Reefbuds
Valuable Member
Really dude, it will even out
Just keep the viewing glass clean.
So MUCH ALGAE
- Thread starter savetheocean
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Just keep the viewing glass clean.
Dr.Xipoles
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Get your self an algae scrubber my friend. Put it in the sump and light it up with some cfls if youre cheap like me.
My bro did that with his tank and hasnt looked back since. Im building mines as a hob for my nano this week.
My bro did that with his tank and hasnt looked back since. Im building mines as a hob for my nano this week.
Dr.Xipoles
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You rarely, if ever need to test for nitrates and phosphates. Fuges are more work that they let on since they need at least 50% water volume as your tank to run efficiently.
landlubber
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i don't want to drift off topic too far but this isn't correct.
excess nutrients (phosphate and nitrate) are the main reason most of us get algae in our systems in the first place. without testing them it is impossible to know if phosphate or nitrate are low or (in most new systems case) too high. let alone how huge a part nutrients play in coral growth and overall health.
also, i notice you mentioned adding a algae turf scrubber to control algae which is fine and dandy but in the end it is just a bandaid solution that could be resolved by keeping nitrates somewhere between 2-5ppm and phosphate under 0.08ppm.
finally, undetectable nutrients is also a bad thing as it will result in a nutrient deficient system that will kill coral which is why we test our water.
Dom
Full Time Reef Keeper
I disagree. I have a 5 gallon fuge on a 55 gallon setup. It has a deep sand bed, some chato and lighting. Since installing, I have not had any detectable levels of nitrates or phosphates.
There are many opinions on how to address algae blooms. Personally, while a fuge takes some work to set up, I find them to be "set it and forget it".
smokin'reefer
Sea Urchin
I can agree with half of that. Nitrates I believe you need to test. If they're high they need to come down, if they are 0 might need to consider getting a small reading.
Phosphates on the other hand, Imo, don't help much. I believe Adam with battlecorals kind of helped sway my line of thought on this. He had an article somewhere on here about phosphates testing beng overrated. Another Factor that I consider is that if you have algae, chances are your phosphate reading is going to be off because of the algae consuming phosphates. So knowing exactly where you are at I be kind of difficult.
Just something to consider. There are a lot of people on here that swear by gfo's and it does well for them. I am by no means a reef master. But I have been going through a bit of the algae battle and this has been my findings.
Dr.Xipoles
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Yah, back when i had my 125g, i used to test for everything, but after the first year i gave up testing because my numbers were consistant and testing is expensive and time consuming so i just just set the kalk and mag pumps on timers and let the fuge take care of the rest. Had it for 5 years and then i moved.
I beliveve if you do your research, you can wing it and get away with a nice tank with minimum effort but you still need WC or dosing. You gotta pick one.
Oh, and according to other reefers, algae scrubbers intake nutrients faster than fuges; Ive never tried it. Scrubbers are better if youre on a budget and dont have the room for a fuge.
penguin_free
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+1 on a GFO reactor if not already running one. And if needed, a (1/10th recommended ?) light dose of maracyn will knock the cyano down temporarily while the phosphates clean out. Also, physical removal of as much as you can get out by siphoning and/or netting.
Emerson
Active Member
I'm having the same issue with a 6 month old tank. What's everybody's experience with how long it takes to "settle out"? I'm considering using the Ultralife Red Slime remover, but reluctant to disrupt the process. The cyano is really annoying though...
smokin'reefer
Sea Urchin
I had to reset my tank after I got a leak right at my 1 year mark. New tank with all my old live rock and live stock put me in a new tank syndrome death spiral.
I finally broke down and used Chemiclean because the Cyano was covering up some nice corals. Worked good but then started getting a GHA outbreak. Held off as long as I could then finally beat it back with flucanzole. I didn't have any of these issues first go around.
Last ditch decision to go those routes, but sometimes you feel like there isn't a choice.
OP
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savetheocean
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Leaks always scare me, I am on the second floor and all that salt would RUIN everything.
smokin'reefer
Sea Urchin
Luckily it was a slow leak. Noticed a small puddle in the cabinet and went into leak detection mode followed by one crazy month breaking it down and re-doing. Thank goodness for a great lfs in my town I was able to text the owner on a Sunday morning and get a back up tank while waiting for red sea to send a replacement.
stevieduk
Active Member
get a load of snails. thats how my tank was and now the snails eat it all and are breeding. good bye algaeNitrite and Nitrate are zero, im waiting for Nitrate to elevate a bit.
I use RO/DI water.
I used CaribSea life rock
I mix the sand around ALL the time to get rid of it, but it comes back worse within hours.
(Excuse how cloudy it is, I just churned all the sand.
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savetheocean
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What kind of snails?
Bruce Burnett
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The tank is young, don't do anything fast. Many pros have shown that high nitrates do not cause algae blooms. It has also been shown that cyano will grow in high flow. If you have algae using a test kit for phosphates may still show zero as they get bound in the algae. All living things require some nitrate and phosphates. My tank is a 300 gallon system about four years old. I say about because I moved 2 years ago and used the same rock and water much of but not all of my coral is only 2 years old some is four years old. I do not have any algae growing in the tank, do not have a clean up crew and I do not do water changes. I did have some cyano outbreaks and reading so much information I tried GFO, Bio Pellets, All-in-one pellets, vinegar dosing, sulfur denitator, peroxide, had lots of flow, finally used chemiclean. All these things have their place but are not a requirement for success. I have seen people praise refugiums, algae reactors, ATS and I have seen people put them down. Some will say find the source quit using a band aid. Many things we keep in our tank need food especially fish, most people over stock with fish so this increases nitrates and phosphates. Protein skimmer helps to remove stuff before they break down everything else we do is either going to absorb the waste or support bacteria that consumes them. Algae is just another way of consuming the waste to be exported when harvested with other benefits. I am not an expert I have kept saltwater since early eighties, do to health issues I was out of the hobby for 7 years just got back into it 4 years ago. I believe in the keep it simple. I am on an extremely tight budget my tank may not be as nice as some but I get the comments about the beauty of it even from other reef keeper. Once a week clean glass, clean skimmer cup, clean ATS. Every two weeks refill ATO. Every couple months test water. Every 3-4 months refill calcium reactor and every 9-12 months clean pumps. Every day take the time watch and observe tank, fish, corals at least 3 times a day while feeding and do a quick visual on equipment. knowing your tank you learn when things may be off before testing.
