'm going to also do a ten gallon water change and buy some macro algae at the lfs. Well see how that goes.

[tomreefer]

Well if your nitrites are lets say over 20ppm to be honest may have to do a bigger water change than that.

[Wolv18]

Oh yeah I checked them last night and they are at zero. So I guess it's the phosphates that are the main problem.

[tomreefer]

don't assume that because algae consumes nitrites as well as phosphates. I would do a 15 gallon water change and get as much out as possible. Especially hair algae its a pain in the butt. Invest in a phosban reactor and run GFO will help you. When I haid hair algae I took out the rock that had it and scraped off in a separate bucket when I did my water change. Turbo snails will help probably as well with hair algae. I probably think your problem is phosphates though. The only kit I use now for phosphate is Hanna. I hate all the test kits for phosphates I cant read it maybe I am colorblind. API are hard to read as well for nitrites but really I don't care if its accurate in my opinion as long as I get a basic understanding of whats going on.

This is what I read anyway:

ALK -- Salifert or Red Sea pro I only used salifert but I was going to try Red Sea a lot of people like them bulk reef supply recommends Red Sea for this test

Calcium -- Salifert or Red Sea.. Most people will say Salifert and I used API and Salifert and very close but Salifert way easier to use. Salifert recommended

Magnesium -- Salifert or Red Sea.. Salifert is recommended because Red Sea harder to determine.

Phosphate -- Red Sea or Hanna also Salifert. However, I tried API, Salifert and personally cant determine colr very hard. I heard Red Sea pro is easier to read and might be a solution. I went with Hanna on this because like I said cant read the color blue I have a hard time with.. lol

Other tests Ammonia, nitrate, nitrites and PH really can get away with API in my opinion don't really care if its very accurate as long as I get a ball park figure. However, nitrites maybe I would consider another kit though.

[Wolv18]

I got my salifert test kit today for nitrates and it was reading in the 20 range. My red sea pro kit would always read 0 I think the reagents my be bad. I changed 5 gallons this morning and I'm going to do 5 tonight then 5 tomorrow.

One quick question I was adding buffer to bring my alk up. I suppose all these water changes will drop it along with the nitrates. Would I need to step up the buffering to adjust for the water changes?

[morleyz]

Originally Posted by tomreefer

what you have in the sump now? Reason I am asking is my tank I couldnt figure out why my nitrites would stay at 40ppm. I figured it out my problem was detrius was getting trapped on my rocks in my sump. I sold my rock out of my sump and my nitrates are 5ppm or lower. I have very little algae which I am figuring its phosphates and I am dosing right now vinegar which you could read up on.

If you have any rocks in your sump I would get them out my experience and yes I have chaeto. If you get chaeto make sure you get a good light thats the trick with it. Mine grows like crazy

I'm curious about this. Why would rock in a sump generate nitrates (I'm assuming that's what you meant since nitrites of 40ppm would be bad) any differently than the rocks in your DT?

[morleyz]

Originally Posted by Wolv18

I got my salifert test kit today for nitrates and it was reading in the 20 range. My red sea pro kit would always read 0 I think the reagents my be bad. I changed 5 gallons this morning and I'm going to do 5 tonight then 5 tomorrow.

One quick question I was adding buffer to bring my alk up. I suppose all these water changes will drop it along with the nitrates. Would I need to step up the buffering to adjust for the water changes?

What are you adding for buffer?

[Dan_P]

Originally Posted by Wolv18

I got my salifert test kit today for nitrates and it was reading in the 20 range. My red sea pro kit would always read 0 I think the reagents my be bad. I changed 5 gallons this morning and I'm going to do 5 tonight then 5 tomorrow.

One quick question I was adding buffer to bring my alk up. I suppose all these water changes will drop it along with the nitrates. Would I need to step up the buffering to adjust for the water changes?

Your water changes will likely bring up the alkalinity. Finish bringing down the nitrates before attempting any other water parameter adjustments at this point.

[Dan_P]

Originally Posted by morleyz

I'm curious about this. Why would rock in a sump generate nitrates (I'm assuming that's what you meant since nitrites of 40ppm would be bad) any differently than the rocks in your DT?

Rocks don't increase nitrates but dying things on the rocks will be digested by bacteria that will in turn lead to nitrate formation. After the dead stuff is digested, I am not sure why rocks would appear to increase nitrates.

[Wolv18]

I'm using seachem reef buffer. It worked the first couple times I added it then lately it's been going up real slow. I'll test after these water changes and see its at.

[tomreefer]

for say rocks dont increase nitrites but putting them in a sump with little flow is a trap for detrius to get trapped in the rocks creating a problem. Its better not to put rocks in the sump in my opinion for that reason.