Huge Algae Problem
- Thread starter Dunnman39
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melypr1985
totally addicted
yes please provide more info on the tank, maintenance, and actual numbers for your water parameters. Are you using RODI water? Feeding too much? A picture might help too.
AllSignsPointToFish
"No Longer The Guy Without FaceBook"
The tap water is most likely the issue. You probably have high phosphates and nitrates which are driving the algae bloom.
AllSignsPointToFish
"No Longer The Guy Without FaceBook"
You need to use RODI water for water changes.
melypr1985
totally addicted
I agree. Tap water is going to cause a lot of algae issues for you. Best thing you can do is switch to RODI for all water changes and top off.
Pfisherman
Active Member
Listen though, many folks don't have a big enough tank towarran an rodi unit so it should be said that you can also use distilled water if that is more economical.
BlacknBlue2
Community Member
Reverse Osmosis DeIonizer
rayn
Bluefin Believer
Ro/di purifies your water to a TDS, total dissolved solids, of 0. Add salt and mix. This gives you a good starting point. Distilled water works if your tank is small. Otherwise a ro/di system will pay for itself in the long run.
chefjpaul
2500 Club Member
we began peroxide work exactly for this type of challenge, its clear the corals are being affected by the nutrient portion of removal or just the general changes to the tank, and when stressed will be stressed a little more by the peroxide additions in tank as well (but not to death, just as a contributor)
we're doing cumulative coral insults here, with the aim an an algae problem. the more you reverse that, the more you'll win. your peroxide work has been limited by 3% strengths, and internal tank dosing restrictions. done out of tank with amplified strength, results change. takes big work. again a single rock can be the test before the whole tank is done, high percentage peroxide cannot be ruled out as a fix here, we have too many examples of it handy being one.
*your magnesium is 10x better used as a direct application on target, out of tank, vs the water column, again that's a de-amplified mode and one that stresses nontargets.
A huge number of peroxide tanks were using po4 controls before and during the invasion, had nitrate levels we see in tanks not overgrown, its fascinating to see how on natural reefs having waters better than we'll attain after more GFO or carbon boosting (all have same ends) lots of gha grows for grazers to remove. the question is, will the corals get better or worse as nutrients they need are withheld here, we get indications along the way. we talked about nutrient controls as a trial here, but this is your first sign of changes that indicate possibly not (meaning hold course at your adapted nutrient levels, don't go higher or lower and truly exhaust direct-to-algae options)
to me, the difference between dissolved and suspended nutrients is key here. The suspended nutrients aren't bad; whole bits of food, proteins still complexed, not raw nitrogen/the dissolved ones are the algae food, post breakdown, those are the targets not the whole feed. lack of whole feed will also stress corals. The balance IMO isn't restricting feed, its increasing export of whole waste (mid breakdown in your sandbed) and maintaining strong feed so coral mass wont suffer.
If you raise alk during this type of starvation, it will accelerate bleaching. its my opinion no elevated alk until your tank is fixed is critical.
I believe that addresses why many tanks undergoing nutrient controls have coral changing issues, the long term water palette is being affected to try and kill an invader adapted to lower nutrients than we'll present in the end. some tanks do win in the end we see, and some don't. I gravitate towards algae controls that have predictable outcomes, and its my opinion we attack corals too much using conventional controls.
Its not that nutrient controls are wrong, its just they are preventatives not good removers/catch up
we've covered in the thread about how corals are adapted to one mode fine...a productive tank mode that may have algae as a limited side effect of production. By leaving in place it gains a foothold sans grazer, not because the water is poor quality or you'd have reported coral problems before your algae problems
Once algae is in place, if direct rock access out of tank is ruled out then options are reduced. in tank treatments of peroxide can be changed largely to affect the outcome, and real nutrient reduction is done by addressing the largest sink in the tank, the sandbed, or all else is a bandaid including vodka dosing, heavier skimming or more GFO.
If we are going the waste route we must go the work route before the doser or adsorbtion route-if your tank was coming to my house to be GHA free it would be a new sandbed upon transfer, all rocks scrubbed of detritus, and a few rounds of 35% external at which point GHA would get the boot. The only change to your tank should be an aquascape that temporarily allows for access outside of tank, on top of brand new sand. not chemical adjustments to the water IMO but I realize its hard to stop the train once started, our whole hobby is built on that approach and most online examples we draw from comes from more nutrient stripping (and also shows the need for changings in the current mode, progression is needed)
in 2016, we're going to be rip cleaning a lot of sandbeds, watch. down with detritus. I think your nutrient reduction should be focused on the sandbed and then maintained at normal levels, not stripped enough to starve algae this quickly, all the life in the tank was adapted to a higher level of nutrient that wasn't necessarily bad.
I say make nutrients ideal, not zero, and do external treatments. We've never been beaten by GHA before where the amplifiers could be ran, but with in tank only work yes is possible nothing can stop the algae, clearly this is an adapted strain you were already pre-addressing things before the issue came about. Also factoring the number of tanks who reversed GHA with nutrient or lights or other changes, theres potential there as well. my idea was just about not ruling out true external work as its the one method you can pre test without a full tank commitment.
Ummmmm.....
Maybe a tad slower on this one?
StrawberryShortcake
Community Member
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what type of algae are you getting ? There are many different reasons.
Chef,
-use ignore button -
had meant that for djbetterlys thread, edited and moved over. applicable here as well, but moved since you pointed it out.
-use ignore button -
had meant that for djbetterlys thread, edited and moved over. applicable here as well, but moved since you pointed it out.
Last edited:
chefjpaul
2500 Club Member
No idea what you referencing.
Don't remember, nor was trying to insult your feelings.
Just trying not to overload this thread if not necessary.
I do agree with your post, but-
Just a lot of info for a simple solution that is maybe not needed at this particular time.
I personally think an RODI / or distilled water sources will remedy this situation.
Don't remember, nor was trying to insult your feelings.
Just trying not to overload this thread if not necessary.
I do agree with your post, but-
Just a lot of info for a simple solution that is maybe not needed at this particular time.
I personally think an RODI / or distilled water sources will remedy this situation.
