Brown algae?

steve.frink · 03/27/2015, 04:11 PM

My reef tank has been up for 6 mo. Doing good except for **** lighting. Brown algae starting to grow on sand bed. What causes this and what stops it.

pyithar · 03/27/2015, 07:56 PM

your lighting could be one of the causes. normally if you use ro/di, regular water changes, and limit/export the nitrates and phosphates, algae growth will be minimal unless you have very huge bioload.

steve.frink · 03/27/2015, 07:59 PM

What do you mean by bioload

steve.frink · 03/27/2015, 08:01 PM

And i have my own rodi and do a 25% water change weekly.

Cujo13 · 03/27/2015, 08:08 PM

http://www.definitions.net/definition/bioload

I grew up on an era when we had to go to a library to look up things like this. The internet is an amazing thing.

steve.frink · 03/27/2015, 08:13 PM

Yeah me too, but I like this. Thanks for the link

pyithar · 03/27/2015, 08:46 PM

yes that's what i meant by bioload. when you feed your fish, you're basically importing nitrates and phosphates into the system. therefore, exportation of these nitrates and phosphates out of the system should keep up with the amount of imports. otherwise, you'll have excess nutrients in the system and that'll lead to nuisance algae problems.

nmotz · 03/28/2015, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve.frink

What do you mean by bioload

What size is your tank? What kind/how many fish do you have? The more fish you have, the more you will have to work to prevent nutrient build up that will lead to problem algae. Having the right size tank for the number/type of fish that you have is essential or you will likely always have algae issues (or worse problems).

steve.frink · 03/28/2015, 06:47 AM

Two clowns a tang , 3 demsels?/starter fish that i cant catch to remove and a eel

steve.frink · 03/28/2015, 06:48 AM

55 gal

top shelf · 03/28/2015, 07:14 AM

Your brown algae could be diatoms.

You could try a trap for the damsels, eels tend to be pretty messy that could be a cause of excess nutrients, and as for the tang I would say your tank is to small for him.

steve.frink · 03/28/2015, 08:48 AM

Yeah but my tang is awesome and ive had him from the get-go. And hes doing great, i also plan on a bigger tank in future.

nmotz · 03/28/2015, 09:10 AM

Yeah that is a pretty heavy load for a 55 gallon. Do you have a sump? Protein skimmer? Macroalgae? More water volume helps a lot and protein skimmers will remove organics that would eventually break down and fuel the growth of algae. Macroalgae will compete with the nuisance algae for nutrients.

steve.frink · 03/28/2015, 09:19 AM

I have a 20 gal sump with refuge and some chaeto and yes a skimmer too. My Nitrates are up to 25- 30ish. Im thinking of starting a vodka dose. Is there anything wrong with vodka dosing

top shelf · 03/28/2015, 04:47 PM

If you have a sump you could throw a bag of chemi pure elite in there and see if that brings it down. I would go that route first. Theres nothing wrong with vodka dosing just adds more work. You should really try to find the root of the problem and elimate it that way as the others are more or less just band-aids.

steve.frink · 03/28/2015, 06:06 PM

Ill try that

top shelf · 03/28/2015, 07:03 PM

I use it in a media basket I made out of egg crate and have my overflow dump into that for maximum efficiency. It has been slowly dropping my nitrates and phosphates along with my fuge I rarely scrap algae off my glass anymore. I will admit I feed a little on the heavey side but most everything gets eaten and if I dont my cleaner shrimp tries to rip my feather duster outta his tube.

KabayanReef · 03/28/2015, 09:22 PM

No offense, if I may ask--- how long have you been in the hobby? I strongly advice against dosing vodka mostly because it's not the solution to your problem. "Brown algae" and high nitrate levels ,in your case is most probably because of the livestock chosen.

- What kind of eel is it? And how big? In general, eels are waste factories and a 55g can be easily polluted.

- Please think (research aswell) about keeping the tang or relocating it to a much larger tank. 55g NOT suitable for tangs

- 2clowns and 3damsels? Again, not discouraging the size of your tank or whatsoever but this environment doesn't promote a healthy system. The main issue being territorial behavior damsels are notriously known for. Ok they 'might' coexist for now, but bare in mind that these damsels won't tolerate any new fish introduced in their tanks.

I know you asked about the algae. I know you said, you had plans to get a bigger tank. Before all of that, please research about the livestock before purchasing. I'm sorry to disappoint you with a different take on your post. I don't claim to be an expert but as a student of the hobby , I just wanted to encourage researching everything and taking things slow. Goodluck

steve.frink · 03/29/2015, 12:57 PM

Its a snoflake eel about8" and i want to remove the damsels but cant catch them.

03/27/2015, 04:11 PM	#1
steve.frink Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 88	Brown algae? My reef tank has been up for 6 mo. Doing good except for **** lighting. Brown algae starting to grow on sand bed. What causes this and what stops it.

