Algae issue

Aries426 · Mar 23, 2013

I have a 30g Deep Blue 24x24x12 tank that has been setup for about 9 months. I am getting some algae on the substrate, it is mostly starting as brownish/red and some spots do get a little longer(Hair Algae). It does not look like cyano to me, doesn't have the slime effect. I have 2 Koralia 240's plus my return, flow seems really good. I have moved the power heads in different directions to keep the sand clean but no matter what it seems to come back. I had a AI Vega LED but switched to a ATI 6x24w T5(3 Blue+, Coral+, Atinic and Purple+)I have a Super Reef Octopus 1000INT protein skimmer, filter sock, refugeium, Carbon and GFO reactors, Tunze Nano 3152 ATO and return pump all in sump. I have a pretty good CUC with about 8 Nassarius snails, Peppermint shrimp and hermits. I did a water test yesterday

Salinity 1.026
pH 8.3
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10-15
Alkalinity 8.5
Calcium 375
Magnesium 1140
Phosphate 0.04-0.05

I have been vodka dosing to bring the Nitrate and Phosphate down, it has helped. I know the GFO does it but I wanted to try to get it down to optimum level and then let the reactors take over. The algae issue did start BEFORE I was vodka dosing, so it is not due to that. I feed twice daily but only enough so that it is gone within 30-45 secs. I switch between frozen Mysis/Brine/Bloodworms, flakes and pellets. I do 20-25% WC weekly with RO/DI.

Any ideas or help would greatly be appreciated!

Thanks

SunCorals · Mar 23, 2013

Your RO/DI is reading 0 on with a tds meter?

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Aries426 · Mar 23, 2013

I get the water from a LFS, I did ask them and they said everything was good. But what should I ask them about readings? I don't know much about RO/DI systems.

SunCorals · Mar 23, 2013

When's the last time they changed their filters and what's their tds reading... Still going by that is a gamble. IMO a ro/di unit is worth it's weight in gold, on the plus side you can sell water to your friends to pay for filters. It takes some time but it pays for itself time and time again.

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fragmatic · Mar 23, 2013

Other than the trates your readings are excellent... you did not list live rock in your bio.. ?? With those readings and bio, I'm thinking you do have live rock.. how much? I read a need for additional LR... I've been wrong a few times. I like your bio.. how much algae are you running in the fuge? Maybe more light at the fuge, too. We need convert those nitrates. May think about running an algae scrubber sheet in the refugium.

Aries426 · Mar 23, 2013

Someone else mentioned a ATS before, I should look into that. I have about 25 lbs of live rock ion the DT and about 15 lbs in the fuge. I have about 2 softball size pieces of cheato in my fuge as well. The light over it is a 2 bulb T5 white/atinic.

I am going to get a RO/DI unit for sure.

Aries426 · Mar 23, 2013

This is a quick pic of the setup

fragmatic · Mar 23, 2013

Aries426 said:
Someone else mentioned a ATS before, I should look into that. I have about 25 lbs of live rock ion the DT and about 15 lbs in the fuge. I have about 2 softball size pieces of cheato in my fuge as well. The light over it is a 2 bulb T5 white/atinic.

I am going to get a RO/DI unit for sure.

Now, .... I have "some" doubts if your test is accurate and you may be better off than you think. My reason is you seem to be doing to much right... and nothing I can pin on you as wrong.

Still do read up on algae scrubbing, it is insightful & educational at the very least. I simply have the sheets in my refugium with lots of lights over the tank.. and am convinced that theory get much credit in my system. I am seriously considering purchasing an up draft scrubber (the newest and apparently the most effective version). Plus, they have evolved into small gadgets.

http://algaescrubber.net/forums/forum.php

Aries426 · Mar 23, 2013

What ATS should I look into? What makes you say that you think I am better off, was it the picture?

fragmatic · Mar 23, 2013

Aries426 said:
What ATS should I look into? What makes you say that you think I am better off, was it the picture?

I edited in a link on the scrubbers..

