Green dust algae outbreak - help me!!!

[brauny]

Well guys, very excited with my Coralife 29 Gallon Biocube Reef Tank, but am concerned with this green dust like algae that just arrived like a week ago. I wipe off with my NANO mag and it comes back within the hour.

My levels as far as PH, ammonia, trite and trate are good, phosphates no problem.

My lighting is Lunar LEDS 11pm to 7am. Actinics from 9AM to 9PM, White Fluorescent from 11Am to 7PM.

I need help as it is not fun cleaning the tank constantly, I want to enjoy what is going on inside.

 

[brauny]

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/893068_4789175687087_2117822539_o.jpg

 

[brauny]

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/893068_4789175687087_2117822539_o.jpg

 

[Bectan01]

Look like diatoms to me, symptoms of a new tank that should go away. Also, I believe your tank should have a period of total darkeness. I have darkness from 11pm until 7am...

 

[brauny]

I have lunars on at night so I think that is good or why would they have lunar LEDs and not use them. What do others think here? Keep the solutions coming

 

[Animal-Chin]

Diatoms for sure. I'm assuming your tank is new? It eats silicates so when they are gone the diatoms go away. Not really any CUC that gets rid of it. You just ride it out like everyone else who sets up a tank. I used to suck as much out with a water change as possible. Blow it with a turkey baster and it'll get removed from the water with your skimmer a bit at a time. Suck and blow, really all ya can do...

 

[brauny]

I don't have a skimmer with biocube. I will disrupt sand and remove with next water change. I had brown diatoms then gone now green stuff. Do I just let it grow or wipe clean

 

[Animal-Chin]

I'd wipe it up daily. I had a biocube, put some floss in the second chamber above the bioballs on that black shelf with the holes in it. If you stir up the algae it will get sucked into that back chamber and caught in the floss. Do this daily for a while and chuck the floss right after, you can get a big bag for like $5.

 

[brauny]

So put in new floss daily? Thanks what about lighting?

 

[willbratz]

I think your lights are on way to long. There needs to be a period of darkness for these guys to "sleep". Lunars are basically so we can enjoy our fish in that atmosphere.

I run my whites for 6 hours with Actincs an hour before and and hour after. You may be able to run them 8 hours with actinics an hour before and an hour after.

 

[brauny]

I will try no Lunars for 3 to 5 days and go to 8 hrs Blues and 6 hours whites and see the difference.

 

[Budda619]

I had the same issue with algae and diatom booms. Diatoms will cycle through by itself. I had a huge algae boom. I had a 12 hr daylight+actinic on at the time with 12 hrs on darkness for my noturnal critters and corals. I reduce light hours from 12 to 8 hrs for two weeks. Than the next week i upped it a extra hour. That help balance my algae. Having a skimmer helps as it removes extra proteins out the water. Basically the skimmer helps with the waste load before it hits your filter. Less maintenance for the filters. I see a start of algae on my glass every 12 days. I have a 30gallon cube

 

[Budda619]

Oh and btw lunar lights are for show, accent lighting. I heard its not reccommend to leave them on for so long. Depending on the spectrum level it could stunt coral growth or throw them off balance and stress them. Not 100% sure though

 

[brauny]

Hello everyone, for several weeks this has been much better, might have been diatoms.

Does anyone have these white spots or calcified sperm like deposits on the sides of aquarium?

 

[Budda619]

If its hard to remove you have some coraline algae. It is signs of a healthy tank. Your live rock will turn purple in time with them as well. Remove it with a stainless steel scraper

 

[brauny]

If its hard to remove you have some coraline algae. It is signs of a healthy tank. Your live rock will turn purple in time with them as well. Remove it with a stainless steel scraper

Meaning a razor blade? Thanks for the information, glad my tank is assumed to be healthy.

 

[Budda619]

Not if you have a acrylic tank, you will scratch it.I tend to use the scraper blades from kent marine. They are made for a tank. I dont trust razor blades as they will rust eventually, and you dont want that floating around.

 

[willbratz]

I use a single sided razor on my two glass tanks. They will rust pretty quickly though. You will only get a few cleanings before the blade begins to rust as someone has already pointed out.