Algae ID & Snail Loss problems.

[Dan_P]

Originally Posted by moneymm

My algae problem i thought was getting better. ive tried sucking it up a couple times, but doesnt work so well, and also stirring it up and netting it.

best seems to be 3 day blackout period. which i have done two times.

anytime i ramp up my lighting percentage to anything about 30%, the black cyano runs wild.

Now im getting light brown algae on my sand bed. if i dont mix it up after 24 hours my sand bed is embarrasing looking, its a disaster. I finally got a phosphate test kit today, and figured this would show an off the charts number that would help find a problem. but im showing about .002 mg/l (ppm)

so what is causing this algae to run wild over my tank?

Bulk water phosphate concentrations may not be a good indication of local situations in your aquarium such as the surface of rocks and substrate. Also, our phosphate kits only test for ortho phosphate, PO4, and misses poly and organophosphates which can also be useful to nuisance growth organisms.

There is one more place you can check for a reservoir of ortho phosphate. If you have a syringe and airline, or rigid tubing would be better, you can suction out a sample of water from deep within the substrate. You may need to have a little filter material shoved into the tip of the tubing you are inserting into the substrate if it has fine grains.

I found phosphate levels of 1-2 ppm in my fine grained substate but my tank water has undetectable phosphate levels. No wonder the cyanobacteria love the sand bed! I also measured 0.1 ppm iron. How many of us have ever measured iron in a salt water tank?

There is also is a notion that live rock can leach phosphate, although I have not seen any direct measurements to prove this is the case.

[ajespo85]

Yes, GFO and W/Cs with time. And yes.. PLEASE STOP "STIRRING" AND MOVING IT AROUND. You're causing to spread and grow faster, also, stirring up sand causes your nitrates and phosphates to spike, which in turn is helping the algae to spread.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by ajespo85

Yes, GFO and W/Cs with time. And yes.. PLEASE STOP "STIRRING" AND MOVING IT AROUND. You're causing to spread and grow faster, also, stirring up sand causes your nitrates and phosphates to spike, which in turn is helping the algae to spread.

will do thanks.