What would you do?!

PatrioticAquaholic · Apr 6, 2015

hey guys so I've used this 20 gallon long for a hospital tank for quite some time recently decided to kick it up and just go with a frag tank since I've added a rock and sand about 5 months ago all water parameters look amazing phosphates nitrites and nitrates all the 0 calcium around 500 magnesium around 1600 alkalinity around 10 now I've had a huge problem the past 3 months and it is driving me crazy I will attach a photo of my red slime algae in which I cannot get rid of at this point I think it might be due to the fact I am using a canister filter but I am using a canister for a 55 gallon on a 20 gallon so I thought I'd be okay plus there hasn't been any fish no waste or anything in the tank for lights I have been using what I have been told was a 250 watt metal halide I recently purchased a little Fluval 18 watt LED strip mainly because it has sunrise and sunset effects plus really nice blues my question is what would you do to get rid of this algae and spruce up this tank for dirt cheap and I am stressing dirt cheap I will probably build a PVC pipe overflow to a 10 gallon sump I have already but I would curious I like the canister it's a lot cleaner and smaller if I can get by with using it I'd love to I will post pictures in a minute I'm at work thanks in advance

PatrioticAquaholic · Apr 6, 2015

here is a picture of my algae 2 days after scrubbing all my rock with a toothbrush and siphoning this and I cannot believe within 2 days it has cleared out this much and I've only had the lights on about 5 hours a day because I'm trying to kill it I don't get it

jofost1216 · Apr 6, 2015

Do you add lots of nutrients? Excess of nutrients can cause algae blooms, search diatoms, i keep my calcium a little more towards 400 around 420ppm, stress-zyme from API helped me with a sludge type brown algae like that a long time ago but im not a fan of using chemicals, i use a canister also, a fluval 406 of a 56gal and love it, clean it monthly, water changes biweekly, turning down lights can help, do u have great flow through your tank? I have 2. Circulation pumps in opposite corners aimed to make clockwise flow from looking above. Just keep up on maintenance everyone has issues sometimes, part of the hobby, good luck, check phosphate level too

jofost1216 · Apr 6, 2015

Once you get the on the offense of whatever it is blue legges hermit and scarlett hermits can help get the spots clean that you cant, but your tank might not have cycled either fully yet if its new

joshbbert · Apr 8, 2015

My tiger conch mercs that garbage and any other nuisance algae also flow helps I think its cyano not sure tho, not a pro

PatrioticAquaholic · Apr 8, 2015

Tanks about 8 months old... But figured adding new rock would really trigger a cycle... I've added iodine and strontium at time... Not much but will stop. I'm going to get more crabs too. Flow is strong enough to the point if pointed at the top surface it still moves sand on the bed!

PatrioticAquaholic · Apr 8, 2015

IT'S MOST LIKELY MY TAP WATER! *** been using tap water for WC's RO unit is getting ordered. At this point I'm assuming it's my **** tap water seeing as it's in both my tanks and my big boys about 2 years old.... I moved and my local store I got my Rodi water is way far.... Ugh.

joshbbert · Apr 8, 2015

It is 100% your tap sir, always always use RODI water tap water is no bueno I'd ditch every last bit of it

joshbbert · Apr 8, 2015

I go to the machine outside the grocery store its even got a UV light does right by me, that way you don't have to trek to the LFS

PatrioticAquaholic · Apr 8, 2015

I am so stupid I've been assuming it's been my tap water but when I get my auRO DI water is quite a trek I got a new job and don't travel that way and they are the only grocery store that has one of those dispensers the back story behind why I'm using tap water is because my main tank crashed took all surviving coral put it into my hospital tank and like them in my little tank enough to just frag out that entire Nano in the midst I was too lazy and just started using tap within the past week or two that's one of my biggest fears is the tap water creating this red slime but would be transferring all that water out and using real boxed ocean water be a drastic change I might buy 10 gallons and swap out half of my water would that be too drastic for the corals inside