HELP: Algae taking over tank and coral

[johnacharles93]

Iv been having a lot of algae growing all over my tank. According to reefkeepers.org it is a combination of*Calothrix and a green film algae. *I'll attach pictures of what they both look like.*I'm not sure what exactly they are...


Today I scrubbed most of the rock with a toothbrush and sucked up as much as I could. In the next few days I plan on changing the aquascape and rinse/cleaning the sand. Id prefer not to have to change all the water since that is very costly.

What should I do? I'd like to get this under control so that I can look into getting a BTA and to keep my tank safe.

 

[mike007]

Nusiance algae is caused by excess nutrients . Most problems are from overfeeding. You need to check your nitrates and phosphates. Also make sure you are using rodi water. Water changes will help but you have to determine the cause of the nutrients. Also many people have success with elevated magnesium levels and cuc.

 

[johnacharles93]

I buy RODI from the fish store. My feeding routine is anywhere from 2-3 times a week. What is cuc? I don't currently dose and would like to avoid it.

 

[Fin]

I would suggest getting a TDS meter, or get the LFS to check the TDS with a meter before you buy the water. If they don't have a meter, I would not trust their water until I checked it myself. Don't trust that they are giving you water with 0 TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), which is what you should be using.

Oh, and CUC means Clean Up Crew (primarily snails & hermits).

 

[Small triggers]

Your best bet is as others have said and check your incoming water source...also, don't pull your sand and rinse it...if you feel it's doing something stir 1/4 of the sand bed once a month....you may also want to check your flow...making sure it's moving stuff to your overflow box and not sending it behind your rocks...and use a turkey baster or something similar t blow the detritus off of your rocks every few days...

 

[johnacharles93]

Yeah I'm going to try to get a lot of snails and stuff from the lfs since there will be a big sale.

I'm going to test their water at some point too.

I thought it's bad to stir up the sand doesn't that risk a tank crash from bacteria and detritus?