struggling... advice/help please

lockekeyy · 01/29/2009, 10:08 PM

I'm having a battle with algae (mostly hair and bryopsis and some purple hairy looknig stuff) and I'm starting to worry a little. It's not completely taking over but it is gaining ground slowly and I see it starting up on the sandbed too.

I've had the tank up since Sept 08. It's a 72g bowfront with a 20g sump. I think I have a med-high bioload consisting of a
Tomini tang
pair of clowns
RBTA
scooter blenny (doing real well surprisingly since I got him in the 1st month)
tail spot blenny
starry blenny
3 chromis
various snails
3 peppermint shrimps
2 lettuce nudis
I also have quite a few frags (~50) of a mix of sps, lps, and softies

I run Oddysea lights (2-250w with 4-65w actinics). I have a Bermuda Rouge Wave skimmer attached to a Mag 5 and skim fairly wet and discard the skimmate every other day. I have lots of flow, a Mag 9.5 return, 2-k3's and a k4. I also run a fuge crammed with chaeto, caulerpa, and 5 mangroves. The fuge is lit with a coralife 50/50 bulb from 10pm-1130am. The display tank is lit from 1130am to 10pm. I have also been dosing sugar (1/2tsp a day) for the past month roughly. Carbon and GFO is run in my Fluval105 with nothing else (stirctly to run carbon and GFO). The tank is fed Formula One or Formula Two flakes once everyday. Sometimes once or twice a week, mysis is fed to the tank along with Reef Chili soaked in Selcon or some type of reef vitamin.
Specs that are tested for are:
pH:7.8-8.0
NH3: undetectable
NO2: undetectable
NO3: undetectable
Ca: consistantly at/over 400
Salinity: 1.025
Temp: 78-80

I've been trying to turn out the lights on the tank every once in a while or at least cut the photoperiod. I used to do WCs only once a month, but I am upping to to twice a month. Please, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know what else I can do... I'm thinking about getting the BRS Dual reactor and run lots of carbon and GFO...? Maybe a sea hare and a sea urchin? Cut photo perriod some more?) I plan on upgrading the ballasts to IceCap eventually. Any input?

TheORKINMan · 01/29/2009, 10:19 PM

I had huge hair algae and bryopsis problems and the #1 thing I did that made it die off and my decorative macros color up is to do water changes. My LFS sells 4.4 gallon jugs of premade water (it's actually a product they order, I forget what its called) and every Saturday I take out 4.4 gallons and then add that jug and its taken out my algae problems lickety split. This is a 29 long, so 4.4 is about 15% water change each week.

MrRyanT · 01/29/2009, 10:27 PM

What type of water do you use for top-off and making up new saltwater? RO/DI? Are you harvesting any chaeto or caulerpa? In order to treat the algae long term you need to figure out where it's nutrients are coming from. Your source water and/or the food you feed are good places to start looking. Usually doesn't do much good to test for phosphate, as it doesn't normally show up most tests because its bound up in the algae.

lockekeyy · 01/29/2009, 11:03 PM

yeah, that's what I've researched too and I don't test for phosphates due to skewed readings.
My top off and w/c water comes from a local Water and Ice store. It goes through RO, carbon, and then UV filtered. Not DI but still quality water and regulated by inspectors.

Playa-1 · 01/30/2009, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by lockekeyy
yeah, that's what I've researched too and I don't test for phosphates due to skewed readings.
My top off and w/c water comes from a local Water and Ice store. It goes through RO, carbon, and then UV filtered. Not DI but still quality water and regulated by inspectors.

I would test that water yourself for TDS, Nitrates and Phosphates. I think you should move the GFO to a reactor so that you can control the flow separately. The GFO should be changed out about every 4 to 6 weeks and the Carbon about every two weeks. GFO usually requires much slower flow to be effective then the Carbon does. You can continue to use the canister for carbon or phase the canister out and run the carbon thru a reactor too. I would up the water changes to about 20% per week and slowly phase out the sugar dosing. This may be a good time for you to invest in a RO/DI filter and storage containers.

