algae issues

[hborch60]

Hello,

I have had a chronic algae issue and have tried just about everything I can think. So, any help is greatly appreciated.

SETUP
Tank:40 gallon "breeder tank" reef aquarium established for approx 1 yr.
Lights: 96X2 watt power compact
Water Movement: 75 gallon sump pump, Koralia nano powerhead, Koralia 600 GPH powerhead, protein skimmer
Salt: Kent Marine with 1.025 salinity
Substrate: 40 lbs sand, 40+ lbs live rock
Fish: Clown, sand sifting goby, angel fish
live stock: coral banded shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimp, 1 male 1 female emerald crab, approx 20 snails, approx 20 hermits
Coral: mushrooms, open brain, yellow polyps, bubble, colt, Green Frogspawn, torch coral, flower

PROBLEM
Chronic (6 months) algae growth
Appearance: brown/rusty algae growth on sand and glass. Growth will get quite heavy on sand.
pH: seems too low

WATER
Home RO/DI, 79 degrees, tested with Quick Dip strips (0 nitrate/nitrite, alkalinity approx 180, pH 7.5-7.8 despite treatment with Kent Marine Superbuffer)

I HAVE TRIED
replacing bulbs, increasing water changes (every 2 wks), red slime remover, tank clarifier, adding the powerheads, adding to the deep sand bed, adding superbuffer

Any Ideas?

 

[melosu58]

Almost sounds like cyano. Read our site article.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/20/1/Cyanobacteria-AKA-Red-Slime-Algae-/Page1.html

 

[Tank2379]

How much are you feeding a day? Are you checking your Phosphate levels?

 

[hborch60]

Food and phosphates

I feed:
Pemysis 2x per week
Phytoplankton 3x per week
Cyclop-eeze 2x per week

Phosphates:
I honestly dont monitor, do you have any suggestion for brand/type?

 

[Tank2379]

I wold try to monitor your Phosphates or get a Phosphate reactor. That can eliminate your Algae issue or less lighting per day 7-6 hrs a day should work. If you have High Phos any algae bacteria will eat it up and cause you to have all sorts of algae. Try getting a Phosphate test any brand should do or Salifert brands are more accurate.

 

[Innovator]

First, purchase another test kit since strips are not considered accurate by any means. You also don't need to dose phytoplankton that often considering the invertebrate stock. We'll know more when you have more precise readings such as NO3, pH, Alk, Ca, and PO4.

 

[hborch60]

Thanks

Thank you everyone, I will test and post the results. How often should I feed with phytoplankton? Besides that, is the feeding right?

 

[lando]

I agree...PO4 testing is a good place to start. Test both your tank and RO/DI water. Discontinue the phyto use as you do not have any animals listed that would really benefit from it. Phyto is notorious for increasing NO3 and PO4.

 

[hborch60]

Test Results

I purchased an API Reef Test Kit with the following results:

Phosphate: 0-0.25 (really hard to match the color on the chart, but did seem in between 0 and 0.25)
pH: 7.8
Ca: 390
kH: 10 degrees/179
Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate: 0

So, not sure where this leaves me....

Ideas anyone??

 

[hborch60]

test results part 2

Ok, now I am really confused. I just checked the phosphate level in my tank vs my RO/DI water for comparison. My tank read 0 and my RO/DI read 0.25, how can this be, what does it mean?

 

[fishcrack]

I posted with this same problem about 6 months or so ago in my 24g nano before it cracked. It drove me crazy. Same problem - low PH and brown "stuff" on the sand. Didn't act like cyno (wasn't slimy). I ended up reading something about tanks that are covered all the time (which mine was) and poor oxygen exchange, even with additional powerhead.

Could that be your issue? Is your tank covered? I uncovered my tank, did several good size water changed, and increased the size of my Koralia (and direction). The brown stuff on the sand looked more like diatoms. I even went up to 5 days without feeding. It did finally resolve itself. Also, lighting was an issue. It took me a while to realize that since the tank was in a classroom, I needed to take the fluorescent lights into account. Several years ago, they installed special fluor. bulbs to simulate "daylight" for the kids - sounds like prison huh! So, have you thought about oxygen exchange, lighting and water movement too?

These guys are wonderful. They'll help you think it through. I have learned a lot just by reading, reading, reading all their advice and posts. Your readings will be off if it is cyno or algae because it will consume phosphates and nitrates so don't go just by the numbers.

 

[austinsdad]

I'd prolly limit the coral feeding to once every 2 weeks for a while also and see if that helps. That's way too much coral food IMO.

I forgot. Didja say there was other water movment in addition to the main return pump? Trying to figure out if there are dead spots too.

 

[hborch60]

Fishcrack:

Yeah, my tank is uncovered, I have two additional powerheads and have changed my lightbulbs. Hope we can figure this out, very frustrating!

 

[hborch60]

Austinsdad:

When you say I am feeding too much, are you refering to the phytoplankton? Someone else said I shouldn't even use this due to my coral makeup. I am confused now, the local aquarium store said I needed it. Anyone know?

 

[hborch60]

Algae pics

Here are some pics of the algae that plagues me!

 

[MaiNpHRaMe]

dude, what kind of snails do you have, water has nothing to do with blooms. Ceths are the smallest and best for diatonms from what i've dealt with. If you have growth on your sand that means that you aren't properly maintaining your tank. sift the sand and create a storm effect every week or so, that will get all the crap off of your sand and into your skimmer. Remove and rinse bioballs every month and clean up the stuff that accumilates underneith the biobals. Remember saltwater tanks demad wayyyy more care and caution than freshwater tanks.

 

[hborch60]

more algae...

Seems like I can't shake this algae!!! Since my last post, I replaced my RO/DI filters and added ROWAphos phosphate and silicate adsorber. The adsorber is in a mesh bag under the flow of water. I also changed my water on Friday (~10 gal of my 40 gal tank)

Still, I have continued algae growth. Which looks like this...

 

[Brad.Sedore]

to me... and im no expert but the algae on the sand actually looks like diatoms... the stuff on the glass... im fighting the same battle right now... pulling my hair out

-Brad

 

[melosu58]

How often are you running your lights? The stuff on the glass can be wiped away with a mag float. I might have missed it but how often are you feeding.

 

[hborch60]

Feeding

I have recently cut back on feeding, now just :

1x weekly phytoplankton
1x weekly cyclop-eeze
2x weekly pemysis

Despite this long standing problem, I haven't had much trouble with coral, fish, inverts. Until recently, my coral banded shrimp and sand sifting goby have died, both had for 1 yr. Am I feeding too little now? Don't see any changes anywhere.....

I run my lights:
Actinic for 8hrs
'white' light for 6.5 hours