Pesky Algae

[NarwhalLover3]

Anyone know how to get rid of this algae that grows on the back glass I my tank? I've tried the snail route and that doesn't really work. Thanks!

 

[NarwhalLover3]

Oh! The stuff floating all around in the water is bubbles. Not detritus.

 

[obscurereef]

What water are you using (RO/DI, RO, etc.)? How often/how much of a water change do you do?

 

[NarwhalLover3]

It's just regular tapwater (no chlorine). I would use RO/DI water, but my funds are deficient so I can't afford one. I do about a 12 gallon water change about 3-4 times a month. Could I be over feeding? I feed my scopas tang, sailfin tang, and mono brine shrimp every other day, aquadine marine pellets every day and a clip of nori every other day.

 

[Soccerdude]

Do not use tap water! I learned the hard way that the small traces of phosphates can cause bad algae blooms even if trates and trites are not testing. Use distilled water or buy premixed saltwater from your lfs. It's less than a dollar a gallon in most stores here in south fl. Good luck!

 

[obscurereef]

Yes, like soccerdude said at least convert to RO (distilled) water b/c it has less TDS (total dissolved solids). Anything other than RO/DI water which is purely water can contribute to nuisance algae. The water source is key and it's good to know what you're putting in your tank..w/ tap you never know.

 

[Phranque]

Yup... As long as you're using tap, not only is this problem not going to go away, it's likely to get worse. What kind of phosphates are you reading in your system, and have you tested your tap water? Some tap water can have 5ppm or greater, and all algae really needs to start growing is about 0.04ppm.

 

[NarwhalLover3]

So I can use the gallons of tap water I buy at the store?