Algae Issues

[KWceleste]

I was lucky enough to win a complete Fluval M90 last year, by complete I mean with stand, tank, water, substrate, live rock, fish, etc. Everything.

I love marine tanks, but know zilch about them. Passed the gorgeous-clear-with-healthy-fish phase quickly and had the stint with a nasty tank and fish deaths, but am happy to report that now tank has been maintaining ok for a while with not-so-colorful fish and live rock. But they're alive, which I'm happy about! Minus one brittle star, all other inhabitants [hermit crabs, small crab, a few shrimp, blenny, 2 anemones, a few small snails] have been self-collected. The fish store critters seem to die too quickly.

Anyway... My issue is with this long green hair-like algae growing on the back wall of tank. I need to get fine net and "mow" it weekly or it grows out of control [multiple inches long]. The blenny and shrimp pick at it, but not nearly at the pace needed to control it. On the glass I'm getting pretty spots of pink hard stuff, which I'm guessing (hoping!) might be coral.

Occurred to me today (while my daughter was sitting through training to work at local eco-center's touch tank) that water temperature in my tank might be high enough to be promoting algae growth. But I'm guessing that if I turn temp down lower, coral growth will be inhibited. Anybody have any thoughts, ideas, recommendations on this? Help will be very much appreciated!

 

[redfishbluefish]

First off, welcome to R2R and congratulations on your win!

When you mentioned fish deaths and nasty tank, I'm thinking high nitrates and phosphates which will bring on the algae. But first I'm going to throw a bunch of questions your way:

Are you using RO/DI water? How often and how much of a water change do you do? Are you running a skimmer? Running any reactors? And I'm not familiar with Fluval M90, does it include a sump/refugium?

What you've discribed is a nutrient problem and all the above will help to lower these excess nutrients.

 

[brandon429]

I'd add that cooler reef tanks grow coral just fine, 76-78 harmless.

Its true that elevating temps and other params exacerbates algae across tanks...I would never let mine about 80 and it runs 78. Slightly cooler temps also regulate bacteria levels and as such work well with oxygen demands for the tank and other factors. I'd personally select cooler over warmer.

 

[KWceleste]

Ummmm....

Water tests that I'm doing are: salinity, sp gravity, pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, calcium. Nitrate is consistently lightly elevated, but all others are in decent range.

Am using either reverse osmosis water with Instant Ocean salt or store-bought pre-mixed water. Am doing about a minimum of 10% water change weekly, but am adding water quite a bit due to dealing with evaporation problems. (Tank is open-top.) M90 tank has 4 rear compartments, which on my tank include: (Compartment #1) skimmer [1st compartment that front/main part of tank filters in to], (Compartment #2), foam filter block and charcoal bag, (Compartment #3) bio bag and thermometer, and (Compartment #4) just the return pump to send water to main part of tank. Not sure what sump/refugium and reactors are.

I add a coral/calcium enhancer weekly.

 

[kendavjac]

What are your phosphate and nitrate #'s? what are you using to test? Algae needs 2 things to grow, light and food. Since you said you are using RO water that eliminates 1 source of food (assuming the TDS's are 0.0). This only leaves over feeding. How much are you feeding? How often do you clean your foam block?

 

[KWceleste]

Am using API Saltwater Master Test Kit to test, plus a few other API test kits for other parameters not included in master kit. Phosphate typically normal, but nitrates always seem to run 5ppm-10ppm. Not sure why that's always consistently high, but it is.) I have timer on light so it's only on 5 hours per day. I don't think food is the issue, as I just started giving 1 small freeze-dried shrimp to blenny when we got him 2 weeks ago, and algae problem existed before that. Am hosing off foam block 1-2 times per week, and rinsing out top portion of skimmer [where water/bubbles/funk collects] every few days.

Also wanna throw into the mix...
I have a good-sized powerhead that moves water around pretty well in tank. However, if/when any algae strands break off back of tank, I'm noticing that it just swirls around tank rather than get into "return holes" up top (so it can be filtered out). Also, I use siphon to "vacuum" sand and top of live rock, and always vacuum up lots of (what I call, for lack of better terms) "tank dust". What do any of you recommend for cleaning this out of tank in areas not very accessible, such as in the little cave where my brittle star has taken residence? Although my set-up is not very big, unassembling the entire reef seems unfeasible, and I'm sure folks with large set-ups aren't doing this.

Will try to get photos uploaded so you can see what I'm working with.

Thanks, everyone, for your help! MUCH appreciated!

 

[brandon429]

5-10 nitrate is fine, even for sps, its not high. being too low is more problematic. a little po4 is ok too, im algae free independent of nutrients.

Nutrients leads into your first algae test, underway and the question is: leave it or remove it, thats the question running every single algae challenge tank in the macro forum here at r2r (hint, all opted to leave in)

you are at a juncture in new reefing everyone passes: a constant test, worry, eventual battles and win or not win with algae, or, never having it and doing basic nutrient cares but never stressing or even aiming for certain levels and having a more relaxing time for the next decade.

A little secret never told is, dont have it, simply opt out. If someone put plant fertilizer in my tank, id still not have algae, because i removed it when i used to see it.

Anytime you are reading someones thread and they have green hair algae, see that as on purpose, not something out of control. this will change the way you run your own tank off reading threads. the option was there to have removed it already. harsh but true. having not been told that, you didnt know it was removable so this is a fair place to read it.


of course we try for good nutrients, but that has nothing to do with algae being in a tank, literally leaving it in there unwilling to do the removal work is the _cause_ of all problem algae tanks, not the nutrients. We've been out of order in attribution in the reefkeeping hobby, which is why algae battles have not progressed since i started reefing in 1999


.



So many creative ways to disallow. We'll do it with dandelions in a garden, but in a reef tank its HANDS OFF so problem algae tanks abound.
B

 

[Reefing Madness]

Can't use API to test for Phosphates, can't get them in the good range, because you don't have a number to go off of. You need a low range Hanna Checker, you want those numbers to fall .05-.03

 

[KJ]

A Simple Guide To Common Problematic Algae And The Means To Control It..

 

[KWceleste]

So I read somewhere on here that if I scrub reef rock with toothbrush (to get rid of algae build-up), the heavy die-off of algae will cause ammonia build-up. True?

 

[Russ265]

So I read somewhere on here that if I scrub reef rock with toothbrush (to get rid of algae build-up), the heavy die-off of algae will cause ammonia build-up. True?

no

 

[brandon429]

Agreed
No

Plants are low protein and thats the source for ammonia in our tanks.

The algae on your rocks has a mass of nutrients which does not match nor explain true po4 retention from daily feeding (the common notion that algae is up taking daily waste, lending no po4 in the water, a misnomer in nearly every example provided Ive seen)

If all your algae died at once in the tank it would be ideal, not negative. The scrubbing is an acceptable methods because it begins disallowing presence.

It is leaving active holdfasts to grow back over and over unnecessarily compared to other options but I won't nitpick. Scrubbing is active denial therefore I support it.

Using refugiums or specific po4 controls and a high quality po4 test kit is the most popular control method around.

 

[Reefing Madness]

So I read somewhere on here that if I scrub reef rock with toothbrush (to get rid of algae build-up), the heavy die-off of algae will cause ammonia build-up. True?

Nope, not true.
Also, when you brush it all off, unless you fix the problem, it will come right back on you.

 

[Russ265]

as madness and branden stated, without employing a preventitive measure, it will return.

ime po4 is usually the driver for nuisance algae. especially true if po4 is at a greater out-of-balance to nitrate.

look in to redfield ratio. employ phosgaurd or gfo, and keep things balanced and algae generally goes away.