Algae!..........anyone Else!

[woody88]

Hi guys! I'm sure your all getting sick of these algae posts so for that apologise but I just want to know if I'm not alone on this issue.
For those of you that have read my journel, you'll know that I have been battling algae since I was given the tank and although I do now seen to be on top of it I would just like to know if anyone else has the problem with green hairy algae building up slowly and if,like me, it's a case of removing the LR on every water change to give them a good scrub ( if I'm not alone on this, how do reef keepers keep control of this when they're rocks are covered in coral, making it almost impossible to remove them to scrub).
I would also like to point (before anyone asks) that my water params are fine (nitrate 5 phos 0) everything else is within acceptable limits.
My lighting period is 6 hours of light, 5 hours of led moonlight and the rest natural light ( my tank is no where near a window).

My cuc is pathetic at the mo but I'm planning of adding alot more soon.

Please give me your views, experience with dealing with green hairy algae as I surely can't be the only one that has to scrub the LR on a regular basis to remove any trace of it.

Will be adding cheato soon to compete with it for trate and phos.

 

[seffieuk]

Woody, there is an interesting fact here to be considered - although your stats are fine you probably have a lot of nitrate or phosphate in the tank, what is happening is that the algae is feeding off it so it appears on your test to be 0 or <10 when in fact it is high.

Cures:

• run phosphate and nitrate remover
• improve your cuc
• get a tds meter to check the water before it goes in the tank
• cut down on feeding, we nearly all feed to much!
• dont overstock with fish
  

SEffie x

 

[ozzie2011]

As seffie says above, also here is an article I did for another site the info was correlated from several sources

One of the most common questions asked in this hobby is “why do I have algae in my tank?” and “How can I get rid of it?” Below I will try and answer both question. This short article will literally skim the surface of this problem (no need for comments ) I have researched this subject quite extensively and will try and give a concise interpretation from the sources I have read.
So...What causes algae?
When the levels of dissolved Phosphate (PO4) rise above 0.03/4ppm micro-algae will start to appear in your aquarium, this is guaranteed. By micro-algae I mean any type of algae that we consider as undesirable in the aquarium, whether hairy, crusty, encrusting, filamentous, and slimy etc etc.
Why have I got algae in my tank?
Simple, and whether you are being honest to yourself or not when you are reading you phosphate test results you have high PO4, If your tests tell you otherwise then you are either misreading them or they are inaccurate. I am sure more than one of us have exaggerated for the results to better on more than one occasion
You may very well still believe that nitrates are the main cause of this algal growth because older literature has so often intimated that nitrates are the culprit. Although nitrate does contribute to algal growth, phosphates are a far greater reason for their appearance and proliferation throughout your aquarium. Nitrate levels that are high are certainly not desirable but they appear to affect other matters in the tank more than actual algae growth (colour and appetite seem to be affected in fish, and in corals not opening as wide appears to be a consequence of high nitrate levels).
The list below is by no means complete but does cover some of the reasons why you may have high phosphates which generally lead to problem algae’s in our systems as mentioned above.
Some Internal Reasons
• High fish and/or coral population in the aquarium,
• Plant material that dies off and mineralization,
• Breakdown of undigested food in feces,
• Bacterial die-off and its decomposition and mineralization,
• Rapid algae growth (Algal) die-off and its decomposition and mineralization,
• Any other living material that dies, decomposes,
• Fish slime (and coral slime in reef tanks) that decomposes
Some External Reasons
• Overfeeding and the decay of the food that is not consumed,
• Phosphate in the water you are using,
• Phosphate present in the salt you use to make up water,
• Additives that contain it,
• Carbon that leaches phosphate into the water,
• Calcium hydroxide of low quality used to make limewater,
• Phosphate based chelators in additives
• Phosphates in buffering compounds,
• Using frozen foods and adding the liquid after it thaws to the tank
• Using low grade calcium carbonate in calcium reactors

