Algae in refugium

[Rglad91]

so tank has been up since last August and I started the refugium in January and I have all kinds of algae growing in it. DT is clean just sand isn’t white like it looked out of bag.
My question is do I let the refugium do what it’s doing and grow algae like is? Or every 2 weeks when I water change suck some of it up? Or do I empty the refugium and clean it like new?
Over this last month my chateo had I think cyno all over it and last weekend I rinsed it all off and sucked out of refugium but now the chateo ball has slowly fell apart and nothing left. But ever since I’ve had refugium running I was pulling out a bucket full every water change.
I don’t know what happen this last month, and I haven’t added anything to tank for a few months.

Before couple days after adding chateo(January):

Now:

 

[Rglad91]

 

[KrisReef]

What are N & P levels in the system? It kind of looks like the algae starved in the fuge. Are you also running a protein skimmer? The tank looks like it is not suffering.

 

[Rglad91]

Last time I tested those it was n-2 and p-.02. I was draining my skimmer cup dark skim like once a week but a couple weeks ago I adjusted it so I’m draining it every couple days now.

 

[KrisReef]

Sounds like the skimmer is out competing the chaeto. You might dial back the skimmer and try more chaeto if you want to keep the fuge export working properly. Another tactic would be to increase your feeding your fish and corals. Do you have pods in tank?

 

[Rglad91]

Sounds like the skimmer is out competing the chaeto. You might dial back the skimmer and try more chaeto if you want to keep the fuge export working properly. Another tactic would be to increase your feeding your fish and corals. Do you have pods in tank?

Yah fug is full of pods and I feel like I feed to much. Twice a day I feed a mix of frozen mysis/brine and rod’s so that’s a cube of each and chunk of rods. Then I’ll throw in some seaweed and randomly mix in some reef chili and flake. I think all the other algeas is what’s out competing the chateo, that’s why I was wondering if I should let it be or clean it out

 

[NS Mike D]

Sounds like the skimmer is out competing the chaeto. You might dial back the skimmer and try more chaeto if you want to keep the fuge export working properly. Another tactic would be to increase your feeding your fish and corals. Do you have pods in tank?

help me understand the logic here. Is the purpose of the fuge to export excess nutrients or to grow cheato? Lets assume it's the former and not the latter. If the skimmer is getting the job done, why dial it back, unless the tank is a 0 NO3 and 0 PO4 - which would then require a change to up nutrients like dialing back the skimmer?

The nuisance algae is the same as what grows on a Algae Turf Scrubber (ATS) so why not treat it like an ATS and scrape off and throw out teh algae periodically; If nutrients rise, the algae will grow, if they drop the algae slows down.

But back to the basics, I would not do anything without testing for NO3 and PO4 first to get a current reading

 

[Rglad91]

help me understand the logic here. Is the purpose of the fuge to export excess nutrients or to grow cheato? Lets assume it's the former and not the latter. If the skimmer is getting the job done, why dial it back, unless the tank is a 0 NO3 and 0 PO4 - which would then require a change to up nutrients like dialing back the skimmer?

The nuisance algae is the same as what grows on a Algae Turf Scrubber (ATS) so why not treat it like an ATS and scrape off and throw out teh algae periodically; If nutrients rise, the algae will grow, if they drop the algae slows down.

But back to the basics, I would not do anything without testing for NO3 and PO4 first to get a current reading

Thanks. NO3 is 5 and PO4 is .08
I’m no expert that’s why I’ve been just letting it do it’s thing. Seems like whatever I’m doing is working since display is clean and algae is growing in refugium so I’ll just keep cleaning up alittle algae each water change.
Now for the chateo I thought I was gonna grow it to help export some nutrients. But ever since the other algae’s starting growing the chateo not so much.
If I knew what’s raising my levels I’d do some switching up cause that’s why the algae is growing.