Too much algae

kategreatwhite · May 9, 2015

I have had a Innovative Marine 40 gallon tank for about a year. On top there is a Kessil A350w Tuna Blue light that I run for about 8 hours. Currently there has been to much algae and Cyanobacteria. Turning off the light is not an option because the tank has two corals and I am hoping to get more. I have put Algaefix Marine, Ultra Life Red Slime Stain Remover, and Algone Water Clarifier into my tank. I additionally bought a Protein Skimmer about 3 weeks ago. Nothing has happened to my tank. The Cyanobacteria is still on the sand bed and the algae covers all the rocks. Do you have any suggestions of how to get rid of the algae and Cyanobacteria?

Waters · May 9, 2015

Rather than turning to chemical fixes, I would try and figure out the cause (which is normally high phosphates and nitrates along with the need for more flow). Are you testing the water for either? Do you run GFO to reduce phosphates?

chefjpaul · May 9, 2015

Reduce the nutrients....#1.

Export the waste. You'll need to run the skimmer for awhile before you notice anything.

Try and Post your test results and a pic.

I suggest run GFO, test nitrates consistently.

What do you have for flow?
How much bio load do you have?

Its a slow process, but can be eradicated with proper husbandry.

Reefing Madness · May 9, 2015

Whats your flow in the tank? Whats your Nitrate and Phosphate reading?

LetItReef · May 9, 2015

Are you using RO/DI water or Distilled water?

jman9331 · May 9, 2015

I had the same problem this is what I did, First I changed the light setting, then I increased the flow, I noticed the biggest difference was made when I cut back the lights. also I added chemiclean to it and after a day with the lights off it was all gone. been that way for a week now.

kategreatwhite · May 10, 2015

LetItReef said:
Are you using RO/DI water or Distilled water?

I mostly use reverse osmosis water from my fish store.

kategreatwhite · May 10, 2015

chefjpaul said:
Reduce the nutrients....#1.

Export the waste. You'll need to run the skimmer for awhile before you notice anything.

Try and Post your test results and a pic.

I suggest run GFO, test nitrates consistently.

What do you have for flow?
How much bio load do you have?

Its a slow process, but can be eradicated with proper husbandry.

I am a novice at this and get most of my information from my fish store. What is GFO? What is bio load? Do I need to invest in something to test my water because I just have the fish store test the water occasionally and tell me if something is wrong. I have a hydraflow 60 in my tank. Additionally where the water comes out of the filter there are two pumps that run in circular motions

LetItReef · May 10, 2015

kategreatwhite said:
I mostly use reverse osmosis water from my fish store.

I would suggest use RO/DI water or Distilled water, RO water(reverse osmosis) from the store may still contains minerals that one can cause the algae.
I have a TDS meter (measures the total dissolves organic present in the water) and the reading on the Distilled water I bought by the gallon is always 0.
If you can ask the store what's their TDS readings or get one and measure it yourself, it is around $25.00 at Amazon.

glb · May 10, 2015

kategreatwhite said:
I am a novice at this and get most of my information from my fish store. What is GFO? What is bio load? Do I need to invest in something to test my water because I just have the fish store test the water occasionally and tell me if something is wrong. I have a hydraflow 60 in my tank. Additionally where the water comes out of the filter there are two pumps that run in circular motions

These are all good questions. GFO stands for granular ferrous oxide, and it's used in filtration to reduce phosphates in your tank. It's best used in a reactor, which is a container that tumbles the granules. Bioload is another way to say how much waste is produced in your tank and how much helpful bacteria you need for the nitrogen cycle (ammonia to nitrites to nitrates) to keep your tank healthy. In the reef chemistry forum, there are a lot of articles by Randy Holmes Farley about all this.

You should get your own test kits as soon as possible. I test for Nitrates, Temp, pH, salinity, alkalinity, calcium, phosphates and magnesium.

Ask a lot of questions here. You'll learn a ton!

Reefing Madness · May 10, 2015

Saltwater numbers to keep in mind when testing.

Marinedepot.com | Reef Tank Parameters

On saltwater tanks, you must at a bare minimum have 10x your tank volume in water movement, if you have corals, then it starts at 20x your tank volume. So if you have a 60g tank then you need a minimum of 600gph in powerheads. With a lack of flow, one of the end products is Cyanobacteria. Up your flow in the tank, and this tends not to happen.

Most LFS guys are there to sell you garbage, not help you.

kategreatwhite · May 10, 2015

glb said:
These are all good questions. GFO stands for granular ferrous oxide, and it's used in filtration to reduce phosphates in your tank. It's best used in a reactor, which is a container that tumbles the granules. Bioload is another way to say how much waste is produced in your tank and how much helpful bacteria you need for the nitrogen cycle (ammonia to nitrites to nitrates) to keep your tank healthy. In the reef chemistry forum, there are a lot of articles by Randy Holmes Farley about all this.

You should get your own test kits as soon as possible. I test for Nitrates, Temp, pH, salinity, alkalinity, calcium, phosphates and magnesium.

Ask a lot of questions here. You'll learn a ton!

So I found this stuff called Filtra P in my cabinet that at one point I had put in my tank. I quickly took it out because it killed a coral after not following the instructions. It claims to reduce the phosphate levels. Should I try this first before I go out and buy GFO?