whats wrong with my tank?

drillsar · 01/21/2006, 01:04 AM

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I have a 55gal with a mag 7 for return, 130watts of light I know I need more light, euroreef skimmer, phosphate reactor.

I have ton of algae problems on my sand bed:
Brown, red(cyano im thinking), hair and green slime

I thought it was my phosphates but now since I added reactor the phosphates are 0

My tank parameters:
Phosphate 0
Nitrites 10ppm using salifert 20 ppm using aquarium pharm

Using ro/di water tds meter shows 0ppm

do i need more flow or something?

my friend said it may be because I didnt put rock on the glass, i put sand in first then added rock.. His tank is gorgeous, no problems and im thinking maybe I did mess up..

Hunter21 · 01/21/2006, 01:06 AM

How often are you doing water changes and how long has the tank been set up?

drillsar · 01/21/2006, 01:07 AM

tank has been running since October, water changes 15 gal every week..

jokeloma · 01/21/2006, 01:11 AM

are your lights pc's? Do you have the protective plastic lense on? I had similar problem long time ago and if I remember right it seemed that when I did add the lense things got better.

As far as the rock placement I have never heard of that making any difference.

is your return your only flow? describe it do you have a multiple outlet manifold on it?

TekCat · 01/21/2006, 01:12 AM

how much LR and what livestock do you currently have?
also how often and how much are you feeding?

drillsar · 01/21/2006, 01:18 AM

Ok I have 45lbs of rock, Only have the return as flow.. Livestock:
2 hermit crabs, 5 nassarius snails, 5 astrae snails, 10 turbo snails, 1 brittle star ..... had a blenny but he died..

I feed my tank every 2 days with shrimp pellets only like a pinch..

YEs Powercompacts using 10,000K bulbs, have lens on it, maybe 10,000k is whats doing it?

jokeloma · 01/21/2006, 01:23 AM

You might try a sea hare. I would also add a couple of power heads if you aren't using a manifold.

TekCat · 01/21/2006, 01:24 AM

Get more LR, you need to be at absolute minimum 55lbs!!!!! For good LR you also want to make sure there are no stagnant(sp?)areas of water.

You probably don't need to feed at all... since there is no fish, your clean up crew will be more than happy to chew on algea.

Also, limit photoperiod to 4-6 hours a day. Snails and LR wont care much.

stelow · 01/21/2006, 02:05 AM

Try turning your lights off.

dlish89 · 01/21/2006, 04:34 AM

I have never heard about the rock touching glass. What is the theory behind that ?

bertoni · 01/21/2006, 02:21 PM

The tank might need more circulation, or more variation, at least. I'd add a couple of powerheads. The 10,000 K bulbs are fine: I use the same. More light might encourage coralline growth, which could outcompete the slime, maybe. A macroalga refugium might help as well.

The tank is still quite new, so I wouldn't worry too much at this point.

You could consider feeding phytoplankton to try to keep animals in the live rock going, if that's of interest. You might be seeing the results of a dieback on the rock, I guess.

drillsar · 01/21/2006, 04:14 PM

dont I have to feed the nassarius snails and brittle?

drillsar · 01/21/2006, 04:18 PM

sea hares are reef compatible? Dont they release a toxin?

E-A-G-L-E-S · 01/21/2006, 04:22 PM

also increase flow......ad 2 maxi jet 1200's -or- 2 Seio 620's

bertoni · 01/21/2006, 04:29 PM

The Nassarius will need some food. The brittle star might as well. If you're only feeding a small amount, that shouldn't be an issue.

mikenpam · 01/21/2006, 04:38 PM

Was your rock cured when you purchased it? If not there could be quite a bit of die off. Have you ever cleaned any of your detrius off of the sand bed? I agree with the others to up circulation to get rid of the algae and maybe add 10 - 20 lb more of rock (cured) for filtration. Also are your lights new or used? I have had my lights now for six months and will be ordering new bulbs next month. I have read that old lamps can cause an outbreak of algae.

fakename · 01/21/2006, 05:19 PM

Here's my opinion.....
First of all, there is nothing wrong with your tank. It is newly set up and can be expected to experience a series of annoying algae, diatom, and possibly even cyano outbreaks.
As pointed out in a previous post, you are a little light on rock compared to the often (almost biblically) referenced level of 1.5 to 2 lbs per gal. That being said.......your current bioload is almost nil, so I can't really imagine that is the issue. Your flow may be a little light, and you might benefit from a powerhead or two.
The biggest issue for your tank is that it is new, and it takes time to settle down. Go slow, feed lightly, and above all else resist everyones suggestions and your own impulses to make quick and expensive upgrades trying to fix a problem that is not really a problem at all......
Regards,
Aaron

mystic7 · 01/21/2006, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dlish89
I have never heard about the rock touching glass. What is the theory behind that ?

