Filtration suggestions needed! Help!

[NanoReefRich]

Wondering if you all could help me out a bit. I have a couple questions. I had purchased the custom media baskets from intank. In the first column on the right i had filter floss, matrix, purfiltrum, and phosfiltrum. In the second column I put some chaeto. However the chaeto did not do well. It got all covered in brown stuff and did not look healthy. So, I decided to remove it. On the opposite side I have a small thing of filter floss in the first column and then run my skimmer in the second column. I’m wondering what suggestions are for the right side where I had the chaeto? Now it’s just a empty slot. Should I try it again with a better grow light? Any suggestions on how best to run the filtration on this tank would be greatly appreciated.

So, my second issue seems to be some brown hair algae. It’s all over my tank. How do I combat this? I have some snails and such, but it’s not helping. I read maybe a better light than the stock skyye lights?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Subsea]

Welcome to the hobby. I am addicted to reefing now for 48 years.

I am not familiar with your tank/system. Is this your first reef tank? How long has this second tank been set up? What was your experience with the first tank?

Until you provide more information, I will guess that your tank is progressing through its normal algae cycle. Chaetomorphy does not do well with new tank conditions.

With respect to nuisance algae, look at this link and find your nuisance algae and “the solutions”. Check out Dino’s. It looks like what you have.

https://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide

 

[NanoReefRich]

My tank started as a Fluval 13.5 in early November. After it cycled I moved it over to a Nuvo 20. I used 50% of the water from the Fluval and all of the live rock. This tank has been set up for 3 weeks now. Stock in my tank are 2 clown fish, an emerald crab, a sexy shrimp, one green star polyp, 2 acan frags, 2 ninja star snails, a pair of hermit crabs, and 2 other snails. This only started after I added some Chaeto and the Ninja Star Snails. As I read the article provided getting rid of it seems like an impossible task to many people. I did more ready and a lot of folks just started a new tank. This is very discouraging.

 

[Subsea]

“Impossible task” sounds like a defeatist. You have a minimal amount of hair algae that is not that big of a deal.

IMO, the in tank refugium is too small to be of practical use for nutrient export. Also, IMO, a protein skimmer in a 20G tank is of little use when partial water changes are everything you need for nutrient export in your display. Just perform routine vacuume of sand-bed and symphon alge and detritus out.

With respect to your in tank refugium, I suggest you put coral rubble in there as a matrix to grow pods.

Use your refugium as a zooplankton reactor to feed your tank and use partial water changes for nutrient export.

 

[NanoReefRich]

“Impossible task” sounds like a defeatist. You have a minimal amount of hair algae that is not that big of a deal.

IMO, the in tank refugium is too small to be of practical use for nutrient export. Also, IMO, a protein skimmer in a 20G tank is of little use when partial water changes are everything you need for nutrient export in your display. Just perform routine vacuume of sand-bed and symphony alge and detritus out.

With respect to your in tank refugium, I suggest you put coral rubble in there as a matrix to grow pods.

Use your refugium as a zooplankton reactor to feed your tank and use partial water changes for nutrient export.

Thank you for the feedback. Certainly not trying to be defeatists. Just going off of what I have read. I will definitely look into the coral rubble. That sounds like a solid idea. Thank you very much!

 

[Subsea]

Using phosphate removal resin (GFO) on a new tank is not desirable. As a generalization, using anything other than activated carbon on a new tank is detrimental. Everything that is organic requires phosphate to grow. Unless test show excessive phosphate, continuous use of phosphate removal resin is detrimental in a reef tank.

Macro algae & coral use nutrients in this ratio: 560:30:1 of carbon:nitrogenhosphate. In general, lower nutrients favor undesirable algae. Think about that when you use phosphate removal resin. Both of the resins you are using remove phosphate from the water.

 

[NS Mike D]

my 2 cents to add, and of course, what I am about to say is debatable, but I am comfortable relying on the experience of those who have helped me come up with this view,

1. Focus on growing corals to out compete the undesirable nuisance algae and bacteria.
2. This means picking your target numbers and keeping them as stable as possible. There are lots of articles posting desired water parameters , but they all seem to fall within the same range. As already mentioned, chasing zeros has the opposite desired affect, favoring the nuisance stuff over corals. Red Sea publishes various target numbers and care programs I highly recommend as a starting point.
3. Get good test kits. for example, API marine test kits for NO3 and PO4 are not sufficiently sensitive for reef tanks.
4. It's only nuisance if you deem it to be --- I'll get right back to that.
5. New tanks favor nuisance algae and bacteria. AKA the"new tank uglies" . These are the most simplest forms of life and are the building blocks, so over billions of years, they have evolved to show up first and be ever present. It takes lots of time, like years, for a tank to establish the micro and macro balance that keeps nuisance at bay. ie out-competing for nutrients AND space. Focus on keeping your corals happy so they will grow and take over the rock work and give time for the micro fauna to develop.
6 see number 4. The stuff is ever present because it's part of the balance. IMO, you never get rid of all of it. You finally achieve a level you can live with and you eyes look more at your beautiful coral rather than the algae (which is also feeding and hosting pods and other good stuff).
7. Smaller tanks lack the natural helpers, like tangs, that will nip at algae all day keeping it at bay. Most of the CUC will avoid the nuisance stuff, but tuxedo urchins are super rock scrubbers that are often left off CUC lists. They are nano compatible hardy and peaceful. IMO, tuxedo urchins do the job in nanos that tangs do in larger tanks. Plus they are beautiful and intriguing additions

Suck it up for now both literally and figuratively