Now we have discovered why we might have algae, what can we do about it?
Firstly you need to try and establish what is causing the high PO4, obviously I can’t go into detail with each scenario or I would still be here next year typing away If you are able to minimize the amount of PO4 in your tank just by washing frozen food and good housekeeping you will be on to a good start. Look at the other examples I have given above and see if there is anything you may be doing to encourage PO4. If let’s say you used to have 20 hermit crabs and now you have 5 live hermits and 15 empty hermit shells scattered around your tank then this might be a good place to start In all honesty if you can say you have none of the internal/external issues mentioned above you should have great PO4 readings and no algae
There are products such as Brightwell Aquatics Phosphat-E Phosphate Remover that will start to lower phosphate immediately, however you will need to continually dose this product to maintain lower PO4 for a sustained time. My preferred method is using products like phosban or Seachem phosguard which will absorb PO4 and not leach back into your system. There are many ways to use these products however I find reactors the best system.
Hopefully this short article may give you some insight to algae and phosphates and at least make you think what you may be doing wrong and more importantly how you might rid yourself of that ugly green stuff

 

[woody88]

Cheers guys! Thanks for the quick reply's! As i only have a small amount of phosphate remover in there, I'm gonna remove it and add some more fresh [There is only a small amount in there at the mo anyway]. I'm also gonna add some more cuc so hopefully they can keep on top of it.

As for the readings, Just before I tested the water last week, I scrubbed say 95% of the algae off the rock,glass and the rest of the tank when I done my water change so really there was no algae in there to soak up the trates and phos.

One thing for sure tho. If I cant control this algae, then I wont have any choice but to sell the fish, coral etc, Scrub the rock into oblivion/dip it in fresh water to kill all life on it, strip the tank down to nothingness, fill it with tap water and run it for a few days with pumps running to kill all bacterial life in it and then start all over again.

This Marine lark is starting to #101## me off and take over my life. I'm worried that a few months time, the novelty would have worn off, and I will start to neglect it.

I guess I have a big decision to make! Keep perservering and throwing money at it or throw in the towel and go back to trops. It's just that Marine tanks are so dam beautiful and an amazing addition to any room.


Anyway will follow seffies/ozzies advice and if not sucessful then the decision will be easier!


What would be better? Phosphate/Nitrate remover or Cheato to compete with the Algae

 

[seffieuk]

All three and an emerald crab or if you can hire a sea hare, coolio

I would stop scrubbing the rock, its not helping is it, get more cuc, add phosphate and nitrate remover and stand well back for a few weeks

Seffie x

ps how long do you have your lights on for?

 

[woody88]

All three and an emerald crab or if you can hire a sea hare, coolio

I would stop scrubbing the rock, its not helping is it, get more cuc, add phosphate and nitrate remover and stand well back for a few weeks

Seffie x

ps how long do you have your lights on for?

Hi Seffie, thanks for your advice! Will pop in to my lfs tommorow if i'm still able to move [suffering badly at the mo] and will grab the removers and more cuc [2 hermits, 5 snails].

My lighting period is currently 8 hours [was 12 but reduced it down to 6 but was'nt sure if that period was too short for my corals so upped it to 8 hrs today].

You know, I've had this tank for nearly 2 months now and I have'nt had the chance to just sit down and admire the life in it yet. All i've done is throw cash at it and..............er....................scrub rocks!

Forgot to say....Can I use my Salifert test kit to test the plain RO from the lfs [phos and Trate].
I did ask the lfs about there RO and they said they should both read zero as there RO unit is maintained regularly [Heard that before!].....commission!

 

[ozzie2011]

Yes you can use the kits mate.

Dont give up, most of us have been there one way or another

 

[seffieuk]

Get yourself a TDS meter too

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/TDS-WATER-QUALITY-TESTER-METER-AQUARIUM-POOL-SPA-/370469035282?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item5641acdd12

This sort of thing, then you can really tell if your lfs water is good (along with testing using the salifert)

Seffie x

 

[woody88]

Get yourself a TDS meter too

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/TDS-WATER-QUALITY-TESTER-METER-AQUARIUM-POOL-SPA-/370469035282?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item5641acdd12

This sort of thing, then you can really tell if your lfs water is good (along with testing using the salifert)

Seffie x

Cheers guys! Not gonna be able to get to lfs today so will have to be next sat. Hopefully the algae won't have grown that much by then.