approaching frustration

[mmfrock]

Hi everyone,

I am approaching the frustration level with the alage in my tank. I am not sure what's going on because I am not completely inexperienced. I had a 90 gallong reef for 4 years that was beautiful.

My new tank has been up for about 3 1/2 months. It's a 29 gallon. Maybe it's new tank syndrome? I hope it'll all go away on its own but heres what I can tell you:

1. battling red slime and green hair algae on sand and rocks.
2. amm 0, rate 0, rite, 0, ph 8.0, saltinty 1.024, 2 65 watt bulbs, one on for 10 hours a day, one on for 8 hours a day, lots of water movement with 2 power heads, a filter and protein skimmer.
3. My filter has bio media, phosphoguard and carbon in it. (i just added the carbon recently hoping it'd help the alage problem). I also have a small in tank refugium with chaeto in it.
4. I have 3 fish and 3 corals. I just recently did a 5 gallon water change.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Smitty]

How old are your bulbs...older bulbs tend to fuel algae. Also, what are you feeding your tank and how often?

 

[Zissou]

What kind of filter do you have, and are you using RODI water?

You might have high phosphates.

 

[chuck78]

+1 Smitty & Zissou with the questions. Also, even if those are newer bulbs, you're still keeping the tank lit for too long. Try cutting down to 4 hrs of day bulbs, 2 hrs of both Day & Actinic bulbs then 2 or 3 hrs of just actinics. That algae needs light & phospate to survive so deny it that which it needs to live. I notice that you did'nt metion a clean up crew either? Do you have 1? If not, get a Turbo Snail maybe 6 Nassarius Snails & a few dwarf hermit crabs.

 

[mmfrock]

OK good questions everyone. Maybe this will help:
1. yes i use RO water,
2. Yes I could potentially have high phosphates b/c i always did in my old tank and thats why i already have phosphoguard in my tank.
3. I have new bulbs
4. I feed once a day, frozen food and/or pellets
5. i have an aquaclear hang on filter
6. Yes I have a clean up crew but i have been wondering if it's too small and could be my whole problem...you decide...i have 5 astrea snails, 3 nasassius snails, 5 hermit crabs.
Thank you all so much for your help. I'll at least start by cutting down on the light times

 

[mmfrock]

ok i answered everyone's questions, what ideas do you have?? PLease help!

 

[little_fish]

It sounds like you are doing everything right and this is more of a new tank algae cycle. But you shouldnt wait for it go away on its own. When you are doing your water changes, i would get in there with a small siphon hose and remove as much of the algae by hand.

You can also do a blackout. I would do a big water change right before, removing what you can by hand, then do another water change 3 or 4 days later, then water another 3 or 4 days and do one last water change. Then slowly re-acclimate your corals to the light.

 

[Marines_Wife]

If you want my opinion, I think that cutting back on the feeding would help a bit as well. I used to feed every single day and consequently had higher phosphates and nitrates. I started feeding every other day and put my lights on a timer. I also added chaeto to my tank, and started a HOB filter that I only run carbon in. I really dont have a problem with a lot of nuisance algae and I never have cyano.

 

[mmfrock]

thanks, my lights are already on timers, so im just cutting back the amount theyre one and ill try to feed every other day but my fish act like theyre starving lol. im sure all fish do this. thank you!

 

[Marines_Wife]

thanks, my lights are already on timers, so im just cutting back the amount theyre one and ill try to feed every other day but my fish act like theyre starving lol. im sure all fish do this. thank you!

HAHAHAHA my fish would knock on the glass 24/7 if they could. I swear to god fish and dogs....and men....they ALL think they are constantly starving.

 

[mmfrock]

Hi there, if i do a blackout, how many days do i leave the lights off? and how many hours should i start with when i am reacclimating the corals to the light?

 

[little_fish]

I would leave the lights off for 3-4 days, but make sure you are doing a water change before, middle and end to remove the nutrients the dead algae released so you dont let grow back. Then leave the lights on for two hours and increase the photoperiod by an hour a day until you are back to normal.

 

[chuck78]

+1 fish

 

[mmfrock]

thank you, and wont it kill my chaeto algae in my in tank refugium? this weekend im going to the fish store to get a bigger clean up crew, no one has mentioned it but i think its too small anyways.

 

[sen5241b]

Sure you have enough light on yoru fuge? Cheato needs strong light and many people underestimate this. I have a 2 gallon fuge and 50 watts of CPL on it. I have to cut back my cheato twice a month. Does your cheato grow? If its not growing then its not doing it job.

My cheato does such a good job of eating trates that I do not even run a skimmer.

 

[mmfrock]

Well that's a good questions, does my chaeto grow. The answer is probably not. But at this point i cannot change my lighting situation. But I will keep this in mind for the future when i re-set-up my old 90 gallon in the house i am building. for now my 29 gal will do, and i have 2 65 watt compacts on it, so if that isnt enough then oh well for now. I think it might grow, it's just slow maybe. I did just recently cut it back, but that was b/c what i bought and put in the tank was way too much. so now i'll be watching it to see if it grows.

 

[Marines_Wife]

I put my chaeto in my main tank. I dont have the room for a fuge and a HOB isnt really an option for me either. Putting it in my main tank eliminated my phosphate problems, as for the nitrate issues, honestly water changes once a week and a good skimmer were all I needed to make that go away.

 

[Old_Moe]

I put my chaeto in my main tank. .

interesting.. does anything bother it?
do you have to have it on a different lighting schedule?

thanks.

 

[little_fish]

I have cheato in my main tank as well, i just stuff it in a corner and trim it back when it becomes an eye sore. It doesnt need anything special if its in the main tank. You only run the lights opposite when you have fuge to help balance the pH

 

[slwedge71]

I would leave the lights off for 3-4 days, but make sure you are doing a water change before, middle and end to remove the nutrients the dead algae released so you dont let grow back. Then leave the lights on for two hours and increase the photoperiod by an hour a day until you are back to normal.

Do you turn off both types of lights or can you live your actinic lighting on? Starting to get a hair algae problem in my tank as well.