Algae!!

blueavlo · 04/17/2008, 10:06 PM

Ive had this problem for sometime now and im not even exactly sure what type of algae it is. Im assuming it is hair algae.. tons of .5-1" light brown/greenish crap growing all over my rocks. Phosphates and Nitrates both test 0 and im out of ideas? What should i do?

demonsp · 04/17/2008, 10:11 PM

Need more info,like all equipment used and tanks age and stock and amount of LR and LS and tanks size? If you add these in your profile it helps with guessing.

D to the P · 04/17/2008, 10:11 PM

phosphates and nitrates can't =0. the algae is probably just using it before you can test it. so, here we go.
How big is the tank?
How long has it been set up?
What's in it?
What are you using for filtration?
What do you have for water flow?
What kind of lights?
How long are they on?
What do you feed?
How often do you feed?
What is your water source?
How often do you do water changes?
Do you clean your live rock at all (with a turkey baster or powerhead and syphon up debris that comes out)?
...and I think that should cover it.

BeesGoneWild · 04/17/2008, 10:15 PM

D to the P the mods should really sticky that somewhere lol.

blueavlo, even though your test kits are not picking up phosphates or nitrates or any other possible nutrients, it doesnt really matter much becouse the algae is probably eating it as soon as its introduced. Click my red house and you will find tips on battleing algae. Time and perseverance are key.

blueavlo · 04/17/2008, 10:19 PM

How big is the tank? - 15gal

How long has it been set up? - 3 months

What's in it? - 2 clowns, banded coral shrimp, bunch of hermits, emerald mithrax crab. also some random corals that came in on LR

What are you using for filtration? - Have a crappy HOB filter i put on there just to pull out the dead algae. Aqua C Remora (rated for up to 65gal)

What do you have for water flow? Hydor nano and 1

What kind of lights? 150w MH

How long are they on? about 9hrs

What do you feed? Aqueon Marine Flakes, occasional brine shrimp, phytoplankton

How often do you feed? usually once a day for the clowns and once or twice a week with the plankton

What is your water source? Wish i had RO but i am only using tap water (well water) right now which tested near 0 for phosphates. thought about buying a few gallons of distilled water and trying that. my dad wont let me use RO says there is too much waste water...

How often do you do water changes? Weekly

D to the P · 04/17/2008, 10:21 PM

haha, I repeat it at work, then I come home and repeat it here. Its like second nature. does that mean I'm a geek...?

blueavlo · 04/17/2008, 10:22 PM

oh and yes i clean my rock i try to blow it with a turkey baster which doesnt do much to rid the algae off of it. sometimes i blow it with a power head, still attached mostly..... most of the waste algae gets caught it the powerheads which i end up having to clean nearly daily...

demonsp · 04/17/2008, 10:23 PM

Tank is young and stock is high.You need to stock slowly so bacteria can keep up with bio load.
Then tap containes nitrate , phosphate , ammonia , lead , ect..
And collects after time with unreadable levels upfront and spikes in the source.

blueavlo · 04/17/2008, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by demonsp
Tank is young and stock is high.You need to stock slowly so bacteria can keep up with bio load.
source.

Before recently i just had the two clowns and a few crabs but purchased more hoping they would eat the algae some..

demonsp · 04/17/2008, 10:29 PM

Crabs arent algea eaters and clowns like meat and veggie or there omnivores. And even if a fish is classified a algea eater doesnt mean he will eat the algea you have.

For water quality control you need to go slow add stock in balance and keep up with mantiance and water readings.

D to the P · 04/17/2008, 10:30 PM

15 gallon tank. You need to do weekly 10% water changes with the cleanest source of water you can get, worse case scenario is distilled but I would look around for RO/DI. Some grocery stores have it, some LFS have it, but always test your water before it goes in. and never ever ever use tap water. The tank isn't over loaded so thats good. you have a crappy HOB filter, get a not so crappy one (I personally like the aquaclears). Skimmer is good. You need more water flow, I would get at the very least one more koralia #1, but you should really have two (you could have it in addition to the nano). I had a nano koralia in my 15, and it didn't move crap. You want no dead spots in the tank, that means water flow everywhere. The light is fine just make sure you replace that bulb about every 6 months. Cut back the lighting by about 2 hours. make sure the phytoplankton isn't going in there too much because all its really doing is feeding feather dusters and some copepods which in turn feed corals, but otherwise it's useless unless on a bi weekly basis. make sure they are eating all of the flakes, next to nothing should be hitting the bottom. and get some RO water!!! it'll really help.