03/27/2015, 07:56 PM	#2
pyithar Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: yangon,burma(myanmar) Posts: 1,786	your lighting could be one of the causes. normally if you use ro/di, regular water changes, and limit/export the nitrates and phosphates, algae growth will be minimal unless you have very huge bioload. __________________ take it easy, pyithar Current Tank Info: 150G display, 50G sump, mixed reef

03/27/2015, 08:08 PM	#5
Cujo13 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 189	http://www.definitions.net/definition/bioload I grew up on an era when we had to go to a library to look up things like this. The internet is an amazing thing. __________________ 140 gallon DT, 100 g sump, 20L x2 TTM, 40B QT 95 gallon shallow, 40B sump.

03/27/2015, 08:46 PM	#7
pyithar Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: yangon,burma(myanmar) Posts: 1,786	yes that's what i meant by bioload. when you feed your fish, you're basically importing nitrates and phosphates into the system. therefore, exportation of these nitrates and phosphates out of the system should keep up with the amount of imports. otherwise, you'll have excess nutrients in the system and that'll lead to nuisance algae problems. __________________ take it easy, pyithar Current Tank Info: 150G display, 50G sump, mixed reef

03/28/2015, 07:14 AM	#11
top shelf Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,022	Your brown algae could be diatoms. You could try a trap for the damsels, eels tend to be pretty messy that could be a cause of excess nutrients, and as for the tang I would say your tank is to small for him. __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it into a fruit salad. Philosophy is wondering if that means ketchup is a smoothie. Current tank info: 45g SCA Cube

03/27/2015, 07:59 PM	#3
steve.frink Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 88	What do you mean by bioload

03/27/2015, 08:01 PM	#4
steve.frink Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 88	And i have my own rodi and do a 25% water change weekly.

03/27/2015, 08:13 PM	#6
steve.frink Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 88	Yeah me too, but I like this. Thanks for the link

03/28/2015, 06:47 AM	#9
steve.frink Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 88	Two clowns a tang , 3 demsels?/starter fish that i cant catch to remove and a eel

03/28/2015, 06:48 AM	#10
steve.frink Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 88	55 gal

03/28/2015, 08:48 AM	#12
steve.frink Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 88	Yeah but my tang is awesome and ive had him from the get-go. And hes doing great, i also plan on a bigger tank in future.

03/28/2015, 09:10 AM	#13
nmotz Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: FL, USA Posts: 1,433	Yeah that is a pretty heavy load for a 55 gallon. Do you have a sump? Protein skimmer? Macroalgae? More water volume helps a lot and protein skimmers will remove organics that would eventually break down and fuel the growth of algae. Macroalgae will compete with the nuisance algae for nutrients. __________________ Mantis shrimp are the best! Current Tank Info: 20L Peacock mantis shrimp tank

03/28/2015, 09:19 AM	#14
steve.frink Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 88	I have a 20 gal sump with refuge and some chaeto and yes a skimmer too. My Nitrates are up to 25- 30ish. Im thinking of starting a vodka dose. Is there anything wrong with vodka dosing

03/28/2015, 04:47 PM	#15
top shelf Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,022	If you have a sump you could throw a bag of chemi pure elite in there and see if that brings it down. I would go that route first. Theres nothing wrong with vodka dosing just adds more work. You should really try to find the root of the problem and elimate it that way as the others are more or less just band-aids. __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it into a fruit salad. Philosophy is wondering if that means ketchup is a smoothie. Current tank info: 45g SCA Cube

03/28/2015, 06:06 PM	#16
steve.frink Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 88	Ill try that

03/28/2015, 07:03 PM	#17
top shelf Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,022	I use it in a media basket I made out of egg crate and have my overflow dump into that for maximum efficiency. It has been slowly dropping my nitrates and phosphates along with my fuge I rarely scrap algae off my glass anymore. I will admit I feed a little on the heavey side but most everything gets eaten and if I dont my cleaner shrimp tries to rip my feather duster outta his tube. __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it into a fruit salad. Philosophy is wondering if that means ketchup is a smoothie. Current tank info: 45g SCA Cube

03/28/2015, 09:22 PM	#18
KabayanReef Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Middle east Posts: 158	No offense, if I may ask--- how long have you been in the hobby? I strongly advice against dosing vodka mostly because it's not the solution to your problem. "Brown algae" and high nitrate levels ,in your case is most probably because of the livestock chosen. - What kind of eel is it? And how big? In general, eels are waste factories and a 55g can be easily polluted. - Please think (research aswell) about keeping the tang or relocating it to a much larger tank. 55g NOT suitable for tangs - 2clowns and 3damsels? Again, not discouraging the size of your tank or whatsoever but this environment doesn't promote a healthy system. The main issue being territorial behavior damsels are notriously known for. Ok they 'might' coexist for now, but bare in mind that these damsels won't tolerate any new fish introduced in their tanks. I know you asked about the algae. I know you said, you had plans to get a bigger tank. Before all of that, please research about the livestock before purchasing. I'm sorry to disappoint you with a different take on your post. I don't claim to be an expert but as a student of the hobby , I just wanted to encourage researching everything and taking things slow. Goodluck __________________ What is a word made up of 4 letters, yet is also made up of 3. Although is written with 8 letters, and then with 4. Rarely consists of 6, and never is written with 5.

03/29/2015, 12:57 PM	#19
steve.frink Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 88	Its a snoflake eel about8" and i want to remove the damsels but cant catch them.