Algae problems

[ckwatson]

I am having a lot of algae growing in my tank and cant seem to find out why. The tank has been running for 3-4 months. It stared in my sump and then on the glass now i am seeing it on the sand and rock. I have to clean the glass every other day. and you can see the dust coming off the glass.

The tank specs

45 gallon tall
nova extreme 4x39W (day light on for 10 hours, actinics on for 13.5 hours)
25 lb of base rock and 25-35lb of live rock
live sand
20 gallon sump/fuge with macro algae
6700k light on fuge is on from 12 am to 8 am
coralife super skimmer 65

Flow is about 400 gph from return pump and around 1000 gph from koralia power heads

test results

Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
PH 8.3,8.3
Ammonia 0
calcium 350
Phosphate 0 (which does not seem right but i tested it twice today)

Here are some pics

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The red algae started in the sump


Things I have already done

Dosed some calcium, and dropped the actinics down to 12.5 hours a day any other ideas would be great.

 

[krb]

cyano bacteria:

syphon out as much as you can at the end of your photoperiod. DO NOT SCRAPE OFF. it just sends it to more places in your tank.

Do a 30% water change. Wait three-four days and do another 30% water change

Cut down your photoperiod, you might want to cut your lights off for 24 hrs and wrap paperboard around it to cut out any external light.

Cut down your feedings to once every few days and lower the total amount fed at each meal.

Increase your CUC. Blue Legs, Astreas, and Nass. Vibex are good choices

direct flow to where it is the biggest and second biggest. as that disappears, redirect flow to the next big area, etc.

Maybe run phosban or rowaphos to remove phosphates. (phosphate kits don't register low enough for proper detection)

cyano is caused by high nutrient levels in the water column. it grows during the photoperiod and dies off at "night" thus readding what it "consumed" during the day.

DO NOT ADD CHEMICALS.

It will take a while to get rid of. Lower your adding Nutrients to the tank as that is the most common cause.

be patient

good luck

 

[jcusmarine]

Perfect advice Kirk....seems like a nutrient righ tank, maybe some phosphate to boot.

 

[ckwatson]

I have some chemiclean red slime remover, so what I am hearing is to not use this? what about what is going on with the glass and the green on the sand bed?

 

[jcusmarine]

Red slime remover works, however do not use it. Your water parameters are good, so we are probably seeing a bloom because of a high nutrient level. Just reduce your photoperiod a little and keep doing what you are doing except one thing - Do frequent and larger water changes than normal

 

[krb]

ckwatson;113103 wrote: I have some chemiclean red slime remover, so what I am hearing is to not use this? what about what is going on with the glass and the green on the sand bed?

By adding chemicals, you are not fixing the underlying problem. It will work but is only temporary. Treat the root of the problem to be rid of it for a longer period of time, hopefully forever. More than likely, you are feeding to much, running your lights to long and don't have a big enough CUC. Feeding being the biggest problem. Almost all of us overfeed so our creatures are fat and happy. This habit has to be corrected or get a CUC to handle the excess. The lighting just gives the algae that last ingredient to thrive. By adjusting all of these elements, you can get closer to an equilibrium in your system.

 

[jade76]

I agree..NO CHEMICALS!!!! and frequent more than large water changes.. And Also get a large cleanup crew...(IMO its almost hard to have too many) I think we've all been thru some major bouts with algea growths, so dont get discouraged!! oh and are you using tap water or an RO/DI unit...as this can have an effect on things too.

 

[ckwatson]

I am using RODI, I am buying it at a store right now because i dont have a unit of my own. I will look in to adding to my CUC would more blue legs be the best thing to add?

 

[krb]

ckwatson;113121 wrote: I am using RODI, I am buying it at a store right now because i dont have a unit of my own. I will look in to adding to my CUC would more blue legs be the best thing to add?

Which store are you getting it from? If publix, etc. then stop and get it from a LFS. Your own system is best. I would add astreas first. they will eat it off of the rock, glass, and everywhere they can get to. call tim at keen reef, he is a sponsor and has good deals.

 

[ckwatson]

I am getting my water at a LFS, If any where is open tomorrow I will get some more snails and see how it goes.

 

[cameron]

Using red slime remover works as suggested above, but what my experience the last few times someone did this was an even more annoying algae took over. Cyano sucks, but wait till green hair takes over because the cyano is gone and is no longer absorbing the nutrients.

Follow the above suggestions and you will be A-OK. It won't be immediate but it will pass soon enough.

 

[cameron]

Oh and add some chaeto somewhere in your tank if you can. In the sump, the overflows or heck even in the main tank in a little fish container will work. That stuff can suck up some nutrients.

 

[ckwatson]

that is one of the things is has been strange to me is the Cyano started in my sump and I do have chaeto in there. What kind of light are people using over there sumps.

 

[FutureInterest]

KRB's advice is solid. You'll get it nipped in the bud in no time if you follow that.

One simple addition to his advice I'd make is to increase your calcium levels and make sure your other levels are in order. You will find that your nuisance algae levels will rise when your levels aren't correct. If the corals can't use the nutrients due to lack of calcium or some other component, rest assured something else you don't want growing will...

 

[dannybradley]

I would have someone else perform a test on your tank. Take it to your fish store and verify that your NO3 and PO4 are at 0. It seems unlikely you'd be getting that much growth if those are the true numbers.

 

[cameron]

I have seen near or at zero numbers with that kind of growth before. The algae are consuming it as fast as it is produced. Granted this was at the peak of its growth which he may be. Plus phosphates are notoriously hard to read and nitr?tes can spike. All that said, always a good idea to check your numbers against another test kit.

FI hit on a good point. Low alk promotes large algae growth (the reason a lot of people throw lime in their ponds). Jack up your mag first then your alk and calcium and that will help greatly.

 

[ckwatson]

I am going to take some water up to a LFS and have them run a full set of test on it I also added some stuff to take posphates out of the water. I am hoping that will help and I also plan on doing a couple 7 gallon water changes That is all I can buy at once. But I will be doing one every 5 days or so.

 

[roland jacques]

KRB;113071 wrote: cyano bacteria:



you might want to cut your lights off for 24 hrs and wrap paperboard around it to cut out any external light.

Increase your CUC. Blue Legs, Astreas, and Nass. Vibex are good choices

Whats Vibex??

24 hours may work, I do 72 hours lights off with good results.

 

[FutureInterest]

Nassarius vibex. They won't eat any algae, but they are decent sand stirrers.

 

[ralph atl]

Phosphate reduction/ removal is most likely the answer. Do you have a phosphate reactor? If not, you'll need to get one. At first you’ll need to change your Iron based media in the phosphate reactor more often. Your media will get saturated in 2 weeks or so (depending upon how much is bound up in your rocks, tank, algae, etc). Use less media, change every 2 weeks. Use a great test kit like DD merk, Hack, Elos, or colormeter or send to AWT.

You must export the same or more nutrients than you put in. Overfeeding, tap water, high phosphate foods, etc. Use a phosphate reactor with some phosar or ROWA or whatever, and something to lower nitrates like a fuge, AZNO3, or whatever.

check out:
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[IMG]http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php">http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php</a>