Mowing the lawn..

[cdness]

I would do the rocks in sections, but keep the algae covered ones away from the others. Hit the worst ones first and try a lights out for a few days. Tou don't have demanding corals yet so it will not hurt to put the tank into total darkness for a few days.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

I had a massive algae cycle after I moved. Basically I took a larger system and by split it up by parts for temporary holding while I a am setting the 125 up again...
Well that tank that I put the DSB with my mangroves in is fine, it houses my petco hermit crab, well The tank with all the rocks was now seperate from the sand bed and it caused all the rock to grow hair and cyano. I am still working on the build, thus am still also battling nuisances. besides actually finding your source of algae production, you will pretty much be "mowing the Lawn."

Ways I "Mow my Reef" during blooms.
1)Lights off and covered w/ cardboard for 3 days.
2)add more snails
3)skim wet.
4)and ATO helps ALOT.

maybe even look into an ATS (algae Turf Scrubber). I had one setup for 8 or 9 months and the whole time it was running I could literally drop a LB of hamburger meat in the tank and it wouldnt affect it. Not that I advise IT.
Basically It was a slanted piece of acryillic that poured into my sump. On the Acryllic I roughed up some of that WalMart Needle Point Plastic Grid Stuff and glued it on the sheet. It was a green hairy waterfall that absorbed nearly everything at a fairly rapid speed. essentially it is a controlled area that is more ideal for algae growth than your display tank. There is TONS of info on those out there as well. I also did not use a skimmer during the ATS stage of my tank.

Why dont I still use it? I wanted mangroves and think that an ATS would be to nutrient hungry and leave the Mangroves thirsty. I now have 5 that have been showing growth for a few months now, but I utilize a skimmer now, The worlds quietest skimmer

 

[joejoe1055]

u could also try algaefix, it will kill the it then pull it out and siphon the rest , i dont like using chemicals myself but it may help u out
a ATS is great if u got the room for it, your hangon fuge will help when it gets going
this battle wont be won overnight keep at it and keep us updated

 

[mallorieGgator]

I don't think any one has asked this: are you using ro/di water from your OWN unit?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

 

[mallorieGgator]

Also, what are your water parameters? You should have your own test kits and do your own tests.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

 

[feh]

It looks like a lot has been tossed at you with things to look into. Aside from finding the root cause of your algae issues I would recommend setting up a maintenance regimine and stick with it. Also a quick fix for the broken timer is a cheapo mechanical one you can plug into the electrical outlet and plug the lights into. This will get you by until you can replace the one in the fixture.

Also when manually removing the bubble algae don't pop them when removing them if you try to remove it inside the tank. This will release spores and can make things worse.
How old are your bulbs? Judging by the picture I don't think its the cause but T5 bulbs do need to be changed every few months because of spectrum shift. The first thing I would look at is my water parms. Especially phosphates and nitrates. I'd recommend Salifert kits this or even a Hanna checker for the phosphates. You want to aim for a phosphates level of 0.03 or below. Just keep in mind this is only a target so it doesn't have to be absolute. Also nitrates I'd try to keep as low as possible. Something that helps me with judging how much to feed is give a fish a bit about the size of their eye. Some people feed everyday and some every other. In your case I'd probably start with every other day. Also what kind of fish you have will help you figure out how often to feed. Feeding less will help to keep algae in check. Also a good skimmer does a world of good. What kind do you have? A poorly functioning skimmer won't help if its not capable of pulling proteins out of the water. Also regular water changes will help to export excess nutrients.

 

[lawnman]

I can help if you need your lawn mowed. PM me for my #

 

[Aquatic Gardener]

Well, I've been cleaning and scrubbing and washing off, and all other sorts of stuff for the past two days. I am using rodi water, I've got the 5 stage unit from Bulk reef supply. I also went out and got a 42g trashcan for ato and set all of that up Thing's are looking better. Waiting for my refugium to come back in the mail, in one piece this time!

Some photos of the update:

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Looks like progress is being made.

 

[mallorieGgator]

Looking better for sure! Keep manually removing the algae and it should subside eventually.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jdl513]

Be careful with that large top off reservoir.

The ATO's sometimes get stuck in the on position.
When this happens it will flood the system with freshwater.
I have seen displays wiped out when this occurs, not to mention the water getting everywhere.

To be safe I use a roughly 10 gallon reservoir.
That way if/when my ATO fails the most it can add is less than 10% the total volume of my display.

 

[always reefin]

Looking better for sure! Keep manually removing the algae and it should subside eventually.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

...+1