algae problem still

[kirru]

Ok, so I have still have an algae problem.

I have 3 types: Green Hairy Algae, Cyanobacteria(which I know isn't algae but is photosynthetic), and what looks like bryopsis.

I have pretty good flow but somehow the cyano is still growing in certain places. The GHA I've been dealing with for a few months and the bryopsis started about the beginning of december possibly around Thanks Giving.

I've cut my feeding from everyday to about every other to 3rd day and I am doing weekly water changes of about 3-4 gallon.

My lighting schedule is:
8a - dual Actinics on
9a - Both actinics and dual daylight on
7p - daylight lights off
8p - actinics off

My regium light is on a reverse 12hr lighting schedule and comes on when the daylights go off and goes off when the daylight comes on.

I also have a 2.5g refugium that has about 45gph going through it.

I am running bio stuff that comes w/the aquaclear and carbon and purigen

I am starting to get a little coraline aglae growing on parts of the glass and on the siphon tube going to the fuge and on the tube going into the powerfilter

suggestions?

o, i almost forgot i do use RO/DI water

 

[rostato]

Your tank is still relitivly young if it is the 10G nano in your sig. I am still fighting cyano and I am on my 6th month. What is the TDS reading on your RO water?

What are your nitrate and phosphate readings? What test kits do you use?

Also if this is the 10G tank in your sig, you may want to think about selling a fish or two, thats a decent bio load for a 10G tank. Or at least let them be housed somewhere else untill the tank is under control.

Basically we need Phosphate and Nitrate readings from a good kit. I constantly get a reading of 0 with API on both, but I know they are there...I just need to invest in a good kit.

 

[kirru]

yes, it is that one in the sig. I'm currently getting my 40 breeder going so the 10g will be obsolete soon.

i get my RO/DI water from Keen Reef and this last time, as that was where I was and had my buckets with me, was Creation Reef. I do not have a TDS meter to check so I am not sure what it is. I am waiting to hear from ReefTourist cause I am buying his RO/DI unit and it comes with a TDS meter but still haven't heard from him.

I haven't got a Phosphate test yet but I know I meed one and will be getting one soon. I am using API Saltwater master test kit and cause I have sps corals I am using the seachem caclium test. Nitrate usually read about 15ppm and when I made the move from savannah it went to 20ppm but was back down to 10 then to 15 again so it stays pretty consistent. I thought the fuge would help but it doesn't. I'm about to do another nitrate test to get a more recent accurate reading.

 

[kirru]

yup nitrate still about 20ppm

 

[ericmcj31]

having 0 tds helps out MAJORLY; old bulbs will also make algae grow excessively; what kind of clean up crew do you have?

 

[ericmcj31]

best thing is to keep your WC's up there and suck out as much of that crap as possible when doing a WC--it's gonna be tough since you've only got a 10g to work with-lol

 

[kirru]

bulbs are fairly new got the fixture in late september of 08 and my clean up crew consists of ~20 nassarius snails, ~8 blue legged hermits and mexican turbo, ~5 Astrae snail and a tuxedo urchin if you include that as a CUC. also have a few stomatellas that come out at night if you want to include them as well also have a fire shrimp but would rather clean my hand and wait for feeding time

because I'm going to be getting a light fixture to go over the 40 breeder and it turns out it is the lights that are casuing the growth I will just live with it till I transfer everything to the 40. I am going to do a lights out starting tomorrow in both the fuge and display, how many days should I go with being lightless?

yea, i learned that the hardway and I can't wait to get this 40 going, its going to cost a bunch though, with lights and skimmer and other stuff.

 

[ericmcj31]

if you've got corals in there-no more than a day or two--if you're FO you can turn the lights off everyday-and just turn on an hour or so to feed until prob. is eradicated;

 

[ericmcj31]

one plus I 've noticed from your signature as well--it's only been up 3 months--it's a normal part of cycling-so don't be too worried a/b it-

 

[kirru]

yea rosato said the same thing about the lenght it has been running and I have corals so I am going to 2 days straight w/out light, then back on, for a day then back to two days of no lights, this safe?

 

[ericmcj31]

I prob. wouldn't do that--maybe off two-then on two or three-then off two more-etc.--this should eradicate it somewhat rapidly (the cyano anyways)-but if you're doing weekly WC's do them twice a week, but it helps out BIG time to have 0 tds; I can always tell when my filters need changing b/c I noticed cyano start to grow--check TDS-and yep-it's up there-lol

 

[kirru]

ok, so if I buy from like say Keen, do I just ask him to show me his TDS count? I will do a WC tomorrow and I get back from Keen Reef. I am going to have him to some water test for phosphate. should I test for anything else?

 

[ericmcj31]

your TDS should tell you a lot; just make sure you test it on water that hasn't been mixed yet (not with salt) and your container should be clean-as it will throw off the test results; Tim should have good H2O but a test never hurts--I wouldn't take it over say 3-5 PPM- 0 is ideal

 

[ericmcj31]

also....

a phosphate test done on your tank's water will prob. test falsely--the algae and mainly the cyano are 'hiding' a lot of it-and it may test 0 or pretty close-you need to get your tanks' algae in order to tell a whole lot a/b the phosphate tests. Also-have youadded anything lately?? A lot of flake foods also add to the phosphates as well---

 

[kirru]

ok, but i don't have a TDS meter yet. kinda wish I had one now. ok, i'll keep that in mind when I have it tested tomorrow, I am going to have it done just for the heck of it. the last thing I added was about 2-3 weeks ago so nothing lately. I don't feed flake food as my fish don't seem to take to it but I use the frozen kind. I rinse with ro/di water then refreeze with ro/di water

i'm gonna ask him to test the TDS just to be on the safe side tho.

 

[ericmcj31]

yeah-I don't think he'd have a prob. w/ that-Tim's a great guy; start w/ that and up your WC's a bit for the next couple/few weeks--keep lights off a couple days, and be sure to try to suck out all that junk during WC;

One thing I do is scrape the glass and then let my overflow catch the algae-then it is sent to my sump where the filter pad catches it-I then change the filter pad a couple of hours later--

 

[kirru]

ok cool, i'll let you know the outcome in about a week
thanks for the help

 

[rostato]

Yeah I have gotten rid of most of mine by blowing it off right before lights out and letting it get in the filter sock, then before the lights come on in the morning I change out the sock. It has helped, but not erradicated it. I am convinced my problem is from a lack of good flow on the sand bed due to over 70lbs of rock (most of wich is tonga) in a 46g tank. Even with a vortech in there I do not get enough flow in the nooks and crannies...

 

[kirru]

i have about 20 with a koralia 1 and an aquaclear 30 and a mini pump from a fountain i had i just thought i'd add for the heck of it. don't have sump for a filter sock but I will on the 40. but I have a fuge and it can go there till until i change my water tomorrow.

 

[rostato]

Well I guess since you are doing a build, I would just keep the algae off of your corals and ride it out.