Although I dont have a reef aquarium, I have a 210 gallon fish only marine aquarium that I have nuisance red and brown algae that I cant seem to get rid of. My tank equipment is a Fluval FX4 canister filter , a 36 gallon sump with three 200 micron sock that I clean and change out on a regular basis, I run a 36 watt UV sterilizer and a high quality Protein skimmer. Lights are on 10 hours daily and I feed very sparingly. I was contemplating purchasing an algae scrubber and installing it, but dont want to buy another piece of equipment that doesnt work. My tank has good flow and the fish are doing real good. Its just that the tank looks terrible with algae growing everywhere. Any help and suggestions are much appreciated. A photo is enclosed to show the overgrowth of algae. Agains thanks in advance for your help
Help with an algae problem
- Thread starter kwp
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JasonK84
I want more!!!
Why 10 hours a day on a fish only aquarium? I only run mine in the evening when we are home to view it. I also started dosing vibrant weekly just to keep it looking pristine. Today I took out several coral insert pieces and bleached them to clear them of the GHA that started growing on the upper level of the tank. I would recommend decreasing intensity and duration of your lighting.
Tell us more about your setup. How long has the tank been running?
Tell us more about your setup. How long has the tank been running?
Ditch the canister.
That fx has a lot of bio-bank, which can become full. You could take half the media out periodically and clean or replace it but that promotes swings.
A scrubber imo would be good for many reasons...
Run light opposite the display will help stabilize ph.
Will lessen the amount of water changes you need big time.
Gives you visual of how fast it grows which tells you if/when nutrients are going up or down.
That fx has a lot of bio-bank, which can become full. You could take half the media out periodically and clean or replace it but that promotes swings.
A scrubber imo would be good for many reasons...
Run light opposite the display will help stabilize ph.
Will lessen the amount of water changes you need big time.
Gives you visual of how fast it grows which tells you if/when nutrients are going up or down.
the tank has been up and running 18 months I maintain 1.025 salinity and a temperature of 76 degrees. Does everyone think that decreasing the duration of my lighting would make this algae problem go away? Any other recommendations?Why 10 hours a day on a fish only aquarium? I only run mine in the evening when we are home to view it. I also started dosing vibrant weekly just to keep it looking pristine. Today I took out several coral insert pieces and bleached them to clear them of the GHA that started growing on the upper level of the tank. I would recommend decreasing intensity and duration of your lighting.
Tell us more about your setup. How long has the tank been running?
DesertReefT4r
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Looks like cyano. Treat the tank with Red Slimer Remover or Cyano RX. Ditch the canister filter, they are waste traps that become nitrate factories if they are not cleaned weekly and you dont need it with a sump and skimmer.
