I can't seem to keep my tank "algae-free"

Marc2952 · Jun 10, 2020

DangerDave said:
I welcome algae, it’s part of a healthy mature reef tank. If you dont have enough nutrients to grow algae, you don’t have a enough to grow coral. Having the right inhabitants that can keep it algae in check is the key in my opinion.

Exactly i personally welcome GHA as long as you have the CUC to keep it in check.

Copingwithpods · Jun 10, 2020

Something that hasn't been mentioned is take it slow, everything you do or change manifests itself weeks later, so any problem you're fighting now was caused 2 weeks ago. Don't chase your own tail, it's easier to have slightly elevated phosphates and nitrates and deal with gha than it is to deal with dinos. Try to maintain phosphates between 0.03 and 0.09. Up your cuc and manually remove it until it is at a point where your cuc can do the rest but again go slow, stabilize your feeding or adjust your fuge to achieve the above levels.

I always have a little gha in my tank (I think most people do but they'll never show you that lol) when it seams like my CUC isnt taking caring of it I'll go in and give it a squirt of h2o2 to knock it back. I don't aim to kill all of it because my CUC do eat it but I do every now and then prune it back. I think a little algae is a normal part of any reef.

Unless it blooms of course.

Teemingtank · Jun 11, 2020

I have the same issue, except with diatoms. I’ll siphon detritus every other day into a filter sock and dose some microbe lift from petco (smells awful but it works really well). Algae will be under control for a day or two after, then it’ll come right back. I assume once I get some heavy coralline growth it won’t be as bad! Patience is key. With a smaller system have you considered a Court Jester goby? It won’t necessarily fix your problem, but I’ve noticed they are similar to tangs and will eat the algae that grow at the base of corals.

good luck!

DangerDave · Jun 11, 2020

DangerDave said:
I welcome algae, it’s part of a healthy mature reef tank. If you dont have enough nutrients to grow algae, you don’t have a enough to grow coral. Having the right inhabitants that can keep it algae in check is the key in my opinion.

lol my typing is horrible!

BitFix · Jun 11, 2020

Teemingtank said:
I have the same issue, except with diatoms. I’ll siphon detritus every other day into a filter sock and dose some microbe lift from petco (smells awful but it works really well). Algae will be under control for a day or two after, then it’ll come right back. I assume once I get some heavy coralline growth it won’t be as bad! Patience is key. With a smaller system have you considered a Court Jester goby? It won’t necessarily fix your problem, but I’ve noticed they are similar to tangs and will eat the algae that grow at the base of corals.

good luck!

I didn't even know there was a herbivorous goby, they also look pretty cool, I will definitively be in the look out for one.

Reading a bit more about them, they seem to be very hard to feed. Maybe not the best fish, since I travel often.

LardLad · Jun 12, 2020

With your tank now being a year old now is a great time to perform a deep Rip Clean of the sand bed. Once you do that you can start feeding corals heavily.

Maybe no one has said this to you yet but the best way to achieve your goal of zero algae is to place as much Coral flesh in your tank as you can support. Also try to acheive 100% Coralline algae coverage of your rock. The strongest "out-competitor" of algae is coral. Just as it is your best bet for nutrient control and the best clean up crew as well.

Something to think about.

LRT · Jun 12, 2020

Dan_P said:
I added 15 Mexican turbos to a fish only tank that was heavily infested with GHA. I thought that was a good number. In one week, all the GHA was gone. In two to three weeks, all the surfaces were completely clean. Guess what? I now have 15 snails to feed every day!

These guys do work for sure but do like to take frags out of rack is as well lol.
Recently went thru a major bout of hair algae and you could literally see a strand of algae floating behind them as they mowed through it.

BitFix · Jun 12, 2020

LardLad said:
With your tank now being a year old now is a great time to perform a deep Rip Clean of the sand bed. Once you do that you can start feeding corals heavily.

Maybe no one has said this to you yet but the best way to achieve your goal of zero algae is to place as much Coral flesh in your tank as you can support. Also try to acheive 100% Coralline algae coverage of your rock. The strongest "out-competitor" of algae is coral. Just as it is your best bet for nutrient control and the best clean up crew as well.

Something to think about.

I constantly agitate my sandbed, and blow it with a turkey baster too, so I'm not very worried with detritus collecting in the sand. I am trying to get some more coralline algae, the issue is my alkalinity tends to drop a lot even though I don't have that much growth, so I'm still adjusting that.

LardLad · Jun 12, 2020

BitFix said:
I constantly agitate my sandbed, and blow it with a turkey baster too, so I'm not very worried with detritus collecting in the sand. I am trying to get some more coralline algae, the issue is my alkalinity tends to drop a lot even though I don't have that much growth, so I'm still adjusting that.

This challenging period is the best time to work on getting your alkalinity stable because all of that coralline algae will tear up the alkalinity and calcium as it tries to build itself and then crust itself on your rock. I remember being surprised in the fast growth phase of Coraline that just how much alkalinity it tore up. In my Nano I like to use the Tropic Marin all for Reef

BitFix · Jun 12, 2020

LardLad said:
This challenging period is the best time to work on getting your alkalinity stable because all of that coralline algae will tear up the alkalinity and calcium as it tries to build itself and then crust itself on your rock. I remember being surprised in the fast growth phase of Coraline that just how much alkalinity it tore up. In my Nano I like to use the Tropic Marin all for Reef

The most frustrating thing is that my display has very little coralline, but my sump is full of it, which makes maintenance a bit annoying. I am dosing baking soda to keep alk stable, I have seen better coral growth almost immediately.

LardLad · Jun 12, 2020

I know there are mixed thoughts about baking soda here. I don't know enough about that to say anything intelligent.

Teemingtank · Jun 15, 2020

BitFix said:
I didn't even know there was a herbivorous goby, they also look pretty cool, I will definitively be in the look out for one.

Reading a bit more about them, they seem to be very hard to feed. Maybe not the best fish, since I travel often.

They aren’t entirely herbivores but they do a little picking. Mine eats everything, including pellets, guess it all depends on the fish

best of luck!

BitFix · Jun 22, 2020

aqua_code said:
algae free tank would be a disaster!

I recommend a UV sterilizer to keep dinos under control. Also limit water changes while they are still in the ecosystem. Every water change gives them new nutrients. After the tank has matured - you won't have a problem with them. Microbacter 7 and OceanMagik also helps.

After you get UV running - just target the GHA. I personally use GFO to keep GHA very whispy and light looking. That's when I know my phosphates are in the correct range.

I got a UV sterilizer and thought it would help out, but it doesn't seem to be having much of an effect. It's a 8W UV with a 150gph pump. My dinos are the one that go away at night, so I'm confused on why my UV won't work. Is it too weak for my tank (it's about 30g)?