saltwater jungle help!!!!

droppoint · 05/25/2006, 07:31 PM

my tank(36 gal) has been up and running for 2 months now. algae is a constant problem (red and green) i cant seem to win the battle. ive been cutting the feedings back to once a day and am skimming as wet as i think i should (empty the cup twice a day) any other ideas? its a forest of seaweed all over everyting.

funman1 · 05/25/2006, 07:45 PM

What kind of water are you using?

mdisalvo55 · 05/25/2006, 08:48 PM

Try feeding once every 2 or even 3 days...you don't really need to feed once daily.

Blown 346 · 05/25/2006, 09:03 PM

For a new tank algae blooms are normal, but it sounds like an over abundance of Phosphates and nitrates that are feeding the algae.
You have to get these down to get the tank back in control.
I would start with a water change, and I would test the water parameters as well as Phosphate.
Like said above I would feed once every other day or even once every 2 or 3 days, there is always food present for the fish, cleanup to pick off of.

What type of lighting do you have? filtration, water flow?

I would also go on the drier side of skimming as it will pull out more nutrients, proteins than wet skimming will.
With wet skimming you are pulling out more tank water than proteins, and nutrients.

tashari · 05/25/2006, 09:07 PM

It's from too much light and the nutrients in the water you add. Try RO/DI water for a couple of changes and see what happens.

IPowderBlueTang · 05/25/2006, 09:21 PM

That is the normal cycle for a new tank. Be patient it will get brown diatom, red cyano, and green algea. Eventually it will all go away. I set up a new 120 gal and it took 4 months to go through the stages and still get a little red cyno once awhile. I just skim the sand bed and remove the red and wash it in saltwater and put it back. My 15 nano took 6 months to go through the 3 stages.
You can cut back on the feeding and reduce your lighting time, but will cause the 3 stages to take longer to burn out!

droppoint · 05/26/2006, 07:59 PM

i cant find ro water anywhere, can i use distilled?

bertoni · 05/26/2006, 08:21 PM

To Reef Central

The purity of distilled water products varies, IME, but it's likely better than tapwater.

sushi chef · 05/26/2006, 08:29 PM

If you run distilled water from your distillation unit through a DI unit you may get equal if not better quality water than from an RO unit. The DI should remove any volatile chemicals left in the water after condensation.

The energy used by a distillation machine does add up though. Maybe be cheaper to use RO DI unit.

Amy83820 · 05/26/2006, 08:32 PM

Get the distilled from Walmart. Look at the lable...it should say in fine print 'distilled by reverse osmosis.' It's not perfect, but leaps and bounds better than tapwater!
You can get a RO online at a good price from purelyh2o.com. I believe it's $79 plus there is a 10% off code. You can buy an attachment that will upgrade it into a RODI at a future date if it's money that's an issue.
I feel your pain! I'm having a brown algae issue right now too!

sushi chef · 05/26/2006, 08:41 PM

How do you do distillation by RO? They're two totally different filtration types arn't they? Someone should write the manufacturer.

droppoint · 05/27/2006, 07:10 PM

i think im starting to see improvement, the algae isnt growing back as fast and the skimmer isnt filling up as fast either. now all id like to do is remove the algae from that small fortune in live rock ive got. my wife bought an aenemone a week after i set the tank up(bad move i know) by the time i got home it was latched to a rock. so far so good with him but he sure gets mad and shrinks when hes hungry.im looking for info on aenemones but i cant find them in my coral or invert books what are they?

hairymushroom · 05/28/2006, 01:50 AM

Look at the top of the 'new to the hobby forum' and there is a thread about anenomes.What lighting do you have to support this guy?

05/25/2006, 07:31 PM	#1
droppoint Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: upstate ny Posts: 5	saltwater jungle help!!!! my tank(36 gal) has been up and running for 2 months now. algae is a constant problem (red and green) i cant seem to win the battle. ive been cutting the feedings back to once a day and am skimming as wet as i think i should (empty the cup twice a day) any other ideas? its a forest of seaweed all over everyting.

