Help! Algea is taking over my tank.....

[DrewM8]

Whelp if it wasn't for this forum I would have smashes my tank and called it quits but you all are so helpful here I go again.... as a beginner I have been through so much, from ich or velvet, to lighting issues and so on. So here I go .....

Long story short I setup the tsnk in June. Its a red sea reefer 20 gallon aio (awesome tank) I recently added fish after going fish less for 60 days from velvet. And I know everyone is going to tell me I shouldn't have over fed but I was so worried about my fish getting sick I wanted to keep them full and healthy (go ahead and tell me i messed up I know ) well now as a result of being an idiot overfeeding I have a brownish algea taking over my tank. I believe diatoms on the sand bed and I have a weird brown slimy and stinky, yes I did pull a frag out and smell it idk why. But its kinda long but all over frag plugs, some rocks and I do not know how to get rid of it. I went to my Lfs and got some nassarius snails and astrea snails and added them but I'm lost of what step to take next. I obviously need to cut back on feeding so ill cut back to once a day or should I cut back to every other day? I don't mind going through an algea phase but now I'm worried because some of my torches and hammers and frogspawns are not opening up as much as they used to... any advice is appreciated!!!

 

[brandon429]

removed option

 

[DrewM8]

This method was designed for 20 gallon nanos. Cleaning in this way doesn’t undo the cycle or fallow etc:

Cleaning in which way? Sorry im not following.

 

[brandon429]

.

 

[DrewM8]

That is my exact issue I think. I used a turkey baster and pumped at the sand and a huge cloud came up, rocks are the same way, small pump and it clouds up bad.

In the pic bottom left you can see my torches pretty small and middle right above the elgence you can see frogspawn same thing. Not opening barely. To the left the yellow hammer same issue....

 

[DrewM8]

After looking at those pics it doesn't look green. Its brown.... my algea has the same traits but isn't that greenish color.

 

[brandon429]

Removed

 

[DrewM8]

Here you go

Hey can u do all white lights we need it for diagnostics

but that tank is very nice it would respond well to a deep clean, before we began I’d post two other very recent jobs same size pretty much so you can see the order of steps they took



*you could also turn around the tank without a deep clean. Reasons I’d still do the clean instead is a nano is easy to fix vs a large tank and because removing the waste resets a nano reef back to like new, as often as you want to run it or not run it. It saves you weeks of testing and response wait, since tank is small a deep clean skip it all also works, we show.

Here you go

 

[DrewM8]

Can anyone else please chime in?!?!?!

 

[Alenya]

I overfeed as well :O Currently resorting to large water changes to export nutrients and planning to start vinegar dosing to help with nitrate export. No easy answers, I guess!

 

[F4TALREEFER]

1) you're over stocked for a 20gallon. That wrasse shouldn't be in there in my opinion.
2)Cut back feeding to every other day once a day (feed frozen i recommend rods or pe mysis) variety is nice
3) 30% water changes 3 days in a row to get your nutrients in check. Probably won't beable to test for nitrate or phosphate if its consuming it as fast as its produced.
4) manual removal with a toothbrush
5) add clean up crew (20-30dwarf cariths, 5 flordia cariths, 5 nasarius snails, cleaner shrimp, 4 or 5 trochus snails, some astrea snails, ninja snails, scarlet hermit, a few blue legs, few blue eyed about 5 of each. thats whats in my nuvo 20 and took them a month to erradicate gha well almost there will probably feed algae waffers once or twice a week after the tanks spotless). I reccommend @reefcleaners myself
6) weekly 25% waterchanges for a month see what happens
7)test water at least weekly weekly for big 3 and choose dosing regimend if needed\
8)run carbon,gfo,purigen mix in a mini reactor in back chamber
9)dial back light schedule to 8hrs a day
10)patience

my 10 tips to you and how I overcame my recent battle with gha outbreak that overan my tank to plague proportions ymmv

I wish I had photos unfortunately lost the past 6 months or so of photos due to sync error and phone destroyed.
But my tank was covered in 1-3 inch long gha after sitting neglected at my ex's place. At least she was nice enough to feed the 2 sole clowns that were in there (pellets fueling the fire). So I added a large amount of clrean up crew you may not need as many, but heavy in heavy out. If you want to feed a lot youll always have new algae growth for them to keep in check before you even notice it.

 

[DrewM8]

Holy cow! Thank you so much! I kinda am worried the wrasse is too big. I really don't want to get rid of him because ehe has so much personality

 

[frank10]

Hang in there!

Get that GFO running yesterday

 

[F4TALREEFER]

If you want a wrasse in a 20gallon six line (can get mean), 4 line (pricier sixline looks cooler imo supposedly nicer never kept one though) or pygmy wrasse (can be cryptic from my research) are like the only option that I know of.

 

[Tankkeepers]

I overfeed as well :O Currently resorting to large water changes to export nutrients and planning to start vinegar dosing to help with nitrate export. No easy answers, I guess!

Holy cow! Thank you so much! I kinda am worried the wrasse is too big. I really don't want to get rid of him because ehe has so much personality

If the wrasse is not cousing any problems other then a nutrient issues and is happy then just increase water change amount to account for extra nutrients I do a 25 percent water change ever single week and will be doing that for the entire tanks life carbon will help with any chemical warfare but not nutrients I also use nano packs of chemipure blue to help reduce amount of waste also any filter media you are using aka filter pads etc change every 3 days as this will help keep the nutrients from being broken down add a uv light to sterilize return pumps water will help keep it from sperading only dose vinegar etc if you are running a skimmer suck out whatever is growing with a gravel vacume and blow tje rest off with a turkey baster and use a filter sock to catch it and remove it

 

[Tankkeepers]

I over feed also I dont want to starve my little guys they get frozen mysis frozen spiralina brine new life spektrum small fish formula and reef roids every day

 

[Tankkeepers]

But I will add if your not prepared to do as others have recommended gfo alot of water changes changing pads often etc then I compleatly agree you need to drop your bioload

 

[F4TALREEFER]

They won't starve, they will eat algae (I believe all but the wrasse is an omnivore but more meat based diet, plus they will eat pods) I fed every other day for a month straight 2 clowns, sixline, and lawnmower blenny (until I rehomed sixline due to agresion after transferring him. )You have more fish so maybe every day smaller amounts.
What are you feeding if it's dry food switch to frozen imo.

 

[Tankkeepers]

Good luck and happy wishes

 

[Tankkeepers]

Also I keep see people to tell you to switch to frozen I would disagree on this as there are alot of nutrients in frozen food enless you wash it before use a high quality dry food will I'm my experience help with water quality as oposed to hurting it as long as you are not feeding more then they can eat