What is this green stuff in my sand??

[Azul17]

Anyone knows how to get rid of this? I do 25% water change every week.

 

[Azul17]

I know the red stuff is red slime so I'm using the ultra life red slime remover. But I have no idea what the green stuff is and how to get rid of.

 

[jsmith]

I know the red stuff is red slime so I'm using the ultra life red slime remover. But I have no idea what the green stuff is and how to get rid of.

What are your feeding habits? Im sure your nitrates are nill since tgey are being consumed by the algea.. the green algae is most likly just the green algea i get it but it against my glass and sand never on top.. have you tried to siphon it out i would..just try not to stir it up to much.

 

[Azul17]

I feed twice a day small portions but during the day I clip sea weed since I have a yellow tang, fox face and fire angel. I do siphon the sand but after 2 days it comes back again. So I don't know what to do to clean it. My nitrates are around 20-30

 

[Schism]

My nitrates are around 20-30

Unfortunately this is the problem. Algae feed off excess nitrates and phosphates. You have a nutrient problem.

If you want suggestions to fix the problem i need more info on your setup. Tank size, stock, equipment, and how much feeding etc.

 

[Azul17]

Hi! Thanks for your help. I have 4 green chromis, 1 fire angle, 1 fox face, 1 yellow tang, 1 sixline wrasse, 1 cleaner shrimp, 1 brittle star and 1 hermit crab. Tank size is 100 gallon and I have a NAC 3.5 protein skimmer.

I feed twice a day. At 11am I feed flakes and i also give a square of like 2by2in of dry seaweed and at 9pm I feed either mysis, brine, formula 1 or 2 (I switch between days) I usually feed a cube and I use a dropper to make sure the eat it all.

 

[Azul17]

Here is a pic. Ofcourse this is a pic when it had no green algae

 

[Azul17]

Recent pic if that would help.

 

[Schism]

Pic does help, right off the bat i see no powerheads, i see return lines so im gonna ask how much your return pump is rated for?

But on a side note, return lines by themselves are not always gonna give you the flow you need to keep detritus suspended. If everything does not stay suspended and becomes trapped in dead spots then it cannot be removed by uour skimmer, meaning it will rot and breakdown into nitrates and phosphates.

Also how is your maintenance? How often do you do water changes and how much water do you change each time? Do you siphon the sand bed when doing a water change? How old is the tank, you may have mentioned but i forgot and cant see while typing this.

Feeding sounds ok but if the fish waste os not being removed properly then its gonna be a problems. Answer the few questions i gave you and we will go from there

 

[Azul17]

Thank you once again for your help. Besides the return lines I do have a powerhead. It's a rio+ 1400. I do water changes every week about 20% every Friday and I do siphon the sand only where I can reach. I take out some rocks but not all of them. I've had the tank since December (8 months)

 

[Azul17]

Here is a pic of the power head

 

[54seaweed]

prob not enough water movement thats a big tank for one power head
and it looks like cayno to me
try doing a bigger water change to help bring down your nitrates
wait few days do another should help a lot
may want to look into another power head for the other side of tank , and lighten feedings till its under control

 

[Schism]

Thank you once again for your help. Besides the return lines I do have a powerhead. It's a rio+ 1400. I do water changes every week about 20% every Friday and I do siphon the sand only where I can reach. I take out some rocks but not all of them. I've had the tank since December (8 months)

Ok i see that now but i think your still pretty low on flow. I see all those return lines and pump at top of tank too. Bottom of the tank is low in flow. If you have dead spots then you do not have enough flow. I highly betting you have many dead spots or low flow areas. And its probably catching up to ya.

Without the flow your skimmer cant do its job efficiently.

3,000-5,000 gph of flow is recommended for a tank that size. And thats not really including the return.

 

[Azul17]

Ok thanx for all your help! I'm gonna try to do a few water changes to bring nitrates down and I will also try to add another pump for more flow.

Thanx once again!

 

[jsmith]

Ok thanx for all your help! I'm gonna try to do a few water changes to bring nitrates down and I will also try to add another pump for more flow.

Thanx once again!

Also try feeding the same amount every otherday as well as look at making your own food. Flakes contain a high amount of phosphates and nitrates.

 

[Azul17]

What do you recommend making as my own food for the vegetarians and the carnivores?

 

[jsmith]

I will give you my recipe that I use and have been adapted by a group of fellow reefers in my area.

I do 6 scallops 6 clams 3 raw large shrimp 2 sheets of sushi nori. About 4 ounce portion of any white fish on sale with one clove of minced garlic. Blend it all in a food processor. Just make sure y rinse it good with rodi water then i put in large zip lock bag roll thin with a rolling pin. And freeze it flat..

 

[Azul17]

Thank you very much JSmith! I really appreciate all your help.
I'm going to try to do 3 water changes this week, feed less just to reduce the green algae and I'm going to try to buy another water pump and ofcourse try the new recipe.

Thank you once again!

 

[jsmith]

Thank you very much JSmith! I really appreciate all your help.
I'm going to try to do 3 water changes this week, feed less just to reduce the green algae and I'm going to try to buy another water pump and ofcourse try the new recipe.

Thank you once again!

Np hope all goes well!