Stupid Brown Algae. HELP!

[Tryin2layadime]

ok i have this brown algae growing. ive taken everything out and cleaned it with hot water and let it sit out for a while. i have a diamond goby for the sand and 3 snails but yet it is still coming back. i have had this set up for about 2 months and have done one water change which was recent (last week) i did a huge change i have a 55 gallon and i took out 26 gallons. my nitrites and nitrates are fine they were elevated but since the change they have balanced out. no other levels are high. how can i get rid of this with out having to scrub the tank and STRESS out the fish.

 

[Silent Night]

when you first added water 2 months ago, did you use RO water, or 'treated' tap water?

 

[Mitchell0605]

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

Follow those steps and your algae will go away.

 

[thincat]

What you have is "Referred to as a microalgae, brown or golden algae is actually not an algae at all, but diatoms. What you are actually seeing in your tank are diatom skeletons, all linked together. It can appear as a simple dusting on the tank walls and substrate surfaces, or it can turn into a massive growth that covers just about everything in the tank. This type of algae outbreak typically occurs when a tank is just completing or has just finished the nitrogen cycle". PWC will help, but it normally goes away with time.

 

[Tryin2layadime]

Silent : no i used tap where my tank is located is by a outside hose. i ran the water threw the hose then added it to the tank treated and let sit for a few days running threw filters then i added the salt and sand to the mix. but since then ive been adding 2-4 gallons of filtered RO water and ive added that several times

Mitchell : thanks for the info ill look it up

Thincat : yes ive heard it called diatoms but ive done a water change actually i did a half water change. so what are my options from here

 

[Zer0]

That tap water is where your problem is. Most likely, your tap water contains excess nutrients and other elements that nuisance algae feed on, such as silicates for diatoms, nitrates for other algaes.. etc.. The main reason us reefers use RO/DI water is because it is pure, and contains nothing that can feed algae growth. Look up the benefits of using RO/DI water in a reef/saltwater environment and you will see what you've been missing out on.

 

[Tryin2layadime]

good lesson but now that i have 55 gallons of water that I DO NOT plan on changing out what are my other options.

 

[mrg02d]

good lesson but now that i have 55 gallons of water that I DO NOT plan on changing out what are my other options.

Get some scrubbing pads, GFO, and carbon...


Matt

 

[Zer0]

You don't have to change it all out.. even though you could. If you begin using RO/DI water, and you do your weekly partial water changes, all of the water in the tank will eventually be swapped out with RO/DI water. Takes a little time.. but really not that much. Also.. if you continue to use tap water.. you will most likely be having the same problems you are having now... forever. You can do what Matt suggested, but that's really only temporarily fixing the problem.. not removing it.

 

[Tryin2layadime]

ya i just added 3 gallons of ro water. is there a fish/invertibrate that will eat/clean the stuff


and i plan to do RO/DI water changes now. i think 5 gallons every 2 weeks should help.

 

[Tryin2layadime]

do you put this on the tank or to you house? im confused.

Captive Purity Pro RO/DI Filter System - Clear Canisters

 

[mrg02d]

do you put this on the tank or to you house? im confused.

Captive Purity Pro RO/DI Filter System - Clear Canisters

DANG! $$$!!!

Dont get your RO/DI system from there! Go to AirWaterIce or Ebay to get one. All an RO/DI system is is an RO membrane, DI filter, and tubing. Better systems include pre filters that filter out sediments to prolong the life of the RO membrane. Thats all this junk is.

$300 for a 75GPD system?

These connect to your water line and your waste water drain.
Matt

 

[harmy4993]

Wow 2 pages and no one asked for water test results, or comminted on the fact of nitrites present.

Running water thru aquarium filters for a few days does nothing. What do you have in the tank right now in terms of live stock? What are your water test results. Saying they were high and evened out isnt a result. Need actual numbers. Where do you get your ro/di water? Changing less then 10% of water every 2 weeks isnt likely to be enough. Really need about 20% but depends what you keep in the tank

 

[harmy4993]

I also get the impression you didnt cycle your tank, i also get the impression you ruined your cycle when you cleaned your rocks. If im wrong im sorry but if im right you may wanna do some research in setting up, cycling, and caring for your tank. Your in for alot of dissappointment and money wasted if you dont Do some research.

 

[Tryin2layadime]

Wow 2 pages and no one asked for water test results, or comminted on the fact of nitrites present.

Running water thru aquarium filters for a few days does nothing. What do you have in the tank right now in terms of live stock? What are your water test results. Saying they were high and evened out isnt a result. Need actual numbers. Where do you get your ro/di water? Changing less then 10% of water every 2 weeks isnt likely to be enough. Really need about 20% but depends what you keep in the tank

live stock i have 8 different damsels. 2 gold, 2 chromis, 2 yellow tail and 2 4 stripes, i also have 3 turbo snails and one diamond goby. and i changed half the water last week 26 gallons. and i used tap water (i know dont)

I also get the impression you didnt cycle your tank, i also get the impression you ruined your cycle when you cleaned your rocks. If im wrong im sorry but if im right you may wanna do some research in setting up, cycling, and caring for your tank. Your in for alot of dissappointment and money wasted if you dont Do some research.

i let the tank sit fishless for almost 5 weeks before i put anything in there. and when i put fish in there i only added the 8 damsels. over the following weeks i added the goby then the snails. and i have absolutly no live rock just sand.

and for results i only use the test strips nothing else. i do have a hydrometer but its not a refractometer. so as for cycling i did it. i didnt change any water for the first month and a half to allow the damsels to cycle it.

 

[milhous3er]

You added 8 fish, into a cycleless tank ?? The people that excel in this hobby know that the rule is to add 1 fish per month, until you can handle the maximum bioload that your tank will let you have. I'm assuming that all are still alive and you had no casualties ?? Your LR holds all your beneficial bacteria, and is a key part of breaking down ammonia, to nitrites, to nitrates. Most people don't cycle with fish, as its crual to the fish.

What did you put in the tank while it was sitting for 5 weeks ?? And where did you get your advice from ?? We aren't trying to be rude about it, but it seems like you have alot to learn. The internet is your friend.

 

[mrg02d]

Im guessing that putting 8 fish in at once was way too many to add at once seeing as you likely started with much less ammonia than 8 damsels cause.

Did you see the cycle happen? You need to see an ammonia spike then go to zero. Then see a nitrite spike and go to zero. Lastly should be a heck of a lot of nitrates which get removed via regular PWC.

Man, 8 damsels! Id hate to be a goby in that tank...
Matt

 

[thincat]

I'm the ammonia fairy and all is Well.

 

[mrg02d]

I'm the ammonia fairy and all is Well.

Ill join ya!

Matt

 

[Tryin2layadime]

You added 8 fish, into a cycleless tank ?? The people that excel in this hobby know that the rule is to add 1 fish per month, until you can handle the maximum bioload that your tank will let you have. I'm assuming that all are still alive and you had no casualties ?? Your LR holds all your beneficial bacteria, and is a key part of breaking down ammonia, to nitrites, to nitrates. Most people don't cycle with fish, as its crual to the fish.

What did you put in the tank while it was sitting for 5 weeks ?? And where did you get your advice from ?? We aren't trying to be rude about it, but it seems like you have alot to learn. The internet is your friend.

the tank was in cycle it wasnt cycleless so to speak, but yes i added the 8 damsels i read that was a good amount to start with and they were the toughest.