algee problems

[meteor]

Hi all!
Im new here and because this forum is the best i hope u can help me.
I have a new 500L aq + 120L sump, now its 4m old, but i have still problems
with algee, some green and ciano, not sure what to do.
I have new lamp Pacific Sun 8x54w, skimmer Deltec 2061sc,
tunze 6105 + tunze 6085.
Parameters:
Kh 9.3
Ca 340
Mg 1260
Po4 0 (im using deltec antifos)
No2 0,025
No3 0

Please what can be problem?

 

[Cory]

Hi all!
Im new here and because this forum is the best i hope u can help me.
I have a new 500L aq + 120L sump, now its 4m old, but i have still problems
with algee, some green and ciano, not sure what to do.
I have new lamp Pacific Sun 8x54w, skimmer Deltec 2061sc,
tunze 6105 + tunze 6085.
Parameters:
Kh 9.3
Ca 340
Mg 1260
Po4 0 (im using deltec antifos)
No2 0,025
No3 0

Please what can be problem?

Hey, nice tank! I love hippos.

The algae is coming from the bacteria breaking down organics converting it to po4 no3. Most likely its in your sandbed, and a little in the pockets of rocks. And very little in the water as dissolved organics. Those are the big three. It comes in from the food you feed. As much as 90% of the food a fish eats, gets pooped out as various things. Some studies say 45% organic and 35% po4 released and available to algae immediately. Thats according to rhf article.

In my tank, its bare without any sand. I also have a swirl filter. It collects the uneaten fish food and poo. This is what I get every day in the pic.

There are various chemical ways to fight algae, but i prefer to use an algae turf scrubber/ iron oxide po4 remover only if it cant keep up.

Id also reccomended moving the top layer of the sand daily some how.

 

[meteor]

Hi,

thanks for help,
Ok, i will try to remove top layer of the sand with a hose, like water changing.
Im using Deltec antiphos for PO4.
i have little problems with green algee, but thats not aproblem because cleaning team is doing a great job, mostly at night.
So i can try also feeding less?

 

[meteor]

Im waiting to solve this problem so i can put in more corals...
thats why aquarium is so empty...

 

[Cory]

Hi,

thanks for help,
Ok, i will try to remove top layer of the sand with a hose, like water changing.
Im using Deltec antiphos for PO4.
i have little problems with green algee, but thats not aproblem because cleaning team is doing a great job, mostly at night.
So i can try also feeding less?

You can try feeding less, but in my experience cyano is there because youve got lots of food in that sand. So slowing the food input may stress the fish while not doing much for the cyano problem. Bacterial action imo is a slow process so it will take a long time for all that food to be removed by the bacteria.

In my previous tank, cyano would grow in the corners where the food/poo would settle. It was also a lower flow area. So it settled there.

Cyano is a bit of a mystery for most reefers. It comes and goes and its a very ancient "bacteria". Its a photosynthetic bacteria. So is it plant or bacteria? Strange.

What kind of water are you using to replace evaporation? Ro/di?

 

[meteor]

Im using 3m old aquili RO/DI.
Yes, true they need light, because in morning almost there is no cyano, but at evening....
ok, so i need to be patient... try to slovely remove it from sand. would it help if i remove al sand,
and give a new one after i dont know, like in 1 m?

 

[Cory]

Im using 3m old aquili RO/DI.
Yes, true they need light, because in morning almost there is no cyano, but at evening....
ok, so i need to be patient... try to slovely remove it from sand. would it help if i remove al sand,
and give a new one after i dont know, like in 1 m?

patience sometimes works, cyano is highly evolved pain in the ... you can remove the sand, and replace it, but poo will still collect and food too.

Is the tds 0 of your water? Unless you want to remove your sand completely or use something like chemipure, i doubt youll get rid of it easily. Do you use a skimmer?

 

[meteor]

yes i have TRD from tunze, its 0 or 1.
Yes course, im using Deltec 2061sc

 

[meteor]

TDS

 

[Cory]

yes i have TRD from tunze, its 0 or 1.
Yes course, im using Deltec 2061sc

Ok thanks. Great skimmer choice! 0 is good 1 is questionable but not much a concern.

A few problems i see is your two powerheads are near the top, which is fine, but not to prevent the poo/ food settling on the sand. Id reccomended a maxspect gyre 150 to really get that water moving in there. Then the sand can move. Second is your sand is coarse no? Its not very fine sand right? That kind of sand collects food/poo rather efficiently, so it may help with more flow at the sand, and a finer sand choice.

 

[meteor]

thanks.
Yes its not so fine sand. i think best will be to remove it and replace it with fine sand?
i was thinkign about gyro 150. for first i will put more flow to the bottom?

 

[Cory]

thanks.
Yes its not so fine sand. i think best will be to remove it and replace it with fine sand?
i was thinkign about gyro 150. for first i will put more flow to the bottom?

Yeah you can add a finer grade of sand, but sand usually fills up eventually. Its so hard to say bye to sand when it looks so nice. My tanks underside is painted white with a can of "sand spraypaint". Looks sort of like sand. Thats what i would do, but its kind of breaking my morals telling a reefer not to have sand lol. Some people put starboard plastic on the bottom to look like sand and prevent rocks from falling and breaking the glass.

You will be happy with a gyre, but maybe not with fine sand, it really makes a mess of sand lol. But in a bb tank theres no worry, no sand. My worry with my gyre is if the fish can handle the flow lol. Id go for something in the middle of super fine and medium grade sand. But its no gaurantee cyano wont return. Imo a bb tank is.

 

[meteor]

yes i know, sand its so nice to look
Ok i will try to find gyro for my reef, ist any diff it its from maxspect od jebao?

 

[Cory]

yes i know, sand its so nice to look
Ok i will try to find gyro for my reef, ist any diff it its from maxspect od jebao?

I wanted to buy a jeabo too, but read a thread today saying the motor dies after two months. If money was a concern id try and buy a used gyre. At least you can buy a new gyre motor for like 50$, not sure if you can with the jabo.

In my experience though marketed by china sometimes isnt made very well. Id be constantly worried about it falling apart and maybe having copper coils exposed.

I bought a black box led that said "auto dims", from China. guess what? It just turns on and off lol. It didnt dim at all. Now i use a kessil led which imo is vastly cooler than my old black box. And it has auto dim lol. So its hit and miss with those China products. But honestly i would buy one if I needed one. But would be worried about it breaking.

 

[meteor]

yes i know, thats the problem of this China products.
I must checked if can i get Maxspect in Slovenia... i think not

 

[Cory]

yes i know, thats the problem of this China products.
I must checked if can i get Maxspect in Slovenia... i think not

Id use jabo then

 

[meteor]

China stuff sux i know...

 

[meteor]

Ok i will try to get one...

 

[meteor]

Hi again...
i have another "problem"
I will change the sand, but im in dilema.. to buy live sand (prebagged) or dry sand?
Can any one tell me the diff and if its worth the money?

 

[Cory]

Hi again...
i have another "problem"
I will change the sand, but im in dilema.. to buy live sand (prebagged) or dry sand?
Can any one tell me the diff and if its worth the money?

Well the main difference is that live sand has bacteria that can help with ammonia reduction. But I wouldn't worry much if you choose dry or live sand. Dry sand eventually becomes live too. The problem isn't the type of sand, its the movement of the sand. If i were going to buy sand id buy live sand just because its from the ocean. But the algae may still come back.