Green algae

[JVH]

I have a 29g with live rock. almost 2 month old with live stock. water parameters are all good except calcium is low. I will be addressing that tonight with an additive.
I went through a diatom bloom which cleared up nicely and now I am getting green algae on my rocks and glass which I do clean everyday.
It's not too out of control but I am wondering how to get It off the rocks? Will It fade on it's own when the algae dissipates? And any idea if its going to get worse before it gets better? Or can I just ride it out like this?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
btw.. I don't think its green hair sine its just a film unless that will happen.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Need the phosphate and nitrate readings.
Could be a Green Cyano

 

[JVH]

Need the phosphate and nitrate readings.
Could be a Green Cyano

0.5 = phosphate
30ppm= nitrate after a water change it drops to about 10 to 15 ppm

The green seems really in bedded in the rock.. Is there something I can do to get rid of it? Or will it go away on its own?

 

[Reefing Madness]

More flow in those areas to keep it at bay.
And, your phosphates are really high, they should be kept under .05

 

[mike007]

Your tank Is still fairly new and you will incur some algae issues. Keep a eye on your phosphates and nitrates and when they creep up keep doing your water changes. As the tank matures these algae's should go away. Also do you have a cuc? They will help control the algae. Be careful and don't overfeed tank that increases nutrients which fuel the algae.

 

[JVH]

Your tank Is still fairly new and you will incur some algae issues. Keep a eye on your phosphates and nitrates and when they creep up keep doing your water changes. As the tank matures these algae's should go away. Also do you have a cuc? They will help control the algae. Be careful and don't overfeed tank that increases nutrients which fuel the algae.

Yes I do have a CUC.. I have two leopard and two other sand sifters snails three or four hermit crabs and about 10 snails or so... Do you recommend anything else that I can add? Sounds like a lot but considering I hardly see any of them I feel like I could probably get a few more and target them specifically to the green algae... What would be good for that specifically? And do you think the green on the rocks will fade out back to normal looking?

 

[mike007]

Yes I do have a CUC.. I have two leopard and two other sand sifters snails three or four hermit crabs and about 10 snails or so... Do you recommend anything else that I can add? Sounds like a lot but considering I hardly see any of them I feel like I could probably get a few more and target them specifically to the green algae... What would be good for that specifically? And do you think the green on the rocks will fade out back to normal looking?

Yes I think it will go away in time if you maintain your parameters. I just set up another tank and it took a couple months before it cleared up. I also added a long spinned urchin which to me cleans up algae faster and better than anything else I have tried. Just be care full with your feeding . What lights are you using?

 

[JVH]

Yes I think it will go away in time if you maintain your parameters. I just set up another tank and it took a couple months before it cleared up. I also added a long spinned urchin which to me cleans up algae faster and better than anything else I have tried. Just be care full with your feeding . What lights are you using?

I hope so I really don't like green rocks! LOL
I am using the Orbit marine LED strip from current.. I heard it was a good light to use because it doesn't get too hot and it ramps up in the morning and ramps down at night with the moonlight setting.. It was a good compromise when I was spending so much money on everything I couldn't spend anymore for some lights were like $500! I hope it's not my light was in the problem... I do have it on for the 12 hour setting of daylight four hours of moonlight then it shuts off and then slowly turns back on in the morning

 

[JVH]

Here is a picture of some of my kids with the green rocks in the background

 

[harryball69]

your tank is young. dont overfeed and maybe cut back on your light cycle a half hour also. small things make big changes. reef on

 

[JVH]

your tank is young. dont overfeed and maybe cut back on your light cycle a half hour also. small things make big changes. reef on

I was thinking about cutting back on the lighting but I thought I needed it for coral growth and health

 

[chill86]

I would run the lights 8 hours a day with a hour on each end for sunrise/sunset. If the room gets sunlight that could also effect the algae. It looks like you started off with dry rock and that takes atleast 6 months to reach the pretty stage where coraline is present. You can add some coraline scrapings from a fellow reefers tank to speed things up a little. It is perfectly normal for the rocks to go through an ugly stage. Running gfo and carbon will eliminate alot of algae and turn the water crystal clear. Feed verry small amounts at a time, the fish should eat the food before it hits the sandbed. Another great cuc member is the mexican turbo snail. They may nock over a frag here or there but a single turbo will do the work of 5 or 6 asterina's.

