clean back of glass ? lfs said leave it!

CAROLGYRL · 08/27/2008, 08:16 PM

I an puzzled. My local lfs ( that built my tank and took care of it for me until I fugured out how) they said to leave the back glass alone, tank is 1/12 years old now. It is covered with a looks like a painted green finish, very tiny matted finish,very smooth. my foxface and sailfin go and munch on it constantly. , as well as my 2 emerald crabs.It is not hairy at all,. Is it normal to leave the back glass alone? I have had nitrates at 40 for a while, but I now have 20.I was doing water changes once a month, but am now going to do about 2 weeks, about 25". 180 gallon tank.The back area behind the glass is painted black, I did use to try to scrape it, but the scrape marks looked really bad. I clean my glass on the sides and front everyday, but do not need to, only once a week, as I do not have any buildup on them.

reefergeorge · 08/27/2008, 08:21 PM

I let mine alone. It will be covered in coralline (sp) quick enough.

Rae C. · 08/27/2008, 08:24 PM

MIght be green coraline algae. I think that means a stable/healthy tank.

Any other opinions?

reefergeorge · 08/27/2008, 08:26 PM

IMO the green stuff is probably just film algae.

CAROLGYRL · 08/27/2008, 08:40 PM

here is a pic of

the back of glass

sjm817 · 08/27/2008, 08:41 PM

I like mine clean. Its a little extra work, but I like the look of the black background..

Esquare · 08/27/2008, 08:43 PM

If I had to guess, I'd say it might be due to your nitrate level. Due you have a deep sand bed? What are your phosphates?

CAROLGYRL · 08/27/2008, 08:45 PM

is it all going to get purple all over/ if so, it may look good!!

sps1-2-b · 08/27/2008, 08:45 PM

It's ok to leave the back glass alone. It will not add to your nitrate level. If the foxface and sailfin graze on it then it's prolly film algae, perfectly normal. I personally try to scrape as much of my back glass as possible but that's just me. Happy reefing!

CAROLGYRL · 08/27/2008, 08:49 PM

my sand bed is only 1 1/2" deep!!! I did not know it should be deeper?? phosphates are .5, nitrates 20, ammonia,0, nitrites 0, c. hardness 10dkh, ph 7.8

CAROLGYRL · 08/27/2008, 08:50 PM

nitrate level was 40 for awhile

Esquare · 08/27/2008, 08:52 PM

You do not necessarily need a deep sand bed, I was just asking as a point of additional information. Your nitrates and phosphates look high, hopefully somebody that knows more than I do will comment on it. Are you running any gfo?

HappySkittles · 08/27/2008, 08:54 PM

i leave my back glass alone
i only actually go nuts to keep the front and maybe one side clean...whichever sides are going to have people looking through them.

CAROLGYRL · 08/27/2008, 08:56 PM

no, I am not running any gfo.I am still learning!, I can read up on it

CAROLGYRL · 08/27/2008, 08:57 PM

I am going to do more frequent water changes, every week, to bring down the levels, nitrate, ect. of 25%

sps1-2-b · 08/27/2008, 09:04 PM

If you could, try to incorporate chaeto (macroalgae) in a refugium. This will bring down nitrates. Also, people are asking about DSB because in the deeper layer there is no oxygen. This is the layer that anaerobic bacteria exist to convert nitrate to nitrogen gas (a process called denitrification). These are some ways to reduce nitrates in a reef tank. HTH.

Esquare · 08/27/2008, 09:06 PM

You may want to check over in the chemistry forum as well. Not that you won't get good answers here, there is just a lot of good info there as well. I am new and learning as well, which is why I hesitate to say decisively the Phos and Nitrates are the problem.

My understanding is any phosphate is bad and the nitrates should be as low as possible. You may want to research RDSBâ€™s (remote deep sand beds) as they are supposed to help with the nitrates and phosban or some other gfo will help with the phosphates.

Sufficient water flow is also a huge benefit. I had a problem with cyano (which may be what the red algae is in your pic) until I added a korilla nano at the bottom of my tank, which gave me better flow in that area, and the cyano went away.

While I was typing sps got there first.

Esquare · 08/27/2008, 09:08 PM

Good luck, I'm taking my old bones to bed.

Keep us posted, we all learn from each other experiences.

CAROLGYRL · 08/27/2008, 09:25 PM

thanks, all

Tswifty · 08/27/2008, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sjm817
I like mine clean. Its a little extra work, but I like the look of the black background..

+1

I figure I'll break down, and give up the fight eventually... but for now I keep my razorblade handy.