D to the P · 04/17/2008, 10:34 PM

oops, I didn't see the only set up for 3 months, you probably did go a little to fast and your bacteria will need to play catch up, in the mean time your algae will reap all the benefits.

blueavlo · 04/17/2008, 10:35 PM

i know i need RO i work at lowes so i should be able to talk the manager into giving me one for like $50 just have to convince my dad. how much waste water does it typically produce?

BLKTANG · 04/17/2008, 10:36 PM

How much Phyto are you using?

15g is a small amount of water,& phyto is powerful.

I would suggest that you stop the phyto dosing,& step up the WC's with RO/DI from a good (0 TDS source)

That along with manual removal should help,also it wouldn't hurt to add a bag with some Rowa,or Pura phosphate media.

blueavlo · 04/17/2008, 10:38 PM

i was dosing like 10 drops twice a week.

D to the P · 04/17/2008, 10:45 PM

You don't have to buy an RO/DI, you can just fill up a bucket somewhere that sells it, like I said some grocery stores do, some LFS do, you just need to make sure its clean. Its usually half the price of spring water (25-35 cents here) and for you, a 10% water change is pretty much 2 gallons. Get a five gallon bucket, fill it up, that'll last you two weeks. RO/DI units have different ratings on how much waste water they create. Your best bet if you want one and are concerned about waste water is to do research and find the one that is best for you. I know a lot of people like to go to The Filter Guys website that you can find in the sponser section. Plus you can use that waste water for different things like watering plants, the lawn, filling waching machine, we just had a thread that listed all the different uses for the waste water.

04/17/2008, 10:11 PM	#3
D to the P Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Amishville, USA Posts: 2,047	phosphates and nitrates can't =0. the algae is probably just using it before you can test it. so, here we go. How big is the tank? How long has it been set up? What's in it? What are you using for filtration? What do you have for water flow? What kind of lights? How long are they on? What do you feed? How often do you feed? What is your water source? How often do you do water changes? Do you clean your live rock at all (with a turkey baster or powerhead and syphon up debris that comes out)? ...and I think that should cover it. __________________ Nature V.S. Nurture: Nature Always Wins. Current Tank Info: 12 gallon Aquapod reef with LED's, multiple nano's at work.

04/17/2008, 10:21 PM	#6
D to the P Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Amishville, USA Posts: 2,047	haha, I repeat it at work, then I come home and repeat it here. Its like second nature. does that mean I'm a geek...? __________________ Nature V.S. Nurture: Nature Always Wins. Current Tank Info: 12 gallon Aquapod reef with LED's, multiple nano's at work.

04/17/2008, 10:30 PM	#11
D to the P Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Amishville, USA Posts: 2,047	15 gallon tank. You need to do weekly 10% water changes with the cleanest source of water you can get, worse case scenario is distilled but I would look around for RO/DI. Some grocery stores have it, some LFS have it, but always test your water before it goes in. and never ever ever use tap water. The tank isn't over loaded so thats good. you have a crappy HOB filter, get a not so crappy one (I personally like the aquaclears). Skimmer is good. You need more water flow, I would get at the very least one more koralia #1, but you should really have two (you could have it in addition to the nano). I had a nano koralia in my 15, and it didn't move crap. You want no dead spots in the tank, that means water flow everywhere. The light is fine just make sure you replace that bulb about every 6 months. Cut back the lighting by about 2 hours. make sure the phytoplankton isn't going in there too much because all its really doing is feeding feather dusters and some copepods which in turn feed corals, but otherwise it's useless unless on a bi weekly basis. make sure they are eating all of the flakes, next to nothing should be hitting the bottom. and get some RO water!!! it'll really help. __________________ Nature V.S. Nurture: Nature Always Wins. Current Tank Info: 12 gallon Aquapod reef with LED's, multiple nano's at work.

04/17/2008, 10:34 PM	#12
D to the P Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Amishville, USA Posts: 2,047	oops, I didn't see the only set up for 3 months, you probably did go a little to fast and your bacteria will need to play catch up, in the mean time your algae will reap all the benefits. __________________ Nature V.S. Nurture: Nature Always Wins. Current Tank Info: 12 gallon Aquapod reef with LED's, multiple nano's at work.

