Someone help

[Mikebaker]

I have a 77 gallon tank which has been cycling with 2 black mollies in it for about a month and a half, everything was going great and i came home yesterday and the water was cloudy and there is brown and green algae covering everything. I tested my water and everything was fine except my phospates were high. My filter is an emperor dual bio wheel model, but i dont' have a skimmer yet. Any ideas as to what may have caused this phosphate spike, and so much algae to grow in a day? Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[dskidmore]

These conditions are typical for a new aquarium. It should pass with time. The two major sources of phosphate could be your water and the food you feed the fish. Test your water, and if it has no phosphates, cut back on your feedings. If your water does have phosphates, consider investing in an RO/DI unit, and use RO/DI water to make up your new saltwater.

 

[afilter]

Agreed, check your water source if not using RO/DI. PURA filter pads can also help.

 

[melosu58]

Cut back on feedings anyway. feed every other day. Been doing so for eight years now on mine.

 

[Mikebaker]

I think part of the problem was my filter was sucking up alot of the food before the fish had a chance to eat it. I've done a blackout for a couple of days, and didn't feed for 3 and the water seems to be starting to clear.
Thanks for your help.