A little algae help plz :(

[jbowles]

Ok so my tank has been up and going since june of this year and over the last couple weeks it has kinda gotten over run with algae. I have 3 dwarf blue leg hermits, 4 zebra hermits, 1 small snail, 3 turbo snails, 1 peppermint shrimp, 1 cleaner shrimp, 1 small clownfish ( not sure of name but same kind as Nemo), 1 blue damsel,1 chocalate chip starfish, 2 feather dusters, 1 condy anemone, and 1 large Hermit crab. Here are a few pics of my tank:









My real question is what can i do to make my tank pretty again ? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Ziggy953]

How often do you feed? What do you feed? What type of filtration do you have other then the HOB that I see in the pics? How often do you do PWCs? What source water do you use for top off and water changes?

What are your water parameters like? Ammonia Nitrate Nitrite?

From what I see it looks like cyano which is feeding off excess nutirents in the water. You probably have high nitrates and that is the cause of the issue. Where those nitrates came from is the question. Using RO/DI water is the best option for elimnating excess nutrients from your source water. I would suggest doing some large (30% +) water changes over the next several weeks. Doing regular PWCs will help keep the excess nutrients and nitrates in check. With that said you need to check your source water for nitrates and phosphates as both will lead to algae issues.

 

[melosu58]

Here is a good link on algea.

FantasyReef Databases-Viewing item "10 Step Plan for Nuisance Algae Control"

 

[jbowles]

I am just using the HOB as extra water current, there are no filters in it, I use a rena canister filter for filtration. I will check the water paremeters and post them in a bit. I only feed a small amount of flake food at night and about 2 times a week i use frozen brine shrimp instead. Everywhere i read says to cut back the ligting but with my anemone how much can i cut back without harming it?

 

[melosu58]

I would only feed every other day. Many of us do it with no problem and algea free tanks.

 

[jbowles]

Ok i will try that, meanwhile i took a very soft brush and got most of the algae off all the LR and stirred the bottom a bit to get the algae there to float to the top. I them siphoned out all the loose algae. I tested nitrates, and nitrites both showed no signs. On another note do you think my clean up crew is sufficent for what i have? I mean should they be able to keep up with the algae once i get this under control?

 

[ThatGuy619]

hey all i did was increase my flow in tank any it went away. just add a few ph to help the flow make sure you dont get a sand storm

 

[jbowles]

hey all i did was increase my flow in tank any it went away. just add a few ph to help the flow make sure you dont get a sand storm

I been meaning to add a powerhead to the tank can anyone suggest a decent one that doesn't cost alot?

 

[ThatGuy619]

well you can go with max jet 1200 or you can get 2 koralia 3's. i have three koralia 4's in my 100g mixed reef tank

 

[ThatGuy619]

amazon has them to cheaper prices

 

[roka64]

I think increasing the flow along with the other suggestions will work wonders for you. Personally, I love the Hydor Koralias. They generate a nice soft (but strong) dispersed flow. I have had my urchin and snails crawl across them and not get sucked in or stuck.

 

[masterid]

Not all algae in the aquarium is necessarily 'bad' - a certain amount is inevitable where there is water, light and nutrients. However, some types of algae are certainly a nuisance, if for no other reason than looking unsightly. Do not leave lighting on for more than 10-12 hours a day. Longer periods are likely to favor algal growth, rather than promote plant growth.

 

[Ziggy953]

How long has your tank been set up?

With the amount of algae you have in the pics you posted I find it hard to believe that you have 0 nitrates. How often do you clean out the canister filter? Detritus can get trapped and cause nitrates to go up and lead to algae issues.

Test your water again...what kind of test kit are you using?

 

[melosu58]

stirred the bottom a bit to get the algae there to float to the top.

Not recommended to stir up your substrate. Will cause a mini cycle.

 

[jbowles]

Not recommended to stir up your substrate. Will cause a mini cycle.

Hmm so that could be part of my problem, i have been stirring it up daily and letting my filters clear out the water and then rinsing out my filters. I did increase the water flow quite a bit with a DIY submersible pump and some tubing, just temporary till i can order my korila's. But the odd thing is where the flow is the most powerful is where the algae is growing the worst now. The algae starts off like a dark green and spreads extremly fast. Like over the course of just a few hours the entire bottom is recovered and then it turns brown. I just don't understand what is feeding it so much since i have reduced the feeding to every other day.

I use an instant ocean test kit and i am still showing no signs of nitrites, or nitrates. and the tank has been up and going since early July.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Yeah... just leave the sand bed alone. Gentle vacuuming of the top inch or so every month is OK, but stirring... not a good thing.

 

[jbowles]

Just a quick update as the war goes on lol. I have been just kind of letting it go and still cut back feeding and still have the increased flow going. But have noticed no change in the algae. Tonight i got a tub of water and pulled out a couple pieces of my LR to clean some of the algae off and man did it have an odor. Is that normal for the algae to smell very bad? I only cleaned off a few pieces of the LR and figured with the odor i would see what you guys had to say before continuing.

 

[melosu58]

How about cutting your lighting down and maybe even a day or two blackout.

 

[jbowles]

How about cutting your lighting down and maybe even a day or two blackout.

Will this affect my condy anemone or my zoa's?

 

[melosu58]

They might not like it but they will be OK. I would definitely cut down to 6 hrs a day and they will be OK with that. As I mentioned you could do a 1 or 2 day blackout and I still feel like they will be OK.