Better off --- as I read more about your LR and sump, etc... I get the picture you are a good reef tank care giver.. LOL.. just try a different test kit... prove me wrong.. it has been done before... it is worth a try, you MAY be fine on the nitrates.

I think the algae thing is fixable.. maybe with more light time in the refugium and less at the display, etc. I want "some minor" algae problems. It would scare me if it wouldn't grow in my display tank at all. I just want it to be "happier" in my refugium.

Aries426 · Mar 23, 2013

My "sunrise" light(Blue+ and Atinic) come on at 9:00am and the "daytime" lights(2 Blue+, Purple+ and Coral+) come on at 11:00am and the "daytime" light go off at 7:00pm and "sunset" lights at 7:30-8:800pm. The fuge light comes on around the daytime and shuts off at sunset. Someone mentioned before that the fuge should be off in the day and on at night? Does it matter?

fragmatic · Mar 23, 2013

With my refugium (well I have two).. the one under my tank is on opposite of the display.. pH tends to drift in the dark so the theory is it buffers that effect by being on at night with really bright lights.

Aries426 · Mar 23, 2013

I have one, it's my middle chamber, the fuge measures about 12x15. Do you think it's best for me to do it at night or day? Also, I have been reading up on ATS, am I better off leaving my fuge and adding the ATS somewhere or taking it out and putting the ATS in it's place?

mike007 · Mar 23, 2013

Most of the time when you have algae problems it is caused by excessive nutrients. Overfeeding is the main cause.

Aries426 · Mar 24, 2013

I do feed twice daily but it is very little, when I do frozen the fish usually eat it up within a minute tops. Flakes and pellets are gone a little less than that.

fragmatic · Mar 24, 2013

LOL.. I absolutely over feed by the standards of most people who are on the be careful not to over feed band wagon. If you feed heavy and work up to it in small increments you will have loads of nutriments flowing around for all the live forms to eat. I have no algae problems in my display tank.

BUT..... IMO, the biggest conflict is that most people have way too much light. You can have high nutriment levels or high out put lights... having both will cause an algae problem. I have my tank set-up as one that is several feet down in the reef where nutriments are abundant and light is not.

There are some experienced reefers who work with very high lighting PARs and do extremely well growing frags. They have the required skill levels to make it work.

However, IMO for the average reefer, this may be out of their skill range. IMO too many new and less experienced reefers are working with more light than they can manage. My 90 gallon has 54 LED watts, and my corals are growing, and thriving. However, I am not pushing for bright colors. What I am suggesting is that it may be a good idea if those reefers having so much problem with algae back off on the lighting PARs. Our average tanks do not need nearly as much light as the manufactures would like you to think. Light color is more important.

How I first got this idea was by carrying my PAR meter to all the LFSs in my area and taking readings. I was stunned to learn they were running in the low numbers. These varied from 50 to 200. Most tanks were running around 85 to 130 PAR at depths where they were displaying corals. Now, yes, they want coral to reach for light and strut their stuff, but the idea seed was planted in my brain. I would not be surprised if many of the reefers having algae problems are running PAR levels up around +/- 300 or even higher. Hey, so was I!!!

To offset that with my "fun meter"... I get my kicks from life forms diversity, and fooling with the ecology... .. and it is a fun kick!

Aries426 · Mar 25, 2013

Would I be better off with a Bio Pellets instead of the GFO? I did hear that when you come off of the pellets you have to wean your system off. I didn't know if it would be better in my case.

The other thing I was thinking of getting was a Kalkwasser reactor. With my system being only about 50g total volume I knew a Calcium reactor would be to much, so I was thinking of a Kalk instead. Wouldn't it help with my Alkalinity and Calcium?

Any thoughts would be great!

Alabamareef · Mar 25, 2013

What test kits are you using?
Sounds like your doing a lot of great things and your levels look good. But IME if your using a salifert po4 test kit or API you may be getting false readings. I used these same kits and was getting a zero reading. I then bought the green egg and found my p04 was 0.15. Just a thought.