Question

Can you give us some more info on the system? Are you skimming, what filtration, live rock?, whats your cleanup crew(I see you have snails and crabs but how many and what type?)
 
Hi and welcome.

Algae is caused by excess nutrients, namely nitrates and phosphates. What are your nitrates testing at?

A good protein skimmer is a must, in my opinion. What are you using for filtration? Do you have any live rock? If so, how much? Live rock is essential for filtration.

Overfeeding can cause excess nutrients, as can feeding pellet or flake foods. Stick to frozen food only.

What kind of water do you use for top off and water changes? Using tap water is probably the number one cause of algae. Use RODI water only.

You might not have a big enough cleaning crew. Maybe some more snails. But the hawkfish would probably snack on them...

What about lights? What kind of lights do you have and how long do you keep them on for? Cutting back on lighting will cut back on algae.
 
I don,t have many snails or crabs but i do have a canister filter and a protein skimmer that are brand new. I am using tap water which i had tested and it is really bad. I do get my water tested at the pet shop and the lady there says its fine, and my fish don,t die. Is it good to use that powder stuff you can buy to take care of it.
 
Phosphates are going to be your main contributors to algae and are most likely coming from your tap water. Find a local fish store that sells RO/DI water, or if that isn't an option you can get it from the machines outside grocery stores. Add a few snails and switch your water and you should see a world of difference.
 
I am 100% sure that the algae is due to using tap water. do 25-30% water changes using RODI water once a week for the next month and you should start to see them go away. and for that powdery thing your talking about which I believe is chemiclean, It won't work as long as you continue to use tap water.
 
its cool

just a word to the wise that ive noticed on hear even if they 'seem' rude they are doing it for the best

i mean i remember altohombre and yote used theyr tought love on me and now that i look at it man ,they cool

dont take it personnal just educational
 
I totally agree with McCrary and Kimoy. Tap water is one of the worst things you can put in your tank. Even if you use a tap water conditioner, it will not remove the phosphates and nitrates that will cause algae.

You can buy RODI water at a fish store, or like McCrary said, there are water machines that dispense it. You can even buy bottled RODI water at Walmart or any grocery store. Changing your water source will go a long way in helping with the algae.
 
Re: Question (protein skimmer)

I bought a fission skimmer (new) It is suppose to set on tank or below, but i don,t have a sump. My question is this can i still put the skimmer under the tank with just longer hoses and not wreck the skimmer and will it still work the way it is suppose to. Instead of going out and buying bottle water can those little filters that you put on your sink do the same thing :bowdown:
 
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I don't think you'd be able to set up the skimmer externally without a sump, because you would need some way to pump the water back up to the tank once it exits the skimmer.

I've never heard of anyone using the filters that attach to the tap, but they don't have very long life spans so replacing the cartridges would get expensive. Plus, they do not use reverse osmosis or deionization to purify the water (RODI), as far as I know, most are just carbon filters, so I don't think it would do the job for a fish tank.
 
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