 

[JVH]

I would run the lights 8 hours a day with a hour on each end for sunrise/sunset. If the room gets sunlight that could also effect the algae. It looks like you started off with dry rock and that takes atleast 6 months to reach the pretty stage where coraline is present. You can add some coraline scrapings from a fellow reefers tank to speed things up a little. It is perfectly normal for the rocks to go through an ugly stage. Running gfo and carbon will eliminate alot of algae and turn the water crystal clear. Feed verry small amounts at a time, the fish should eat the food before it hits the sandbed. Another great cuc member is the mexican turbo snail. They may nock over a frag here or there but a single turbo will do the work of 5 or 6 asterina's.

No I did have live rock 27 pounds of it!! And I will say I don't have an issue with my water not being clear.. It's as if it's really affecting just the rocks because even the glass gets a little green but it's not that bad just mainly all the rocks...
They never dried out...

Definitely have a feeding issue I know that and I'm going to slowly start cutting back.. Here is why. My first fish that I purchased was a baby clown it was really tiny.. The only food it would eat was flake food crumbled up really tiny.. Howletts brine nothing it wouldn't touch! Then I got another crown which was about twice the size(they are best friends by the way) and this guy eats everything no issues... Then I have a yellow watchman goby who I purchased pretty small.. He's in a cave now and never ever comes totally out just peaked his head out..
Only way he gets food is when it floats directly in front of him or hit him in the head!
I've watched food float right near him and practically land on him to the point where I thought maybe he was blind but I think he's still just scared to come out.. Occasionally I get lucky with the turkey baster and directs food in his area and he will grab a piece if it's directly in front of him..
So for fear of not getting enough food to the baby clown and the Gobi I feed more than I should but I really want to stop...

My way of thinking about this is once the little fish starts eating more and other types of food and the Gobi comes out and it's more I would just speed once a day I feel like if they miss out on my morning feeding them they're going to not have anything to eat so the next day and if they miss out on that one then what?

It's the nurturing mother in me which makes me worry about them not eating enough LOL
Just want see both of them eating like the others.

 

[JVH]

How do you edit a post once it's been posted? I use voice to text all the time and I feel stupid with my mistakes I need to go back and correct but I don't see how

 

[chill86]

On other forums there is a edit option on the bottom right hand side of the post, I don't think they have one on here. Maybe someone will chime in on that. As for feeding, i would just feed once a day. It helps to be really still when feeding because the lightest movement can spook the fish. I had a yellow watchman at one point and he would only come out of his cave to eat, he started off as being shy but after a couple weeks he would come out about a foot or so out of his cave, grab the food and shoot back in there.

 

[JVH]

Here is a very cool video of my yellow watchman and the pistol shrimp. I hope it comes out where you can see it. I had just put in the watchmen and he went to hide after 10 minutes I put in the pistol who immediately started digging thankfully in front of the tank. Within five minutes the Gobi started approaching the pistol from the back of the tank until he found him..
They were NOT a match to pair from the store. They came from separate tanks and never saw each other before yet within 10 minutes of going in my tank this is what happened!

It's so awesome but now I'm disappointed because they both hide and I rarely see them I only see about a quarter of an inch of the gobies head. And sometimes I think I'm only imagining it LOL

 

[harryball69]

yes. cut back your light cycle. 12hrs is too much. 8hrs plus an hr of blue sunrise and sunset. yes your getting growth. but unwanted growth also..

 

[JVH]

yes. cut back your light cycle. 12hrs is too much. 8hrs plus an hr of blue sunrise and sunset. yes your getting growth. but unwanted growth also..

I just changed my settings for seven hours of light instead of 12... It's in the room that gets light anyway not direct sunlight The room is fairly bright.. Hope that helps!

Thanks a lot!