Algae Issue

[Ro Bow]

For the last few weeks I have had algae taking over my tank. I somewhat maintained it, it slowed growth, but now there is a new type of algae in town. I dont know what it is, but it grows fast, and irritates my xenia and feather duster, not to mention my parents too, since it looks ugly.

What algae is it, and what should I do? Don't mind the cardinal fish photobombing... Thanks

 

[maleks.reef]

What light do you use? How long is your photoperiod? How much are your no3 and po4? How often and what do you feed? Those questions will help us help you !

 

[Ro Bow]

I feed 2x a day, I run 2 red sea 90's, NO3 is 0, I run the lights on from 8:30 - 7:00

 

[Ro Bow]

bump

 

[Ro Bow]

Bump

 

[ahiggins]

I would bet your algae is absorbing the nitrates and phosphates if your tests are zero. What do you run as a clean up crew? How big is the tank?

 

[Ro Bow]

I would bet your algae is absorbing the nitrates and phosphates if your tests are zero. What do you run as a clean up crew? How big is the tank?

I have 1 turbo snail, 3 astrea snails, about 8 hermits, a tomini tang, and my tank is 65 gallons

 

[Ro Bow]

I have 1 turbo snail, 3 astrea snails, about 8 hermits, a tomini tang, and my tank is 65 gallons

plus a 20 gallon sump

 

[maleks.reef]

1) What are your nutrient export methods? Skimmer? Fuge? WCs?
2) I suggest you get more snails, specifically, trochus, turbos, and Mexican turbo snails, all of which are known to be the best algae eaters. I'd say 4 of each would be a good place to start since your tank is quite big. However, since you have a lot of hermits try to get some empty shells for them so that they don't eat your snails when they grow.
3) How old is your tank? Your photoperiod is about 11.5 hours which is a lot. I keep mine at 9 hours and even that is considered on the high end. Unless you're a pro i suggest lowering it down to 7-9 hours a day. You can always increase it later on when the tank is more stable and established.
4) Manual removal will help out
5) You might be overfeeding so decrease the amount of food that enters the tank. Fish don't need a lot of food.
6) You can try to dose some bacteria which helps according to some people. Microbacter 7 is 100% safe but also not as effective as Vibrant, which can have adverse effects on corals, so I suggest you read up on both if you want to use either.

 

[Ro Bow]

1) What are your nutrient export methods? Skimmer? Fuge? WCs?
2) I suggest you get more snails, specifically, trochus, turbos, and Mexican turbo snails, all of which are known to be the best algae eaters. I'd say 4 of each would be a good place to start since your tank is quite big. However, since you have a lot of hermits try to get some empty shells for them so that they don't eat your snails when they grow.
3) How old is your tank? Your photoperiod is about 11.5 hours which is a lot. I keep mine at 9 hours and even that is considered on the high end. Unless you're a pro i suggest lowering it down to 7-9 hours a day. You can always increase it later on when the tank is more stable and established.
4) Manual removal will help out
5) You might be overfeeding so decrease the amount of food that enters the tank. Fish don't need a lot of food.
6) You can try to dose some bacteria which helps according to some people. Microbacter 7 is 100% safe but also not as effective as Vibrant, which can have adverse effects on corals, so I suggest you read up on both if you want to use either.

1)Skimmer, phosphate reactor
2) ok, thanks
3) had it since mid july.
4) yeah i remove it a few times a day, but it grows FAST. I clean out my skimmer 2x a day cause it gets really dirty quick
5) ok, thanks for the tip
6) awesome, would that get rid of the algae..? Or slow it down? Thanks!

 

[Ro Bow]

1) What are your nutrient export methods? Skimmer? Fuge? WCs?
2) I suggest you get more snails, specifically, trochus, turbos, and Mexican turbo snails, all of which are known to be the best algae eaters. I'd say 4 of each would be a good place to start since your tank is quite big. However, since you have a lot of hermits try to get some empty shells for them so that they don't eat your snails when they grow.
3) How old is your tank? Your photoperiod is about 11.5 hours which is a lot. I keep mine at 9 hours and even that is considered on the high end. Unless you're a pro i suggest lowering it down to 7-9 hours a day. You can always increase it later on when the tank is more stable and established.
4) Manual removal will help out
5) You might be overfeeding so decrease the amount of food that enters the tank. Fish don't need a lot of food.
6) You can try to dose some bacteria which helps according to some people. Microbacter 7 is 100% safe but also not as effective as Vibrant, which can have adverse effects on corals, so I suggest you read up on both if you want to use either.

can you identify what type of algae that is? That would help a lot

 

[maleks.reef]

1)Skimmer, phosphate reactor
2) ok, thanks
3) had it since mid july.
4) yeah i remove it a few times a day, but it grows FAST. I clean out my skimmer 2x a day cause it gets really dirty quick
5) ok, thanks for the tip
6) awesome, would that get rid of the algae..? Or slow it down? Thanks!

You can watch BRS' video on Vibrant. As i said, while it works like magic, people have also complained of losing corals because of it. I never tried it so I cant judge it but it has a lot of good reviews. Also, your tank is still very new. Start with decreasing the photoperiod to 7 hours.

 

[maleks.reef]

can you identify what type of algae that is? That would help a lot

Honestly no clue. You can post the pic in the Algae thread maybe you'll get an ID. And one more thing, you can use hydrogen peroxide to kill algae. Again, you'll have to research and watch some vids about that.

 

[Ro Bow]

Honestly no clue. You can post the pic in the Algae thread maybe you'll get an ID. And one more thing, you can use hydrogen peroxide to kill algae. Again, you'll have to research and watch some vids about that.

ok thanks!

 

[Ro Bow]

You can watch BRS' video on Vibrant. As i said, while it works like magic, people have also complained of losing corals because of it. I never tried it so I cant judge it but it has a lot of good reviews. Also, your tank is still very new. Start with decreasing the photoperiod to 7 hours.

will do, thanks a ton!