04/17/2008, 10:36 PM	#14
BLKTANG Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Never,Never Land Posts: 7,061	How much Phyto are you using? 15g is a small amount of water,& phyto is powerful. I would suggest that you stop the phyto dosing,& step up the WC's with RO/DI from a good (0 TDS source) That along with manual removal should help,also it wouldn't hurt to add a bag with some Rowa,or Pura phosphate media. __________________ We the few have done so much,for so long,for so little.That we are now qualified to do anything with nothing. ____________________________________________________________________________ Current Tank Info: RR 90 Maganvore sump,250w Hamilton fixture,VorTec's ASM skimmer.

04/17/2008, 10:06 PM	#1
blueavlo Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 84	Algae!! Ive had this problem for sometime now and im not even exactly sure what type of algae it is. Im assuming it is hair algae.. tons of .5-1" light brown/greenish crap growing all over my rocks. Phosphates and Nitrates both test 0 and im out of ideas? What should i do?

04/17/2008, 10:11 PM	#2
demonsp Moved On Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: el paso tx Posts: 7,634	Need more info,like all equipment used and tanks age and stock and amount of LR and LS and tanks size? If you add these in your profile it helps with guessing.

04/17/2008, 10:15 PM	#4
BeesGoneWild Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: North Eastern Pennsylvannia Posts: 1,064	D to the P the mods should really sticky that somewhere lol. blueavlo, even though your test kits are not picking up phosphates or nitrates or any other possible nutrients, it doesnt really matter much becouse the algae is probably eating it as soon as its introduced. Click my red house and you will find tips on battleing algae. Time and perseverance are key.

04/17/2008, 10:19 PM	#5
blueavlo Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 84	How big is the tank? - 15gal How long has it been set up? - 3 months What's in it? - 2 clowns, banded coral shrimp, bunch of hermits, emerald mithrax crab. also some random corals that came in on LR What are you using for filtration? - Have a crappy HOB filter i put on there just to pull out the dead algae. Aqua C Remora (rated for up to 65gal) What do you have for water flow? Hydor nano and 1 What kind of lights? 150w MH How long are they on? about 9hrs What do you feed? Aqueon Marine Flakes, occasional brine shrimp, phytoplankton How often do you feed? usually once a day for the clowns and once or twice a week with the plankton What is your water source? Wish i had RO but i am only using tap water (well water) right now which tested near 0 for phosphates. thought about buying a few gallons of distilled water and trying that. my dad wont let me use RO says there is too much waste water... How often do you do water changes? Weekly

04/17/2008, 10:22 PM	#7
blueavlo Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 84	oh and yes i clean my rock i try to blow it with a turkey baster which doesnt do much to rid the algae off of it. sometimes i blow it with a power head, still attached mostly..... most of the waste algae gets caught it the powerheads which i end up having to clean nearly daily...

04/17/2008, 10:23 PM	#8
demonsp Moved On Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: el paso tx Posts: 7,634	Tank is young and stock is high.You need to stock slowly so bacteria can keep up with bio load. Then tap containes nitrate , phosphate , ammonia , lead , ect.. And collects after time with unreadable levels upfront and spikes in the source.

04/17/2008, 10:29 PM	#10
demonsp Moved On Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: el paso tx Posts: 7,634	Crabs arent algea eaters and clowns like meat and veggie or there omnivores. And even if a fish is classified a algea eater doesnt mean he will eat the algea you have. For water quality control you need to go slow add stock in balance and keep up with mantiance and water readings.

04/17/2008, 10:35 PM	#13
blueavlo Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 84	i know i need RO i work at lowes so i should be able to talk the manager into giving me one for like $50 just have to convince my dad. how much waste water does it typically produce?

04/17/2008, 10:38 PM	#15
blueavlo Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 84	i was dosing like 10 drops twice a week.

04/17/2008, 10:45 PM	#16
D to the P Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Amishville, USA Posts: 2,047	You don't have to buy an RO/DI, you can just fill up a bucket somewhere that sells it, like I said some grocery stores do, some LFS do, you just need to make sure its clean. Its usually half the price of spring water (25-35 cents here) and for you, a 10% water change is pretty much 2 gallons. Get a five gallon bucket, fill it up, that'll last you two weeks. RO/DI units have different ratings on how much waste water they create. Your best bet if you want one and are concerned about waste water is to do research and find the one that is best for you. I know a lot of people like to go to The Filter Guys website that you can find in the sponser section. Plus you can use that waste water for different things like watering plants, the lawn, filling waching machine, we just had a thread that listed all the different uses for the waste water. __________________ Nature V.S. Nurture: Nature Always Wins. Current Tank Info: 12 gallon Aquapod reef with LED's, multiple nano's at work.