Some people will say, rightly so, that you don't need to have substrate under your live rock so you can spread it out a bit deeper where there is no live rock. He must have taken it to mean that you SHOULDN'T have substrate under your LR.

dlish89 · 01/21/2006, 07:25 PM

OOH , I took it as him saying if LR touched glass then there would be no algae on any of the glass. Wouldn't that be great!!!! Everyone would have LR touching glass then LOL

drillsar · 01/21/2006, 07:30 PM

Ok I got a Penquin 1140 powerhead there where out of maxijets, Where should the powerhead be pointing at? towards sand bed or?

bertoni · 01/21/2006, 07:38 PM

I point them up a bit to get some good surface agitation.

drillsar · 01/21/2006, 07:45 PM

ok si they should go up to the surface? what about return? right now I have return hitting glass, powerhead slightly hitting sand/

turbodiesel01 · 01/21/2006, 08:59 PM

I have to agree with fakename totally. These are problems mast new tanks have. I have set up several and they all do that. My best suggestion would be to bump up the flow some (you will want it anyway later). Watch your parameters. Regular water changes. You can siphon some of the excess cyano and slime off with the water change. Personally i would find a grazer for the hair algae (I like sailfin tangs but your tank is fairly small unless you borrow a small one for a while). The hair is the only algea that if it gets a good foothold will be hard to controll. The rest will pass with time.
Hope this helps and happy reefing
TD

bertoni · 01/22/2006, 01:20 AM

As long as the substrate isn't moving and the surface has reasonable agitation, the return should be fine as it is.

01/21/2006, 01:04 AM	#1
drillsar Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: West Orange, NJ Posts: 2,838	whats wrong with my tank? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have a 55gal with a mag 7 for return, 130watts of light I know I need more light, euroreef skimmer, phosphate reactor. I have ton of algae problems on my sand bed: Brown, red(cyano im thinking), hair and green slime I thought it was my phosphates but now since I added reactor the phosphates are 0 My tank parameters: Phosphate 0 Nitrites 10ppm using salifert 20 ppm using aquarium pharm Using ro/di water tds meter shows 0ppm do i need more flow or something? my friend said it may be because I didnt put rock on the glass, i put sand in first then added rock.. His tank is gorgeous, no problems and im thinking maybe I did mess up..

01/21/2006, 01:11 AM	#4
jokeloma Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Tulsa, Ok. Posts: 900	are your lights pc's? Do you have the protective plastic lense on? I had similar problem long time ago and if I remember right it seemed that when I did add the lense things got better. As far as the rock placement I have never heard of that making any difference. is your return your only flow? describe it do you have a multiple outlet manifold on it? __________________ John Leeds OMAS President 2008-2010 Ask not what OMAS can do for you, Ask what you can do for OMAS! Current Tank Info: 130G with 55 G sump/fuge/growout/and whatever else I can fit in there

01/21/2006, 01:23 AM	#7
jokeloma Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Tulsa, Ok. Posts: 900	You might try a sea hare. I would also add a couple of power heads if you aren't using a manifold. __________________ John Leeds OMAS President 2008-2010 Ask not what OMAS can do for you, Ask what you can do for OMAS! Current Tank Info: 130G with 55 G sump/fuge/growout/and whatever else I can fit in there

01/21/2006, 02:21 PM	#11
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	The tank might need more circulation, or more variation, at least. I'd add a couple of powerheads. The 10,000 K bulbs are fine: I use the same. More light might encourage coralline growth, which could outcompete the slime, maybe. A macroalga refugium might help as well. The tank is still quite new, so I wouldn't worry too much at this point. You could consider feeding phytoplankton to try to keep animals in the live rock going, if that's of interest. You might be seeing the results of a dieback on the rock, I guess. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

01/21/2006, 04:22 PM	#14
E-A-G-L-E-S Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lehigh Valley, PA Posts: 7,038	also increase flow......ad 2 maxi jet 1200's -or- 2 Seio 620's __________________ Smug Egotistical Contemptuous It's difficult to get a man to understand something that his salary requires him not to.

01/21/2006, 01:06 AM	#2
Hunter21 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Springfield,Ohio Posts: 167	How often are you doing water changes and how long has the tank been set up?

01/21/2006, 01:07 AM	#3
drillsar Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: West Orange, NJ Posts: 2,838	tank has been running since October, water changes 15 gal every week..

