algea out of control!!!! my aquarium is pretty much dead - Page 2

Alaskan Reefer · 02/28/2006, 12:59 AM

Oh, and the RO/DI for water changes, topoff, and kalk mixing (any time you put water in the tank) goes without saying. I personally use tap water, but I happen to live in an area where tap water is extremely clean -- TDS at less than 1% of the national drinking water standard. In 99% of the places you get tap water, it isn't good enough.

cfarrow2 · 02/28/2006, 01:21 AM

Alaskan Reefer....you sell money???

Alaskan Reefer · 02/28/2006, 01:32 AM

Yes indeed, I'm a mortgage office manager.

OnTheReef · 03/01/2006, 01:09 AM

Get a copy of Julian Sprung's book "Algae: A Problem Solver Guide" ISBN 1-883693-02-0. I second the mysis comment too; I can count on a detectable phosphate and nitrate level every time I use that food. I still feed with mysis occassionaly, but I thaw and rinse it in RO water first and only sparing amounts.

BigReefing · 03/01/2006, 03:13 PM

I put in kent marine phosphate spunge last night in a mesh micro like the directions say. Now my stuff in my tank is dieing because of it. I am about to do major water change. I think my problem with phosphates is because I was feeing with mysis shrimp every day. Well I stoped that awhile ago, but now I got a slight algea problem and a major something else problem.

Alaskan Reefer · 03/01/2006, 05:14 PM

Big -- get it out, run carbon, do major water change. Some phosphate removers are aluminum based, which can cause problems with inverts -- I doubt it will kill them if you address it immediately. I'm not sure if the brand Phosphate Sponge is one of those, but you could also try PhosBan, RowaPhos, PhosGuard, and the bevy of other products. With any of them, you should rinse, rinse again, and rinse again to prevent the small particles from escaping your mesh bag -- that's why they want it to be a tight "micro" type mesh.

Mysis every day is a sure fire recipe for hair algae. You have to rinse the heck out of them before putting it in your tank, and even then it's a very phosphate-rich food. It doesn't help that mysis introduction basically shuts down most skimmers for 4-6 hours either.

sean48183 · 03/01/2006, 08:56 PM

My friend do not tear your tank down. Do scrub the rocks. What I did was get 2 buckets of old water change water and use the first one to scrub the rocks with a toothbrush and the second to dip the rocks in but good. This will take care of the problem short term but you must start a refugium and get algae going. Algae is the single best filtration you can have. Notice tanks with lots of hair algae never have detectable phosphate or nitrate. It literally consumes these problems. So the thing is to make it grow somewhere outside your main tank. I am overstocked and overfeed and I have no nitrates or phosphates and best of all no hair algae in my main tank. Here is a pic of my fuge set up.

02/28/2006, 12:59 AM	#26
Alaskan Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Eagle River, Alaska Posts: 2,360	Oh, and the RO/DI for water changes, topoff, and kalk mixing (any time you put water in the tank) goes without saying. I personally use tap water, but I happen to live in an area where tap water is extremely clean -- TDS at less than 1% of the national drinking water standard. In 99% of the places you get tap water, it isn't good enough. __________________ Unattended children will be given double shot espresso and a free puppy. Current Tank Info: 125g FOWLR -- Conversion Back To SPS In Progress

02/28/2006, 01:21 AM	#27
cfarrow2 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Overland Park, KS Posts: 626	Alaskan Reefer....you sell money??? __________________ Happiness is contagious. What are you spreading? Current Tank Info: 55 gal. 216 W. T5s. Wet/dry sump w/ Mag 5 return. Softies, 3 fish, shrimp, urchin. HA factory for the time being.

02/28/2006, 01:32 AM	#28
Alaskan Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Eagle River, Alaska Posts: 2,360	Yes indeed, I'm a mortgage office manager. __________________ Unattended children will be given double shot espresso and a free puppy. Current Tank Info: 125g FOWLR -- Conversion Back To SPS In Progress

03/01/2006, 01:09 AM	#29
OnTheReef Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Posts: 340	Get a copy of Julian Sprung's book "Algae: A Problem Solver Guide" ISBN 1-883693-02-0. I second the mysis comment too; I can count on a detectable phosphate and nitrate level every time I use that food. I still feed with mysis occassionaly, but I thaw and rinse it in RO water first and only sparing amounts. __________________ 100 gallon reef tank, 40 gallon sump/fuge combo with RDSB 2x ASM G2 with gate valve mod TLF phos reactor w/Rowaphos, Seachem Nitrate sponge 4x55w 50/50 actinic PC Current USA 0 amm, 0 nitrite, 0 n Current Tank Info: 50 & 100 gallon reef tanks

03/01/2006, 05:14 PM	#31
Alaskan Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Eagle River, Alaska Posts: 2,360	Big -- get it out, run carbon, do major water change. Some phosphate removers are aluminum based, which can cause problems with inverts -- I doubt it will kill them if you address it immediately. I'm not sure if the brand Phosphate Sponge is one of those, but you could also try PhosBan, RowaPhos, PhosGuard, and the bevy of other products. With any of them, you should rinse, rinse again, and rinse again to prevent the small particles from escaping your mesh bag -- that's why they want it to be a tight "micro" type mesh. Mysis every day is a sure fire recipe for hair algae. You have to rinse the heck out of them before putting it in your tank, and even then it's a very phosphate-rich food. It doesn't help that mysis introduction basically shuts down most skimmers for 4-6 hours either. __________________ Unattended children will be given double shot espresso and a free puppy. Current Tank Info: 125g FOWLR -- Conversion Back To SPS In Progress

03/01/2006, 03:13 PM	#30
BigReefing Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 454	I put in kent marine phosphate spunge last night in a mesh micro like the directions say. Now my stuff in my tank is dieing because of it. I am about to do major water change. I think my problem with phosphates is because I was feeing with mysis shrimp every day. Well I stoped that awhile ago, but now I got a slight algea problem and a major something else problem.

03/01/2006, 08:56 PM	#32
sean48183 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: michigan Posts: 1,577	My friend do not tear your tank down. Do scrub the rocks. What I did was get 2 buckets of old water change water and use the first one to scrub the rocks with a toothbrush and the second to dip the rocks in but good. This will take care of the problem short term but you must start a refugium and get algae going. Algae is the single best filtration you can have. Notice tanks with lots of hair algae never have detectable phosphate or nitrate. It literally consumes these problems. So the thing is to make it grow somewhere outside your main tank. I am overstocked and overfeed and I have no nitrates or phosphates and best of all no hair algae in my main tank. Here is a pic of my fuge set up.