Algae problems

[Sarah99701]

Problems with Algae and my plan (tank 1 year old with live rock stacked to the top)
1. Change to RO/DI water not tap water.(DOING)
2. Don't over fed (no fish yet just debris eaters) so that won't be hard
3. Keep lights on only 10 hours (is that to long?)
4. Improve water movement - stack rocks so no dead spaces - 55 gal tank get wave maker with 4 water pumps. Currently have 3 pumps to move water along with the protein skimmer and a canister filter (with carbon).
5. Pick the rocks as clean as possible, again.
6. Increase Debris eaters in tank
7. Add UV Sterilizer - 25watt

Any suggestions - Which one would you invest in first the wave maker or the UV sterilizer? Nitrates/Nitrites/Ammonia all good
Any suggestions on Wave maker set ups? Would like to purchase one with a 100 gal tank in mind.
Thanks Sarah

 

[Grizz]

I'd get rid of the canister there nitrate factory's they need to be cleaned weekly cut back on lights 4-6 hrs a day is fine. Until you add coral
Power heads will depend on what you want to keep FOWRL 10-20x volume LPS 15-30x volume SPS 30-50x volume.

 

[bavass]

I would get rid of canister filter unless you clean it weekly. Make sure the skimmer is running properly. Don't worry about a UV Sterilizer. Keep doing what you are doing. If you are starting to use Ro/DI in place of tap water it will take some time to get the tap water out. The algae will be there till then. If you have a sump I would add some chaeto. Instead of increasing fish to clean detritus clean the detritus your self. Adding fish can add to the problem that's just a circle. You need to get the detritus out with proper exporting. Lower PO4 and No3 levels. Instead of the canister filter get 2 reactors run carbon in one and HC GFO in the other.

 

[Callmemr.joey]

Get an Otto or algae eater cause their cheap small and effective

 

[Sarah99701]

Algae

What is the difference between soft coral vs hard coral vs sea anemones? Sometimes I see pictures of what I think is a sea anemone and it is a soft coral. I thought since I had live rock there are corals (the colored purplish stuff that sometimes grows in spots on the glass) on it. So that is why I thought I needed the lights on for so long.
I was thinking of not getting fish yet but a few more crabs and snails. I thought the pack that Dr. Foster's site sold looked like to many so I just ordered maybe 10 of each (along with a brittle star and a sea urchin).
So no wavemaker or uv sterilizer yet a new filter and no canister which I guess the Fluval 406 is right? What is a 2 reactors (run carbon in one and HC GFO in the other)?. What is an example of one. Whatever I get I would like it to support a 100 gal tank that I hope to get some day.
Also lighting I have a T-5 light with 8 - 48" bulbs in it. How many of each type of blub would you run for plant growth, corals, sea anemones?
Thanks

 

[Sarah99701]

Otto

Get an Otto or algae eater cause their cheap small and effective

Is that a saltwater fish?

 

[kdpuffer]

Otto and algae eaters are freshwater fish

 

[Sarah99701]

GFO

Just watch some YouTube videos on GFO/Carbon Reactors. So they are not filters they are an addition to a filter right? I was wondering do you think I could add a bag of GFO to my Magnum 350 filter? Maybe I should add 1/2 carbon 1/2 GFO to the magnum to prevent clumping of the GFO?

 

[Ingy]

What is the difference between soft coral vs hard coral vs sea anemones? Sometimes I see pictures of what I think is a sea anemone and it is a soft coral. I thought since I had live rock there are corals (the colored purplish stuff that sometimes grows in spots on the glass) on it. So that is why I thought I needed the lights on for so long.
I was thinking of not getting fish yet but a few more crabs and snails. I thought the pack that Dr. Foster's site sold looked like to many so I just ordered maybe 10 of each (along with a brittle star and a sea urchin).
So no wavemaker or uv sterilizer yet a new filter and no canister which I guess the Fluval 406 is right? What is a 2 reactors (run carbon in one and HC GFO in the other)?. What is an example of one. Whatever I get I would like it to support a 100 gal tank that I hope to get some day.
Also lighting I have a T-5 light with 8 - 48" bulbs in it. How many of each type of blub would you run for plant growth, corals, sea anemones?
Thanks

Corals

Soft corals ate things like mushrooms, leathers and some others
Large hard corals (LPS) often look very much like anemones. Also things like brain like corals.
Small hard corals (SPS) often look like hard branches or mats with very very short fuzz.
Anemones are creatures that can move around a tank and require intense lighting. They can sting other life including corals, crabs, fish. Depending on the anemone type.
Your 8 bulb light should support anything. There are variations of bulbs, which would be something like 4 blue actinic, 2 cool white (10-12k), perhaps a purple and something else (another actinic or white or even a pink).

 

[Ingy]

Forgot to mention, the purple Coraline algae is not a coral. It's an algae that consumes carbonates and calcium very much like a hard coral does.

 

[Sarah99701]

Coraline Algae

ALGAE! and its eating my calcium! Reminds me of the time I thought I had a beautiful sea anemone and was painstakingly feeding it. You can guess what it turned out to be. AIPTASIA
I think I might have a little hard coral that kind of looks leathery on some of my rocks.
Just got done cleaning the canister filter. I've been rotating two of the filter pads. I clean one and then put it back when I do the next filter change. Anyone else do that?

 

[bavass]

Only a few macro algae eat calcium as far as i know, for example shaving brush and halmidia are a few. What kind of algae do you have ?

 

[Sarah99701]

Coraline Algae

I think it is Coraline algae the stuff that flat and hard comes in different colors and grows on rocks and on the glass.

 

[bavass]

Post some pics