01/21/2006, 01:12 AM	#5
TekCat Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: MN Posts: 3,130	how much LR and what livestock do you currently have? also how often and how much are you feeding?

01/21/2006, 01:18 AM	#6
drillsar Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: West Orange, NJ Posts: 2,838	Ok I have 45lbs of rock, Only have the return as flow.. Livestock: 2 hermit crabs, 5 nassarius snails, 5 astrae snails, 10 turbo snails, 1 brittle star ..... had a blenny but he died.. I feed my tank every 2 days with shrimp pellets only like a pinch.. YEs Powercompacts using 10,000K bulbs, have lens on it, maybe 10,000k is whats doing it?

01/21/2006, 01:24 AM	#8
TekCat Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: MN Posts: 3,130	Get more LR, you need to be at absolute minimum 55lbs!!!!! For good LR you also want to make sure there are no stagnant(sp?)areas of water. You probably don't need to feed at all... since there is no fish, your clean up crew will be more than happy to chew on algea. Also, limit photoperiod to 4-6 hours a day. Snails and LR wont care much.

01/21/2006, 02:05 AM	#9
stelow Moved On Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Indiana, USA Posts: 472	Try turning your lights off.

01/21/2006, 04:34 AM	#10
dlish89 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Galt , CA Posts: 93	I have never heard about the rock touching glass. What is the theory behind that ?

01/21/2006, 04:14 PM	#12
drillsar Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: West Orange, NJ Posts: 2,838	dont I have to feed the nassarius snails and brittle?

01/21/2006, 04:18 PM	#13
drillsar Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: West Orange, NJ Posts: 2,838	sea hares are reef compatible? Dont they release a toxin?

01/21/2006, 04:29 PM	#15
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	The Nassarius will need some food. The brittle star might as well. If you're only feeding a small amount, that shouldn't be an issue. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

01/21/2006, 04:38 PM	#16
mikenpam Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Fairbanks, AK Posts: 326	Was your rock cured when you purchased it? If not there could be quite a bit of die off. Have you ever cleaned any of your detrius off of the sand bed? I agree with the others to up circulation to get rid of the algae and maybe add 10 - 20 lb more of rock (cured) for filtration. Also are your lights new or used? I have had my lights now for six months and will be ordering new bulbs next month. I have read that old lamps can cause an outbreak of algae.

01/21/2006, 05:19 PM	#17
fakename Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Vancouver Posts: 267	Here's my opinion..... First of all, there is nothing wrong with your tank. It is newly set up and can be expected to experience a series of annoying algae, diatom, and possibly even cyano outbreaks. As pointed out in a previous post, you are a little light on rock compared to the often (almost biblically) referenced level of 1.5 to 2 lbs per gal. That being said.......your current bioload is almost nil, so I can't really imagine that is the issue. Your flow may be a little light, and you might benefit from a powerhead or two. The biggest issue for your tank is that it is new, and it takes time to settle down. Go slow, feed lightly, and above all else resist everyones suggestions and your own impulses to make quick and expensive upgrades trying to fix a problem that is not really a problem at all...... Regards, Aaron

01/21/2006, 07:25 PM	#19
dlish89 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Galt , CA Posts: 93	OOH , I took it as him saying if LR touched glass then there would be no algae on any of the glass. Wouldn't that be great!!!! Everyone would have LR touching glass then LOL

01/21/2006, 07:30 PM	#20
drillsar Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: West Orange, NJ Posts: 2,838	Ok I got a Penquin 1140 powerhead there where out of maxijets, Where should the powerhead be pointing at? towards sand bed or?

01/21/2006, 07:38 PM	#21
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I point them up a bit to get some good surface agitation. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

01/21/2006, 07:45 PM	#22
drillsar Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: West Orange, NJ Posts: 2,838	ok si they should go up to the surface? what about return? right now I have return hitting glass, powerhead slightly hitting sand/

01/21/2006, 08:59 PM	#23
turbodiesel01 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 114	I have to agree with fakename totally. These are problems mast new tanks have. I have set up several and they all do that. My best suggestion would be to bump up the flow some (you will want it anyway later). Watch your parameters. Regular water changes. You can siphon some of the excess cyano and slime off with the water change. Personally i would find a grazer for the hair algae (I like sailfin tangs but your tank is fairly small unless you borrow a small one for a while). The hair is the only algea that if it gets a good foothold will be hard to controll. The rest will pass with time. Hope this helps and happy reefing TD

01/22/2006, 01:20 AM	#24
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	As long as the substrate isn't moving and the surface has reasonable agitation, the return should be fine as it is. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni