The Algae Keeps Winning

[maidenfan]

not sure about a hood causing algea probs but iv'e been told a close fitting hood and lack of ripples on the surface can be a cause poor gas exchange and have some bearing on low ph

 

[SkiFletch]

not sure about a hood causing algea probs but iv'e been told a close fitting hood and lack of ripples on the surface can be a cause poor gas exchange and have some bearing on low ph

And while that is 100% true, his alk is very low at 220ppm which is the more likely culprit . Something tells me his Mg and calc are a little low too with a pH that low

 

[maidenfan]

so low cal, alk, mag could have a bearing on low ph and a high TDS reading could also have a bearing on this algea bloom
my ph is a little low 8.0 and i know my TDS of my RO water has been a little high started to sourse my RO from my LFS again and guess what the small amount of cyno i had has gone this morning
i know i need to keep an eye on my cal and may need to buffer
doesnt regular water changes help buffer your cal and ph? only if your RO water is at alow TDS i'd guess
great info as usual ski

good luck with the cyno shark

 

[SkiFletch]

Water changing will add calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity back into the system, but not much. Remember, doing a water change puts 10-20% of proper alk/calc/mg back into the water, but obviously can't raise them back to proper levels. You need to add a higher concentration than normal saltwater if the tank is depleted. Its an interesting bit of math that I'd go through with you, but I'm too lazy