05/25/2006, 07:45 PM	#2
funman1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseville, CA Posts: 4,898	What kind of water are you using? __________________ Professional Pyro: NO REALLY; I get PAID to blow stuff up!! ~Steve~ Current Tank Info: 12G NANO

05/26/2006, 08:21 PM	#8
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	*To Reef Central* The purity of distilled water products varies, IME, but it's likely better than tapwater. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

05/26/2006, 08:32 PM	#10
Amy83820 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wentzville, MO Posts: 626	Get the distilled from Walmart. Look at the lable...it should say in fine print 'distilled by reverse osmosis.' It's not perfect, but leaps and bounds better than tapwater! You can get a RO online at a good price from purelyh2o.com. I believe it's $79 plus there is a 10% off code. You can buy an attachment that will upgrade it into a RODI at a future date if it's money that's an issue. I feel your pain! I'm having a brown algae issue right now too! __________________ I'm consistently torn between wanting to know more about your life and just waiting to see it on "Cops." Current Tank Info: 90 gallons o' salty goodness

05/27/2006, 07:10 PM	#12
droppoint Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: upstate ny Posts: 5	i think im starting to see improvement, the algae isnt growing back as fast and the skimmer isnt filling up as fast either. now all id like to do is remove the algae from that small fortune in live rock ive got. my wife bought an aenemone a week after i set the tank up(bad move i know) by the time i got home it was latched to a rock. so far so good with him but he sure gets mad and shrinks when hes hungry.im looking for info on aenemones but i cant find them in my coral or invert books what are they? __________________ of all the things ive lost i miss my mind the most lil jimmy norton Current Tank Info: 36 gal bow front starter

05/25/2006, 08:48 PM	#3
mdisalvo55 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 764	Try feeding once every 2 or even 3 days...you don't really need to feed once daily.

05/25/2006, 09:03 PM	#4
Blown 346 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rockford, Illinois Posts: 6,596	For a new tank algae blooms are normal, but it sounds like an over abundance of Phosphates and nitrates that are feeding the algae. You have to get these down to get the tank back in control. I would start with a water change, and I would test the water parameters as well as Phosphate. Like said above I would feed once every other day or even once every 2 or 3 days, there is always food present for the fish, cleanup to pick off of. What type of lighting do you have? filtration, water flow? I would also go on the drier side of skimming as it will pull out more nutrients, proteins than wet skimming will. With wet skimming you are pulling out more tank water than proteins, and nutrients.

05/25/2006, 09:07 PM	#5
tashari Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Davis, CA Posts: 52	It's from too much light and the nutrients in the water you add. Try RO/DI water for a couple of changes and see what happens.

05/25/2006, 09:21 PM	#6
IPowderBlueTang Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Kalamazoo, Canada Posts: 769	That is the normal cycle for a new tank. Be patient it will get brown diatom, red cyano, and green algea. Eventually it will all go away. I set up a new 120 gal and it took 4 months to go through the stages and still get a little red cyno once awhile. I just skim the sand bed and remove the red and wash it in saltwater and put it back. My 15 nano took 6 months to go through the 3 stages. You can cut back on the feeding and reduce your lighting time, but will cause the 3 stages to take longer to burn out!

05/26/2006, 07:59 PM	#7
droppoint Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: upstate ny Posts: 5	i cant find ro water anywhere, can i use distilled?

05/26/2006, 08:29 PM	#9
sushi chef Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 41	If you run distilled water from your distillation unit through a DI unit you may get equal if not better quality water than from an RO unit. The DI should remove any volatile chemicals left in the water after condensation. The energy used by a distillation machine does add up though. Maybe be cheaper to use RO DI unit.

05/26/2006, 08:41 PM	#11
sushi chef Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 41	How do you do distillation by RO? They're two totally different filtration types arn't they? Someone should write the manufacturer.

05/28/2006, 01:50 AM	#13
hairymushroom Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: South Africa Posts: 315	Look at the top of the 'new to the hobby forum' and there is a thread about anenomes.What lighting do you have to support this guy?