Floating algae on water surface.

pontiac · 07/16/2006, 01:41 PM

Was just wondering if any of you have had , what I call floating brownish_red algae on the surface of your tank? I can skim it all out with a net, and within 24 hrs it is back again. I think part of the problem may be the fact that I have a rena xp3 canister, you can see it blowing right out of the spray bar for seconds at a time. Is there any way to get this filter to hold these particles?

pontiac · 07/16/2006, 03:11 PM

Anyone???

bertoni · 07/16/2006, 03:35 PM

Responding to your own thread takes it off the unanswered list.

This type of film is fairly common. Some surface agitation or a surface skimmer (like the protein skimmer preskimmers) can help a lot. I point some powerheads at the surface, for example, to get some rippling.

pontiac · 07/16/2006, 03:41 PM

Even with two powerheads aimed at the surface it will not dissapate, it just build up untill I skim it ouy by hand. I am also starting to get some kind of gray mossy type of algae on my sand, even with water movement. And I am sorry for responding to my own thread, i did not mean to offend anyone.

Mr.Furious · 07/16/2006, 04:11 PM

Are you using tapwater by any chance? If the algae grows back that fast than something in your water is feeding it to do so.

pontiac · 07/16/2006, 04:13 PM

No, it is all ro di water.

Mr.Furious · 07/16/2006, 04:17 PM

It could be the rena canister filter. What type of filter media do you have in there? Usually filter media on reef tanks just becomes a nitrate factory so people rather use skimmers and refugiums for filtration along with their live rock. Do you have any fish in there? If so how much do you feed and what?

pontiac · 07/16/2006, 04:30 PM

I am sure the cannister may be the problem, I am just running carbon and the pads that came with it. For fish I have a large koran angel, one clown, one watchman goby, one juv hippo tang, a few caribian sand snails, a few mis snails and hermits, two fighting conchs and a condy annename. I only feed about a tablespoon a day whitch is all consumed pretty fast with my koran. I also am running a prism skimmer, but for some reason it is not pulling out as much as it used to . And I have only a trace of nitrate. I dont know what I should try, any help would be great.

pontiac · 07/16/2006, 04:39 PM

I"m sorry, I forgot to also add that it is a 150 gal tank with only the lighting system that came with it. As soon as I can get ahead a little I"m gonna get a good light system.

bertoni · 07/16/2006, 07:20 PM

No one was offended; I just didn't find this thread with the usual search.

1 tbsp of food is quite a bit for that size tank, in my opinion. How much live rock is there? I don't see any mention of a refugium.

The Prism skimmer doesn't get the best of ratings. A better skimmer might help a lot.

Mr.Furious · 07/16/2006, 07:57 PM

I too have a feeling it is the food and the underskimming. To say it blatantly prizm skimmers suck. So while you may be getting perfect readings the algae may just be sucking all the phosphate, nitrate, etc.... out which would give you the zero readings.

pontiac · 07/17/2006, 06:00 PM

I agree on the too much food part, and I will cut back. As far as rock goes, I have about 170 lbs right now. And I would definitly love to get a better skimmer as soon as possible. And as of now i have no fuge I am sorry to say.

bertoni · 07/17/2006, 06:45 PM

Okay, sound like a fine amount of live rock. I think less food, better skimming, and a refugium would help. A phosphate reactor might be useful, though, as well, and would be cheaper than the skimmer.

pontiac · 07/17/2006, 06:48 PM

What kind would you recamend for a 150?

07/16/2006, 01:41 PM	#1
pontiac Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: maryland Posts: 382	Floating algae on water surface. Was just wondering if any of you have had , what I call floating brownish_red algae on the surface of your tank? I can skim it all out with a net, and within 24 hrs it is back again. I think part of the problem may be the fact that I have a rena xp3 canister, you can see it blowing right out of the spray bar for seconds at a time. Is there any way to get this filter to hold these particles?

07/16/2006, 03:35 PM	#3
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Responding to your own thread takes it off the unanswered list. This type of film is fairly common. Some surface agitation or a surface skimmer (like the protein skimmer preskimmers) can help a lot. I point some powerheads at the surface, for example, to get some rippling. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

07/16/2006, 07:20 PM	#10
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	No one was offended; I just didn't find this thread with the usual search. 1 tbsp of food is quite a bit for that size tank, in my opinion. How much live rock is there? I don't see any mention of a refugium. The Prism skimmer doesn't get the best of ratings. A better skimmer might help a lot. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

07/17/2006, 06:45 PM	#13
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Okay, sound like a fine amount of live rock. I think less food, better skimming, and a refugium would help. A phosphate reactor might be useful, though, as well, and would be cheaper than the skimmer. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

07/16/2006, 03:11 PM	#2
pontiac Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: maryland Posts: 382	Anyone???

07/16/2006, 03:41 PM	#4
pontiac Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: maryland Posts: 382	Even with two powerheads aimed at the surface it will not dissapate, it just build up untill I skim it ouy by hand. I am also starting to get some kind of gray mossy type of algae on my sand, even with water movement. And I am sorry for responding to my own thread, i did not mean to offend anyone.

07/16/2006, 04:11 PM	#5
Mr.Furious Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 166	Are you using tapwater by any chance? If the algae grows back that fast than something in your water is feeding it to do so.

07/16/2006, 04:13 PM	#6
pontiac Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: maryland Posts: 382	No, it is all ro di water.

07/16/2006, 04:17 PM	#7
Mr.Furious Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 166	It could be the rena canister filter. What type of filter media do you have in there? Usually filter media on reef tanks just becomes a nitrate factory so people rather use skimmers and refugiums for filtration along with their live rock. Do you have any fish in there? If so how much do you feed and what?

07/16/2006, 04:30 PM	#8
pontiac Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: maryland Posts: 382	I am sure the cannister may be the problem, I am just running carbon and the pads that came with it. For fish I have a large koran angel, one clown, one watchman goby, one juv hippo tang, a few caribian sand snails, a few mis snails and hermits, two fighting conchs and a condy annename. I only feed about a tablespoon a day whitch is all consumed pretty fast with my koran. I also am running a prism skimmer, but for some reason it is not pulling out as much as it used to . And I have only a trace of nitrate. I dont know what I should try, any help would be great.

07/16/2006, 04:39 PM	#9
pontiac Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: maryland Posts: 382	I"m sorry, I forgot to also add that it is a 150 gal tank with only the lighting system that came with it. As soon as I can get ahead a little I"m gonna get a good light system.

07/16/2006, 07:57 PM	#11
Mr.Furious Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 166	I too have a feeling it is the food and the underskimming. To say it blatantly prizm skimmers suck. So while you may be getting perfect readings the algae may just be sucking all the phosphate, nitrate, etc.... out which would give you the zero readings.

07/17/2006, 06:00 PM	#12
pontiac Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: maryland Posts: 382	I agree on the too much food part, and I will cut back. As far as rock goes, I have about 170 lbs right now. And I would definitly love to get a better skimmer as soon as possible. And as of now i have no fuge I am sorry to say.

07/17/2006, 06:48 PM	#14
pontiac Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: maryland Posts: 382	What kind would you recamend for a 150?