I would suspect these changes to gradually make a big difference for you. It's not going to happen overnight. Once the nutrients are under control you can cut back on the water changes to 10% per week which would be about right in my opinion. The Bryopsis may be a different story altogether. That stuff is what nightmares are made out of.

madadi · 01/30/2009, 01:10 AM

i would also feed only rinsed, frozen mysid shrimp for a while. it made a huge difference for me when i had an algae issue. maybe some iron to help your macro algae a bit.

KRASHPD · 01/30/2009, 07:45 AM

Hey Allen,

Looks like you are making some good changes that will help already. You can also get rid of bryopsis by increasing magnesium to the 1800 range. It is easy to do by using normal epson salt that is sold at Walmart.

Does the Tomini eat the hair algae? I have a small bristle tooth tang that is very similar to tomini's and it does a very good job with it.

How is the algae growing in your refugium and do you have very low flow going through there?

lockekeyy · 01/30/2009, 10:22 AM

Hey Jay,
I'm always wary about dosing things I haven't dosed before in the tank. I've read up on Epson salt but I heard that it can raise sulfur levels to unnatural levels. Anyone suggest a good website to further research on how to increase Mag safely?
The tomini picks at everything, but it doesn't really wipe out anything. The starry and tailspot also the the same.... they just pick but don't wipe anything out.
The fuge has very low flow throw it... and the macro is growing really well.

Playa-1,
I'll prob invest in the dual reactor for the GFO and carbon. Thanks!

MattAndKim · 01/30/2009, 10:41 AM

I have heard of cyano and other issues from using water from vending machines. Since I tested and switched to tap water, I have had no issues with any nuisance algae. More coralline grows on my front tank wall than green algae.
Since you believe in carbon dosing, I highly recommend you start escalating the dosage according to the vodka article. Using vodka and that dosage program, my worries went from thinking my tank would get overrun with nuisance algae to fearing my lawnmower would starve.
I have a 64g system, and I am up to 7ml per day without any observed ill effect, and nitrates are close to zero now. I know that may be a little high, but my point is that 1/2tsp may not be doing much for you.
I would buy a mag supplement if you are worried about epsom salt quality. Personally I use tropic-marin. It is going to take a lot of mag to get it up to 1800!

01/29/2009, 10:27 PM	#3
MrRyanT MrRyanT Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 1,731	What type of water do you use for top-off and making up new saltwater? RO/DI? Are you harvesting any chaeto or caulerpa? In order to treat the algae long term you need to figure out where it's nutrients are coming from. Your source water and/or the food you feed are good places to start looking. Usually doesn't do much good to test for phosphate, as it doesn't normally show up most tests because its bound up in the algae. __________________ We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle Current Tank Info: 30 gal display

01/29/2009, 11:03 PM	#4
lockekeyy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Peoria, AZ Posts: 1,027	yeah, that's what I've researched too and I don't test for phosphates due to skewed readings. My top off and w/c water comes from a local Water and Ice store. It goes through RO, carbon, and then UV filtered. Not DI but still quality water and regulated by inspectors. __________________ I attribute the little I know to my not having been ashamed to ask for information - John Locke

01/30/2009, 01:10 AM	#6
madadi ReefOG Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Morton grove, IL Posts: 3,976	i would also feed only rinsed, frozen mysid shrimp for a while. it made a huge difference for me when i had an algae issue. maybe some iron to help your macro algae a bit. __________________ -~adrian~- LETS TRADE YUMAS Current Tank Info: Glass box.

01/30/2009, 07:45 AM	#7
KRASHPD Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Surprise, AZ Posts: 1,185	Hey Allen, Looks like you are making some good changes that will help already. You can also get rid of bryopsis by increasing magnesium to the 1800 range. It is easy to do by using normal epson salt that is sold at Walmart. Does the Tomini eat the hair algae? I have a small bristle tooth tang that is very similar to tomini's and it does a very good job with it. How is the algae growing in your refugium and do you have very low flow going through there? __________________ "Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked" - Warren Buffet

01/30/2009, 10:22 AM	#8
lockekeyy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Peoria, AZ Posts: 1,027	Hey Jay, I'm always wary about dosing things I haven't dosed before in the tank. I've read up on Epson salt but I heard that it can raise sulfur levels to unnatural levels. Anyone suggest a good website to further research on how to increase Mag safely? The tomini picks at everything, but it doesn't really wipe out anything. The starry and tailspot also the the same.... they just pick but don't wipe anything out. The fuge has very low flow throw it... and the macro is growing really well. Playa-1, I'll prob invest in the dual reactor for the GFO and carbon. Thanks! __________________ I attribute the little I know to my not having been ashamed to ask for information - John Locke

01/29/2009, 10:08 PM	#1
lockekeyy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Peoria, AZ Posts: 1,027	struggling... advice/help please I'm having a battle with algae (mostly hair and bryopsis and some purple hairy looknig stuff) and I'm starting to worry a little. It's not completely taking over but it is gaining ground slowly and I see it starting up on the sandbed too. I've had the tank up since Sept 08. It's a 72g bowfront with a 20g sump. I think I have a med-high bioload consisting of a Tomini tang pair of clowns RBTA scooter blenny (doing real well surprisingly since I got him in the 1st month) tail spot blenny starry blenny 3 chromis various snails 3 peppermint shrimps 2 lettuce nudis I also have quite a few frags (~50) of a mix of sps, lps, and softies I run Oddysea lights (2-250w with 4-65w actinics). I have a Bermuda Rouge Wave skimmer attached to a Mag 5 and skim fairly wet and discard the skimmate every other day. I have lots of flow, a Mag 9.5 return, 2-k3's and a k4. I also run a fuge crammed with chaeto, caulerpa, and 5 mangroves. The fuge is lit with a coralife 50/50 bulb from 10pm-1130am. The display tank is lit from 1130am to 10pm. I have also been dosing sugar (1/2tsp a day) for the past month roughly. Carbon and GFO is run in my Fluval105 with nothing else (stirctly to run carbon and GFO). The tank is fed Formula One or Formula Two flakes once everyday. Sometimes once or twice a week, mysis is fed to the tank along with Reef Chili soaked in Selcon or some type of reef vitamin. Specs that are tested for are: pH:7.8-8.0 NH3: undetectable NO2: undetectable NO3: undetectable Ca: consistantly at/over 400 Salinity: 1.025 Temp: 78-80 I've been trying to turn out the lights on the tank every once in a while or at least cut the photoperiod. I used to do WCs only once a month, but I am upping to to twice a month. Please, any advice would be greatly appreciated. I don't know what else I can do... I'm thinking about getting the BRS Dual reactor and run lots of carbon and GFO...? Maybe a sea hare and a sea urchin? Cut photo perriod some more?) I plan on upgrading the ballasts to IceCap eventually. Any input? __________________ I attribute the little I know to my not having been ashamed to ask for information - John Locke

01/29/2009, 10:19 PM	#2
TheORKINMan Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 423	I had huge hair algae and bryopsis problems and the #1 thing I did that made it die off and my decorative macros color up is to do water changes. My LFS sells 4.4 gallon jugs of premade water (it's actually a product they order, I forget what its called) and every Saturday I take out 4.4 gallons and then add that jug and its taken out my algae problems lickety split. This is a 29 long, so 4.4 is about 15% water change each week.

01/30/2009, 10:41 AM	#9
MattAndKim Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 161	I have heard of cyano and other issues from using water from vending machines. Since I tested and switched to tap water, I have had no issues with any nuisance algae. More coralline grows on my front tank wall than green algae. Since you believe in carbon dosing, I highly recommend you start escalating the dosage according to the vodka article. Using vodka and that dosage program, my worries went from thinking my tank would get overrun with nuisance algae to fearing my lawnmower would starve. I have a 64g system, and I am up to 7ml per day without any observed ill effect, and nitrates are close to zero now. I know that may be a little high, but my point is that 1/2tsp may not be doing much for you. I would buy a mag supplement if you are worried about epsom salt quality. Personally I use tropic-marin. It is going to take a lot of mag to get it up to 1800!