Possible Problem (Please Help!)

[Istrom]

Hey, thanks for reading.

So I am having an issue with red slime algae, so I googled "Marine Algaecide" and API's "AlgaeFix" Marine came up so I clicked on it. At this point I remembered that I have Algaecide for my pond. I went and grabbed it and compared the active ingredients. It was an exact match.

API's product says that it is Coral, Fish, and Invert safe. However, with the algaecide that I used the back said that it was not invertebrate safe.

Unfortunately it is a little late for me to say "better safe than sorry", so do you think that considering they have the exact same active ingredients at the same concentration, will my fish, coral, and inverts be okay?

 

[Frankie_Garcia]

Well red slime algae is a pain in the butt no doubt. Red slime forms in areas of little to no movement, high waste output, or poor quality water. I'm not saying you have any of those but those are what I have concluded IME, also water going into the tank can be a problem as it may contain high phosphate levels

Putting that in a tank is like covering a wound that need a stitches with a bandaid. I wouldn't have done it honestly.


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[Istrom]

Yup. I agree that it is a VERY temporary fix. I'm going to get new lights (which is the main problem) in 10 days and I will also be putting in some powerheads soon. But do you think my tank occupants will live?

 

[Frankie_Garcia]

Yeah they will live! What kind of lights are you going for? And if I were you j would go with the eBay LED lights that run around $90-$100.

What size tank do you have?


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[Istrom]

You're a life saver!

I'm looking at these LEDs because of their price, output, and timer. My tank is a 55.

 

[PB_Smith]

also keep in mind that it is most likely NOT algae, but bacteria, cyano bacteria to be exact.
SO before you go dumping stuff in your tank, you should read up on cyano bacteria.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

You're a life saver!



I'm looking at these LEDs because of their price, output, and timer. My tank is a 55.

Those lights aren't going to support much, pretty much maxed out at softies.

 

[Sniperhank]

Yup. I agree that it is a VERY temporary fix. I'm going to get new lights (which is the main problem) in 10 days and I will also be putting in some powerheads soon. But do you think my tank occupants will live?

There are no powerheads in your setup? So where is the water movement coming from? Without movement in the water, oxygen is used up and CO2 builds up. This is deadly to fish...just as deadly as ammonia or nitrite...

 

[Istrom]

I am planning on just having soft coral actually.

I have a return from my refugium that's powered by a pump, the water it brings back in pushes a fairly large mass of oxygen in bubble form about 8+ inches under the surface of the water constantly.

 

[Sniperhank]

And what size of tank is this? A return isn't enough under normal circumstances. You also don't want them shooting bubbles through your tank, it creates salt creep and will drop your salinity.

 

[buxndux]

Yeah I think if you get some more water circulation you will be golden. Check out gph (gallon per hour) requirements for certain tanks. I've seen a bunch of charts giving the recommended flow requirements for different tanks (fish only, soft corals and SPS) I can't remember the figures off the top of my head but I think my 55 is around 1600gph. I would check out these power heads for your tank http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004KN67U0/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1406996437&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70
For $27 you get two pumps that move a ton of water. A friend referred me to these and I've loved them. Good luck.

 

[Istrom]

Alright, I fixed the return so it doesn't shoot bubbles down, My total flow in GPH is about 850 right now.

 

[Frankie_Garcia]

I am planning on just having soft coral actually.



I have a return from my refugium that's powered by a pump, the water it brings back in pushes a fairly large mass of oxygen in bubble form about 8+ inches under the surface of the water constantly.

Do not go with the orbit. The LeD I recommended will grow anything


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[Gregcoyote]

The fixture you posted looks good, but I am suspicious of any manufacturer that doesn't give you the wattage and led count of the fixture. Couldn't find that anywhere.


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[Istrom]

Frankie, send me a link to a couple of the fixtures you're talking about. I'm in the 100-200 dollar range for a 48 inch LED reef fixture, if it could grow stony and soft corals that would be ideal.

 

[Frankie_Garcia]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251495773757

Look at this


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[Istrom]

That seems a bit small for my aquarium though. Are there any full length fixtures that you would recommend?

 

[Frankie_Garcia]

2 of those would be fine for your aquarium. I've seen full 55g sps reef tanks with these and they cover just fine.


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[Istrom]

Ah, I misread anyway lol, I saw the 165W and thought that was the price per unit. Yeah I will get two of those for sure.

 

[Frankie_Garcia]

I'd you find a package deal for 2 it may be like $5-$10 cheaper


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