Tank gone whack! Help!

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

well all your nitrates and phosphates are bound in the algae. start with scraping walls, siphoning small sections of sand and pulling algae from the rock(out of the tank) followed by 10-20% water change. Do it every 3-5 days. you don't want shock your corals with sudden change in parameters. I see one white skeleton already. also add small amount of bacteria from the bottle + sludge buster/tank refresh type bacteria to breakdown any organics. Do you use any filter sock? change it after half an hour to an hour of water change. i would avoid adding any chemical based additives.

I agree, elbow greese is the best remedy. Scrape the glass, toothbrush the rocks, water changes to export nutrients, and drop the sock.

 

[Rmckoy]

I did actually try this, especially with the hair algae, blenny doesn’t seem interested though unfortunately.

I personally haven’t tried .
I haven’t had hair algae like that

 

[CMMorgan]

Sounds like CUC will solve some of my problems. I have 2 strombus snails in now, what CUC member do you recommend?

Cheers for the reply!!

Scarlet Hermits
Blue Leg Hermits
Trochus Snails
Mexican Turbo Snails - Excellent
Urchins
Emeralds - maybe ... they are great at bubble algae but I think they eat hair also

Be careful with a lawnmower blennie. I say that because I got one to eat hair algae once... it ate it all and then starved because it would not eat nori or flake.

 

[Taylah]

Scarlet Hermits
Blue Leg Hermits
Trochus Snails
Mexican Turbo Snails - Excellent
Urchins
Emeralds - maybe ... they are great at bubble algae but I think they eat hair also

Be careful with a lawnmower blennie. I say that because I got one to eat hair algae once... it ate it all and then starved because it would not eat nori or flake.

Easy, cheers fir suggestions.

Blenny used to eat algae but has now transitioned to mysis with the other fish in the tank and I can’t get him to eat algae like he was anymore! I’ve tried spot feeding the other fish or feeding less but nothings worked..

 

[Jekyl]

Easy, cheers fir suggestions.

Blenny used to eat algae but has now transitioned to mysis with the other fish in the tank and I can’t get him to eat algae like he was anymore! I’ve tried spot feeding the other fish or feeding less but nothings worked..

Nah, I have a lawnmower also. He picks at the glass and rocks all day. Still didn't make a dent when algae was an issue for me. Clean up crew helps but won't ever eliminate the problem. Best thing I had was probably a long spine urchin

 

[vetteguy53081]

Lets start with your Parameters:
Salinity: 1.027 (bring down to 1.025)
Temp: 23.7 = 74.66 .(bring up to 77-79)
Alk: 7 = low ( range is 8-9)
pH: 8.2
N03: 0ppm
Phosphate: 0ppm
Calcium: 380 =Low (should be 440)

WHAT TEST KITS ARE YOU USING?

LIGHTING :
Reduce white light intensity

Is tank at or near a window?

PULL AS MUCH AS YOU CAN BY HAND.

Green Hair Algae or "GHA" is really a broad term that covers hundreds of species of green simple filamentous algae. These species tend to be simple, fine in texture, and have few distinguishable features. True species level identification requires a microscope. GHA is not coarse or wiry, it should break apart easily when pulled, and should lose form quickly when removed from water. If you can make out a root structure, or a stiff branching structure it is probably not GHA.
Green hair algae can be pulled out easily, and tooth brushed or scrubbed off the rock work. This is easier to do if the rock is outside of the tank. If it is growing from the sand sift it out with a net.
After you have done these steps, you can add: Florida Blue Leg hermits, Cerith snails, Chitons, Turbo grazers, Sea Emerald Crabs, pin cushion Urchins and a few cerith snails. It is readily accepted by many herbivores, but because it grows quickly it may persist even in a tank with a fair amount of cleaners.

Why it Happened: An excess of available nutrients, particular the majors like phosphates and nitrates. Keep an eye on possible iron and potassium sources which may also help fuel hair algae. Hair algae spores and fragments are so abundant that keeping it out of the tank via quarantine is unlikely to be successful. Your best bet to preventing this algae from taking hold is to maintain a weekly water change regimen, maintain your filtration and perform manual/natural algae removal as it forms. Proper magnesium and alkalinity levels are thought to discourage the growth of many species of GHA.
addition of chemipure elite will also help with nitrate and excess phos

 

[Sam816]

When you say add a small amount of bacteria, should I use Tim’s one and only live nitrifying Bacteria (used it for the first cycle of my tank) or should I use something like Seachem pristine sludge buster? Any suggestions?