Playa-1 · 08/28/2008, 05:06 PM

My tank did that for a while on the back wall. I finally stopped it by scraping most of it off and then working to improve the performance of my fuge. I increased the flow and lighting period in the fuge at the same time I decreased the lighting period a little in the display. I scraped most of the algae off the back wall and then the fuge really took off. The Chaeto started growing better, pods exploded in numbers, coraline started growing in the fuge. I then put a GFO reactor in the sump to help keep the phosphates in check, and now the display stays much nicer looking. Apparently that algae had been out-competing the fuge for the nutrients in the tank for a while. Ever-since I made those adjustments the algae has been gone. I think it looks much better without the fugly green background

will16 · 08/28/2008, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tswifty8
+1

I figure I'll break down, and give up the fight eventually... but for now I keep my razorblade handy.

+2. Just can't bring myself to allow algae to grow on glass. Drives me nuts

FishNFun · 08/28/2008, 07:51 PM

My back glass is covered solid with purple coraline algae. It's funny to watch my peppermint shrimp play spiderman by walking right up the back glass. I do scrape the front and sides though.

Tangweed · 08/28/2008, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by FishNFun
My back glass is covered solid with purple coraline algae. It's funny to watch my peppermint shrimp play spiderman by walking right up the back glass. I do scrape the front and sides though.

Same here, purple back.

FranktheTankTx · 08/28/2008, 09:21 PM

Briefly ran thru the replies... someone might have mentioned this already, but that picture is not of a healthy tank. That is a green and slightly fuzzy algae. The red stuff is not coraline, but looks more along the lines of a little cyano.

What is your flow rate thru your tank? No doubt phosphates can and nitrates can feed algae, but low flow will too.

I'd be real interested in knowing what you are using for flow?

08/27/2008, 08:16 PM	#1
CAROLGYRL Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: PALM DESERT, CA. Posts: 184	clean back of glass ? lfs said leave it! I an puzzled. My local lfs ( that built my tank and took care of it for me until I fugured out how) they said to leave the back glass alone, tank is 1/12 years old now. It is covered with a looks like a painted green finish, very tiny matted finish,very smooth. my foxface and sailfin go and munch on it constantly. , as well as my 2 emerald crabs.It is not hairy at all,. Is it normal to leave the back glass alone? I have had nitrates at 40 for a while, but I now have 20.I was doing water changes once a month, but am now going to do about 2 weeks, about 25". 180 gallon tank.The back area behind the glass is painted black, I did use to try to scrape it, but the scrape marks looked really bad. I clean my glass on the sides and front everyday, but do not need to, only once a week, as I do not have any buildup on them.

08/27/2008, 08:21 PM	#2
reefergeorge Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: St Louis MO Posts: 4,222	I let mine alone. It will be covered in coralline (sp) quick enough. __________________ $35-50 for a <1" frag of some stupid named thing that came from a colony you bought for $40-60 wholesale and chopped into 20-40 pieces? No thanks. "JasonH" Current Tank Info: 125 aggressive reef, DIY led lighting, swc cone skimmer, 33 gallon sump, posiden Ps3 return.

08/27/2008, 08:24 PM	#3
Rae C. Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Colorado Posts: 916	MIght be green coraline algae. I think that means a stable/healthy tank. Any other opinions? __________________ Rae C It's 8:30, kids. Turn off the tank and go to bed! Current Tank Info: 65 gal, softies, 1 mandarine, 1 clown

08/27/2008, 08:26 PM	#4
reefergeorge Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: St Louis MO Posts: 4,222	IMO the green stuff is probably just film algae. __________________ $35-50 for a <1" frag of some stupid named thing that came from a colony you bought for $40-60 wholesale and chopped into 20-40 pieces? No thanks. "JasonH" Current Tank Info: 125 aggressive reef, DIY led lighting, swc cone skimmer, 33 gallon sump, posiden Ps3 return.

08/27/2008, 08:41 PM	#6
sjm817 On Yer left! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Northern VA Posts: 18,777	I like mine clean. Its a little extra work, but I like the look of the black background.. __________________ - Scott

08/27/2008, 08:40 PM	#5
CAROLGYRL Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: PALM DESERT, CA. Posts: 184	here is a pic of the back of glass

08/27/2008, 08:43 PM	#7
Esquare Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Lorain, Ohio Posts: 1,954	If I had to guess, I'd say it might be due to your nitrate level. Due you have a deep sand bed? What are your phosphates? __________________ Eddie Current Tank Info: 40 Breeder with Dwarf Lionfish

08/27/2008, 08:45 PM	#8
CAROLGYRL Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: PALM DESERT, CA. Posts: 184	is it all going to get purple all over/ if so, it may look good!!

08/27/2008, 08:45 PM	#9
sps1-2-b Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 1,248	It's ok to leave the back glass alone. It will not add to your nitrate level. If the foxface and sailfin graze on it then it's prolly film algae, perfectly normal. I personally try to scrape as much of my back glass as possible but that's just me. Happy reefing!

