My wife told since I been gone, the algae are out of control in both of my tanks. I have all the test kits at home but they don’t know how to use it. Can anyone tell me what it could be? I do have cheato in both tanks and phosphate remover. I don’t want my corals to be over-taken by these algae.
Any help in solving the issue is greatly appreciated.
Joe
My guess… probably overfeeding. Has anyone been doing waterchanges? Those are the 2 most common causes of algae
[quote=“icy1155, post:2, topic:559”]
My guess… probably overfeeding. Has anyone been doing waterchanges? Those are the 2 most common causes of algae[/quote]
My wife said she only feed them every-other -day. I use to do 20% ever week. I don’t know how often my wife does it now.
Once the algae starts it won’t stop till the food is gone. Water change with explicet directions to start and Phos remover will help. Even if it is passive say in a filter sock hanging in the sump. Also try to reduce the photo period a bit will starve the algae on many fronts.
[quote=“a1amap, post:4, topic:559”]
Once the algae starts it won’t stop till the food is gone. Water change with explicet directions to start and Phos remover will help. Even if it is passive say in a filter sock hanging in the sump. Also try to reduce the photo period a bit will starve the algae on many fronts.[/quote]
Forgot about that one… if you really want to get ahead in the battle leave the lights off for 2 full days. It wont hurt the corals at all, and most nuisance algae cant take it. Like Al said, some new phosphate remover and maybe some new activated carbon along with a decent sized water change should help.
[quote=“a1amap, post:4, topic:559”]
Once the algae starts it won’t stop till the food is gone. Water change with explicet directions to start and Phos remover will help. Even if it is passive say in a filter sock hanging in the sump. Also try to reduce the photo period a bit will starve the algae on many fronts.[/quote]
Thanks both. I will have my wife cut back on the lights for a few days. I do have Phos remover in filter sock but at the bottom of the sump. How often should the Phos remover be changed? That one had been in the tank tank for maybe two months or more now.
Hey man,
If she needs help w/changes or whatever, my number is two seven zero-one two four eight
Joe
phosgaurd last 2 months but they say you can put it on a baking sheet and bake it for an hr and presto its new again!!! but i think they only recommend you bake it once
[quote=“Jocephus, post:7, topic:559”]
Hey man,
If she needs help w/changes or whatever, my number is two seven zero-one two four eight
Joe[/quote]
Thanks Joe,
I told her to do more frequent water change and cut the light off for two days then back on for 6 hours per day. If this still doesn’t work, I will ask for your help.
Any time, Joe.
My daughter took the readings for me. Here it is:
Large Tank
Nitrate 0
Calcium 460
Alkalinity 12.2
Nano Tank
Nitrate 0
Calcium 480
Alkalinity 12.2
Does this seem right to you all?
Zero nitrates seems a bit off, the algae is probably absorbing a good part of your nitrates, but if you have algae you have SOME nitrates. Maybe re-test, do you run skimmers on both? If so, adding a few more snails might help to transfer the algae into a more waterborne substance. Easier to remove with a skimmer.
I have a skimmer in the 60 but not the nano. Do you think the Alk is too high as well?
Actually I find it odd that the alk is that high and the calcium is still that high. Check the PH also, Kind of curiouis. Usually when alk is high or low, calcium is off too. Another weird item is the alk in the nano and the large tank are the same. Not that this is impossible but I beleive there might be an error somewhere.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/2/chemistry
http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html
The fact that the nitrates are zero is not suprising they are there. Seems the test kits show either zero or 40ppm. Also the nitrates may not be in the water column, they may be buried in the sand, the rock or The algae will use up some nitrates as food. Algae also needs phosphates to grow and multiply. You are not going to eliminate either completely but if we can reduce the nutrients then it will recede.
Before you turn the lights off for 2 days:
I would start by pulling the large clumps of algae and putting them in the sump or trash. In the sump they remove nitrates and phosphates still but can’t grow over the corals. After a few days if they stop growing or start to change color start to pull them out of the system all together. The reason I would pull these vs. leaving them is if you turn off the lights for 2 days the algae will start to die and release nutrients into the water
Now since you have stirred up the sandbed a bit and nutrients are in the water column do a large water change. Make sure she knows to match the temp and salinity to proper levels (within 1 degree of the tanks temp and salinity to 1.026)
I would replace the phosgurad with new material. Make sure she washes the new media out before putting in the tank. I would run the sump light 24/7.
At this point if she is going to be home check the skimmer to make sure it is exporting nutrients. I would skim a bit wet for a while as to remove extra nutrients faster. (Have some extra make up water handy.)
For the nano - Lots of water changes and pull the algae.
Nothing was mentioned as to what is the source of the water for top off and replacement saltwater??? This could be a large source of the nutrients
And last but not least have her register with DRC and post first hand whats going on. This is not going to go away overnight but it will pass once the nutrients are gone.
[quote=“a1amap, post:14, topic:559”]
Actually I find it odd that the alk is that high and the calcium is still that high. Check the PH also, Kind of curiouis. Usually when alk is high or low, calcium is off too. Another weird item is the alk in the nano and the large tank are the same. Not that this is impossible but I beleive there might be an error somewhere.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/2/chemistry
http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html
The fact that the nitrates are zero is not suprising they are there. Seems the test kits show either zero or 40ppm. Also the nitrates may not be in the water column, they may be buried in the sand, the rock or The algae will use up some nitrates as food. Algae also needs phosphates to grow and multiply. You are not going to eliminate either completely but if we can reduce the nutrients then it will recede.