Can I scrape algae from rock in tank whilst siphoning it? Don’t think I’ll be able to get the rock out...

Thanks for the reply!!

both. They are both beneficial bacteria strains. they will breakdown almost all nutrients so that algae starves.
you should also ration feeding. drop a small amount of food for fish. small but multiple feedings.
if you have a smaller spare tank then you can fill it up with your tank water, move your corals to that tank and turn lights off( or lowest possible) for a few days on your DT.

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

What is your magnesium? Do you have any carbon in your system? What if anything are you dosing?

 

[Taylah]

Lets start with your Parameters:
Salinity: 1.027 (bring down to 1.025)
Temp: 23.7 = 74.66 .(bring up to 77-79)
Alk: 7 = low ( range is 8-9)
pH: 8.2
N03: 0ppm
Phosphate: 0ppm
Calcium: 380 =Low (should be 440)

WHAT TEST KITS ARE YOU USING?

LIGHTING :
Reduce white light intensity

Is tank at or near a window?

PULL AS MUCH AS YOU CAN BY HAND.

Green Hair Algae or "GHA" is really a broad term that covers hundreds of species of green simple filamentous algae. These species tend to be simple, fine in texture, and have few distinguishable features. True species level identification requires a microscope. GHA is not coarse or wiry, it should break apart easily when pulled, and should lose form quickly when removed from water. If you can make out a root structure, or a stiff branching structure it is probably not GHA.
Green hair algae can be pulled out easily, and tooth brushed or scrubbed off the rock work. This is easier to do if the rock is outside of the tank. If it is growing from the sand sift it out with a net.
After you have done these steps, you can add: Florida Blue Leg hermits, Cerith snails, Chitons, Turbo grazers, Sea Emerald Crabs, pin cushion Urchins and a few cerith snails. It is readily accepted by many herbivores, but because it grows quickly it may persist even in a tank with a fair amount of cleaners.

Why it Happened: An excess of available nutrients, particular the majors like phosphates and nitrates. Keep an eye on possible iron and potassium sources which may also help fuel hair algae. Hair algae spores and fragments are so abundant that keeping it out of the tank via quarantine is unlikely to be successful. Your best bet to preventing this algae from taking hold is to maintain a weekly water change regimen, maintain your filtration and perform manual/natural algae removal as it forms. Proper magnesium and alkalinity levels are thought to discourage the growth of many species of GHA.
addition of chemipure elite will also help with nitrate and excess phos

Super super informative, thankyou!!

Will start by getting those parameters in check!

Using the Hanna salinity tester and Hanna all tester. Red Sea for pH and NO3. Salfite test kit for mag, calc and phosphates

Have reduced the whites, tank sits in a corner of a room where it gets little bars of sun lights shining through windows, not full direct sunlight though.

Will scrub and pick off as much algae as I can.

Again, thanks for such an informative post, really appreciate it!

 

[Taylah]

What is your magnesium? Do you have any carbon in your system? What if anything are you dosing?

Didn’t measure today sorry. No carbon in system and not dosing anything, just letting w/c replenish everything right now. Will be getting onto dosing soon though.

Cheers for reply!

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

I agree with Vetteguy that your calcium and alkalinity are low. That probably means your magnesium is also low. I think you either need step up your water change frequency / volume or its time to start dosing CA, ALK, and MAG suppliments. I would also drop a media bag of carbon in the system to remove any toxins in the tank, just to rule it out.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Super super informative, thankyou!!

Will start by getting those parameters in check!

Using the Hanna salinity tester and Hanna all tester. Red Sea for pH and NO3. Salfite test kit for mag, calc and phosphates

Have reduced the whites, tank sits in a corner of a room where it gets little bars of sun lights shining through windows, not full direct sunlight though.

Will scrub and pick off as much algae as I can.

Again, thanks for such an informative post, really appreciate it!

Believe it or not, the indirect sun from window has enough UV to trigger and support algae. Even with shades closed
I generally recommend putting black construction paper on the side of tank that faces the window
92 cents at Walmart and is 30” x 30”