08/27/2008, 08:49 PM	#10
CAROLGYRL Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: PALM DESERT, CA. Posts: 184	my sand bed is only 1 1/2" deep!!! I did not know it should be deeper?? phosphates are .5, nitrates 20, ammonia,0, nitrites 0, c. hardness 10dkh, ph 7.8

08/27/2008, 08:50 PM	#11
CAROLGYRL Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: PALM DESERT, CA. Posts: 184	nitrate level was 40 for awhile

08/27/2008, 08:52 PM	#12
Esquare Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Lorain, Ohio Posts: 1,954	You do not necessarily need a deep sand bed, I was just asking as a point of additional information. Your nitrates and phosphates look high, hopefully somebody that knows more than I do will comment on it. Are you running any gfo? __________________ Eddie Current Tank Info: 40 Breeder with Dwarf Lionfish

08/27/2008, 08:54 PM	#13
HappySkittles Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 401	i leave my back glass alone i only actually go nuts to keep the front and maybe one side clean...whichever sides are going to have people looking through them. __________________ RESEARCH! <º)))>< Very important Sexy Blog? Click the red house! Current Tank Info: 3 gallon pico-zoas, gorgonian, mushrooms, nass snails and sexy shrimp

08/27/2008, 08:56 PM	#14
CAROLGYRL Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: PALM DESERT, CA. Posts: 184	no, I am not running any gfo.I am still learning!, I can read up on it

08/27/2008, 08:57 PM	#15
CAROLGYRL Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: PALM DESERT, CA. Posts: 184	I am going to do more frequent water changes, every week, to bring down the levels, nitrate, ect. of 25%

08/27/2008, 09:04 PM	#16
sps1-2-b Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 1,248	If you could, try to incorporate chaeto (macroalgae) in a refugium. This will bring down nitrates. Also, people are asking about DSB because in the deeper layer there is no oxygen. This is the layer that anaerobic bacteria exist to convert nitrate to nitrogen gas (a process called denitrification). These are some ways to reduce nitrates in a reef tank. HTH.

08/27/2008, 09:06 PM	#17
Esquare Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Lorain, Ohio Posts: 1,954	You may want to check over in the chemistry forum as well. Not that you won't get good answers here, there is just a lot of good info there as well. I am new and learning as well, which is why I hesitate to say decisively the Phos and Nitrates are the problem. My understanding is any phosphate is bad and the nitrates should be as low as possible. You may want to research RDSBâ€™s (remote deep sand beds) as they are supposed to help with the nitrates and phosban or some other gfo will help with the phosphates. Sufficient water flow is also a huge benefit. I had a problem with cyano (which may be what the red algae is in your pic) until I added a korilla nano at the bottom of my tank, which gave me better flow in that area, and the cyano went away. While I was typing sps got there first. __________________ Eddie Current Tank Info: 40 Breeder with Dwarf Lionfish

08/27/2008, 09:08 PM	#18
Esquare Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Lorain, Ohio Posts: 1,954	Good luck, I'm taking my old bones to bed. Keep us posted, we all learn from each other experiences. __________________ Eddie Current Tank Info: 40 Breeder with Dwarf Lionfish

08/27/2008, 09:25 PM	#19
CAROLGYRL Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: PALM DESERT, CA. Posts: 184	thanks, all

08/28/2008, 05:06 PM	#21
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	My tank did that for a while on the back wall. I finally stopped it by scraping most of it off and then working to improve the performance of my fuge. I increased the flow and lighting period in the fuge at the same time I decreased the lighting period a little in the display. I scraped most of the algae off the back wall and then the fuge really took off. The Chaeto started growing better, pods exploded in numbers, coraline started growing in the fuge. I then put a GFO reactor in the sump to help keep the phosphates in check, and now the display stays much nicer looking. Apparently that algae had been out-competing the fuge for the nutrients in the tank for a while. Ever-since I made those adjustments the algae has been gone. I think it looks much better without the fugly green background Last edited by Playa-1; 08/28/2008 at 05:29 PM.

08/28/2008, 07:51 PM	#23
FishNFun Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 521	My back glass is covered solid with purple coraline algae. It's funny to watch my peppermint shrimp play spiderman by walking right up the back glass. I do scrape the front and sides though.

08/28/2008, 09:21 PM	#25
FranktheTankTx Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 2,306	Briefly ran thru the replies... someone might have mentioned this already, but that picture is not of a healthy tank. That is a green and slightly fuzzy algae. The red stuff is not coraline, but looks more along the lines of a little cyano. What is your flow rate thru your tank? No doubt phosphates can and nitrates can feed algae, but low flow will too. I'd be real interested in knowing what you are using for flow? __________________ Frank the Tank "What, I thought we were in the trust tree... in the nest? Are we not?" Current Tank Info: Custom Rimless 60g (30.5"x24.5"x18.5")