Before you turn the lights off for 2 days:
I would start by pulling the large clumps of algae and putting them in the sump or trash. In the sump they remove nitrates and phosphates still but can’t grow over the corals. After a few days if they stop growing or start to change color start to pull them out of the system all together. The reason I would pull these vs. leaving them is if you turn off the lights for 2 days the algae will start to die and release nutrients into the water
Now since you have stirred up the sandbed a bit and nutrients are in the water column do a large water change. Make sure she knows to match the temp and salinity to proper levels (within 1 degree of the tanks temp and salinity to 1.026)
I would replace the phosgurad with new material. Make sure she washes the new media out before putting in the tank. I would run the sump light 24/7.
At this point if she is going to be home check the skimmer to make sure it is exporting nutrients. I would skim a bit wet for a while as to remove extra nutrients faster. (Have some extra make up water handy.)
For the nano - Lots of water changes and pull the algae.
Nothing was mentioned as to what is the source of the water for top off and replacement saltwater??? This could be a large source of the nutrients
And last but not least have her register with DRC and post first hand whats going on. This is not going to go away overnight but it will pass once the nutrients are gone.[/quote]
Thanks Al.
My wife works 6-days a week so she only change the water every other Sunday. We get our water from Wal-Mart. She told me she will try to change the water more often so hopefully that will get better. I don’t have a sump for the large tank, only a skimmer. As for the nano, it has a build-in sump so I can’t isolate the lights. I have Cheto in both tanks to help with the nutrients as well. The algae is only on one rock but is strating to move to others. These algae are only about half an inch tall, not very long as all. My wife says some of the snails got it on them as well so she took them out and brush them off. I don’t think it’s out of control yet, but it will if something s=is not done now. Thanks everyone for the help.
Oh your original post said out of control. Yeah by all means pull the rock and use a new toothbrush to brush off the algae. then rinse it in saltwater. Rinse in saltwater because it wont kill any of the bacteria on the rock. You can use old saltwater that is being removed for a water change.
[quote=“a1amap, post:14, topic:559”]
Actually I find it odd that the alk is that high and the calcium is still that high. Check the PH also, Kind of curiouis. Usually when alk is high or low, calcium is off too. Another weird item is the alk in the nano and the large tank are the same. Not that this is impossible but I beleive there might be an error somewhere.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/2/chemistry
http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html
The fact that the nitrates are zero is not suprising they are there. Seems the test kits show either zero or 40ppm. Also the nitrates may not be in the water column, they may be buried in the sand, the rock or The algae will use up some nitrates as food. Algae also needs phosphates to grow and multiply. You are not going to eliminate either completely but if we can reduce the nutrients then it will recede.
Before you turn the lights off for 2 days:
I would start by pulling the large clumps of algae and putting them in the sump or trash. In the sump they remove nitrates and phosphates still but can’t grow over the corals. After a few days if they stop growing or start to change color start to pull them out of the system all together. The reason I would pull these vs. leaving them is if you turn off the lights for 2 days the algae will start to die and release nutrients into the water
Now since you have stirred up the sandbed a bit and nutrients are in the water column do a large water change. Make sure she knows to match the temp and salinity to proper levels (within 1 degree of the tanks temp and salinity to 1.026)
I would replace the phosgurad with new material. Make sure she washes the new media out before putting in the tank. I would run the sump light 24/7.
At this point if she is going to be home check the skimmer to make sure it is exporting nutrients. I would skim a bit wet for a while as to remove extra nutrients faster. (Have some extra make up water handy.)
For the nano - Lots of water changes and pull the algae.
Nothing was mentioned as to what is the source of the water for top off and replacement saltwater??? This could be a large source of the nutrients
And last but not least have her register with DRC and post first hand whats going on. This is not going to go away overnight but it will pass once the nutrients are gone.[/quote]
Although this topic goes off topic a lot, it has some interesting info. While I doubt it will make it to reality it does bring up an interesting points.
Find it amazing that a bubble can be stable at 1uM. I think they are doing this by organizing a completed crystaline structure in the sugar which does not leave areas available for other species to effect it.by liveforphysicsI regularly think about making a skimmer that uses ultrasonic transducers to create controlled and focused micro cavitation. The colapse of the micro bubbles causes violant stress locally on chemical species around them. Skimming by nature is only a half-capable export method, as it can only export the compounds which increase the stregnth of a bubble. If something could be working to cause enough stress to rearrange the hydrophilic compounds to have enough/more hydrophobic parts to permit them to be skimmed.
From my experience with skimming, it results in a nutrient removal method with does not match the N:P ratios present in the foods I add. It seems N compounds are more often hydrophobic than P compounds, and I have an accumulation of P over time. If I stop skimming, my chaeto growth rate increases (no longer N limited), and my P levels quickly become undectable.
Ultrasound and cavitation created micro bubbles may be a solution to this skimming issue.
Best Wishes, -Luke
N = nitrogen and P = phosphates
This is very interesting. So if we use both skimming and phosguard should this not keep everything in check?
Lost me right about …
a bubble can be stable at 1uM.
:BB)
I follow, but at the same time don’t see myself coming up with the parts for a DIYS ultrasonic transducer any time soon, lol. Perhaps this will be the next step in reef technology. First it was skimming, second LED lighting, and in the future ultrasound and cavitation?!? We’ll see.
Jon