My refugium keeps killing my macro algae

[Crustoceous]

I have a relatively new tank (10 months old) that I apparently can’t keep macro algae in to save my life. The cycle goes as follows - macro grows well for a while, kind of plateaus, and nuisance algae starts to grown on it, choking it out. Manual removal kind of helps some but ultimately the macro dies and is reduced to nothing, no trace. Right now there is a modest amount of a thin carpet of fuzzy green algae on the walls of the refugium but not anything crazy. The display has a very short carpet of algae on the back glass and shows up on the front every four or so days.

Running a protein skimmer and UV, I feed a lot but everything seems to be well balanced. Do I just need to wait until there is no nuisance algae in the refugium, or what? And what steps should I take to get to the point where I can reintroduce some chateo?

 

[reef_ninja]

Number of factors to consider here, but ultimately your macro is either getting outcompeted, you have low nutrients, or both. Macro generally dies when it doesn’t have the fuel it needs to thrive. I re-learned this recently as well.

 

[laverda]

You may need to dose small amounts of iron, if your nitrates and phosphates are not zero. Also blue and red light is the best for growing algae’s.

 

[Henryb9]

what kind of light are you using, amount of macro in ounces, and your schedule ?

 

[Crustoceous]

I have a Kessil H160 set up to run opposite the main tank, roughly 8pm to 7am at about 50% power on the grow spectrum. The macro that I’ve tried was everything from red Pom Pom, sea lettuce, then standard chaeto, all about baseball size to start. The last one, the chaeto grew a ton, about quadrupled in size in a few weeks and then just tanked.

I haven’t checked my phosphate or nitrate lately but they’re always at or near zero.

 

[Crustoceous]

I guess one thing I need to figure out, is the macro growing nuisance algae on it a symptom of the macro already on its way out, or is it really choking it out... and what steps do I need to take?

 

[laverda]

I have a Kessil H160 set up to run opposite the main tank, roughly 8pm to 7am at about 50% power on the grow spectrum. The macro that I’ve tried was everything from red Pom Pom, sea lettuce, then standard chaeto, all about baseball size to start. The last one, the chaeto grew a ton, about quadrupled in size in a few weeks and then just tanked.

I haven’t checked my phosphate or nitrate lately but they’re always at or near zero.

Algae’s need phosphate and nitrate to gro, but the fact your getting other algae tells me it is not really zero, but pretty low.

 

[Crustoceous]

Algae’s need phosphate and nitrate to gro, but the fact your getting other algae tells me it is not really zero, but pretty low.

My thought is it’s being taken up by the existing algae.

 

[laverda]

My thought is it’s being taken up by the existing algae.

I agree.

 

[schuby]

Chaeto requires phosphate, nitrate, trace iron, & adequate light. Dying chaeto will be food for other algae.

If your nitrate and phosphate are usually zero, why are you trying to grow chaeto?

 

[Alex Cataldo]

The light is probably on for too long and it’s too bright. Reduce these and throw away the macro with the nuicence algae.

 

[Subsea]

I guess one thing I need to figure out, is the macro growing nuisance algae on it a symptom of the macro already on its way out, or is it really choking it out... and what steps do I need to take?

Opportunistic algae like dino & cyno are more efficient at using nutrients on the low end than macro algae, thus when major nutrients like nitrogen & phosphorous are low the uglies win.

Nitrates should be > 5ppm. I run > 20ppm

 

[Fish rookie 07]

I run a wave maker/power head in my refugium which tumbles the cheato, before when it wouldn’t grow without the power head but now the tumbling seems to really boost growth. May be worth taking a shot at that as it worked for me!

 

[Subsea]

Chaeto should grow without tumbling. That’s why I think it is trace minerals. Send off for icp test. Also, start dosing iron as the most obvious depleted trace mineral.

Without a doubt, tumbling macro increases productivity. In the case of nuisance algae growing on chaeto surface, tumbling produces an abrasive action that could correct that.

 

[Fourstars]

Tumbling increases growth, phosphate nitrate iron and iodine is a must. Just like your garden out back. I got ride of cheato recently and now tumble dragons breath. The return to the refugium/frag tank empties into a small in tank refugium that constantly tumbles.

 

[splitting_lanes]

Keep a snail in your refugium, it will help keep the undesirable algae in check.

 

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[Seabiscuit]

My thought is it’s being taken up by the existing algae.

Exac-ta-ly.

 

[Crustoceous]

Chaeto requires phosphate, nitrate, trace iron, & adequate light. Dying chaeto will be food for other algae.

If your nitrate and phosphate are usually zero, why are you trying to grow chaeto?

So I guess I have some homework... I'll have to send some water off to be analyzed. To answer this question... I'm trying to grow chaeto because I want it to grow instead of the nuisance algae. Isn't that the point of growing chaeto? Except the nuisance algae is winning.

Also of note, I have a group of snails that do a great job keeping the nuisance algae from getting out of control...

I know that my nitrate and phosphate are not actually zero, because if they were truly zero I wouldn't have any algae, which is clearly not the case. It seems I need a source of free nitrate and phosphate, as well as iron and iodine.

I feed a lot, and I mean a lot... All my fish are big fat happy pigs.

When the chaeto last started to die, there was a big dino/cyano outbreak/bloom in the refugium, just a sheet of dark red on the bottom, on the chaeto, and in a couple areas.

I guess my ultimate goal is to figure out a way to get the nuisance algae under control and introduce a macro that can get established and then thrive. With the current cycle of macro doing great, exploding and then crashing, what's the most likely culprit? A lack of available nutrients past that initial growth stage? If that's the case then I need to keep my nitrates and phosphates up through that?

 

[laverda]

I find an ATS will do a much better job of eliminating algae in the tank and takes up less room in the sump. You can easily build one for $30.00.
Under $30 ATS