Out of Control Algae!

[aaamborghini]

Please Help!!

Our Red Sea Max 250 has been set up for about 2 weeks now. For the past week we have had green algae everywhere. After numerous cleanings, adding snails and changing water, the algae only seems to be getting worse. Any tips or advice? We'd really like to get this cleared up for our son's birthday next month. Thanks in advance!! :smile:

 

[wysiwyg]

if its a new tank its part of the tanks cycle

 

[aaamborghini]

How long does it usually take for it to go away?

 

[Ace25]

Unfortunately this is normal for a 2 week old tank. There are ways to help though, but it does require testing and work.

What type of water are you using? Pre-mixed from LFS, or mixed at home with known good RO/DI water?
Where did the live rock come from?
What type of sand?
Do you have any additional flow in the tank other than what it comes with?

Things that feed algae are ammonia, nitrates, and phosphates, so you need to test for those and if they are high, find ways to reduce them. Normally after 2 weeks, nitrates and phosphates will be high. Water changes with good water along with using some phosphates remover (GFO/Phosban/RowaPhos) will help with that. A bag of Chemi-Pure Elite will help also, but is expensive and doesn't contain much phosphate removal media.

Besides water quality issues that may need correcting, you can also manually assist the tank along by taking a few rocks out of the tank at each water change, drain the water into a 5G bucket from the tank and use a toothbrush to scrub the rocks clean in the bucket and then put back in the tank. This isn't going to get rid of the algae completely, it is more like mowing the lawn, it will grow back, but if you do this along with removing the food source and having a good cleanup crew, eventually it will die off.

 

[Steven R]

Patience bio-filtration is not yet established

 

[aaamborghini]

We're using water mixed at home, filtered with an RO filter, yes yes i know we're supposed to be using ro/di filters but this is what we could afford. I also add conditioner to the water. Should I not be doing this?

the live rock came from LFS, and we've been having problems from the get-go with aptasia.
sand is live carribean sand.
no addtl flow other than the 2 poweheads that come stock.
also, the protein skimmer in this tank is awful, but cant upgrade until next year, so im sure that has a little to do with it.

 

[robf]

As far as the aptasia are concerned. Go to the pharmacy and get some syringes and inject the buggers you see with lemon juice. I simply squeese half a lemon and filter it through a coffee filter. If you don't filter it it will plug the small needle. This seems to be a way to kill them without risking much in harsh chemicals. Another more organic way is to buy bergia nudibergs from saltysupply. I'd buy 5 and put them together in the tank. This option is the best but also the most expensive imo. Truth be told you may be fighting the algae for a year. Cycles take a long time and biological filtration takes time to develop.