biocube 29 reef

[mdawg]

soooo this is my biocube 29 reef aquarium...


View attachment 243587




i couldnt get a picture of all the coral in here cause it only allows 4 attachments but stay tuned for more shots and videos of my reef

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Looks like you've got a nutrient issue, that's a lot of algae. You using ro\di?

 

[mdawg]

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actually everything is good as far as water quality, calciums good, ph is good, salinity is good, and i add start smart once a week for algae but it also supposedly cycles it in 24 hours. i feed my tank phytoplankton for the coral and brine shrimp. my buddy who is really good with tanks and has been at it for a while said that algae will grow even if your tank is in good health, he said to get crabs and snails to fight the algae...algae is my only issue at this point, any tips?

 

[bribo12]

Algae in all it's glory is a fantastic force of nature. It eats up nitrates and phosphates, hence many reefers utilize a fuge or algae scrubber. However it is hideous and having a ton means you have a serious nutrient problem. Stop feeding plankton, it is phosphates in a bottle. IMO a little algae is a beneficial thing and shows a healthy tank. A lot however is not good and unattractive. Are you using rodi? Get the algae in check and the tank will look much better


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[Dav3]

While some algae will occur and is ok, that much is a sure sign of nutrient issues.

 

[mdawg]

what should i do about it?

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Remove as much as you can manually, reduce feedings and increase wc's using ro/di water. You'll probably want to reduce your photo period too, also when was the last time you changed the bulbs because old bulbs can fuel algae growth too

 

[bribo12]

Remove as much as you can manually, reduce feedings and increase wc's using ro/di water. You'll probably want to reduce your photo period too, also when was the last time you changed the bulbs because old bulbs can fuel algae growth too

+1 and stop feeding plankton.


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[mdawg]

Thanks for the advice, I will definately start doing all that stuff and ro/di just stands for ro distilled water right? Cause I buy my water from the store and it's on an ro system

 

[mdawg]

Would a water change help this?


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[bribo12]

You're in for a fight. This issue will not resolve itself overnight. Rodi stands for reverse osmosis deionized water. Your lfs should sell it or you can sometimes buy it from grocery stores. You will need to be doing frequent wc with rodi, pulling out as much algae as you can and feeding less


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[mdawg]

Water change every week, every 2?


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[bribo12]

At least every week if not twice a week.


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[mdawg]

Dang...I guess I am in for a fight. So happy I joined the site you guys have been really helpful


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[Chrisbraz]

You could try a media reactor with GFO...that helped my tank, I also have a bio cube


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[mdawg]

I talked to my buddy about it who's some sort of fish tank prodigy and he said to do a 20 gal water change once a week for a month and when I'm draining to use a 3/8 hose and vacuum up all the algae and after a month my nutrient issue should be better oh and also add more crabs and snails


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[BigRedsReefs10]

Remove as much as you can manually, reduce feedings and increase wc's using ro/di water. You'll probably want to reduce your photo period too, also when was the last time you changed the bulbs because old bulbs can fuel algae growth too

That's all you honestly need to do along with being patient. Doing multiple wc's a week (5gals or so should work well) would be much less stressful on your livestock. The most important thing though is the use of pure ro/di water. Adding more snails and crabs is not a solution to your problem, it's a band aid at best, and all it's going to do is add more nutrients to the system.

 

[mdawg]

So yesterday I did about a 50 percent wc, everything is doing better after it except my scooter blenny isn't doing so hot but that's just because he's hungry, my copepods must've not colonized yet. I got my phosphates down to in between 0 and 0.25 this is good right? I also checked my nitrates and they were 0. Should I do another wc in a week or should I just wait 3 weeks like regular I was reading that you want your phosphates around .1 for corals and that's about what it's at....any tips????


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[BigRedsReefs10]

Sounds like your using an api kit for phosphates, which is useless. You want your phosphates around .03 ppm, your probably getting low readings because the algae is using the phosphate and nitrate. You should be doing weekly wc's anyway IMHO but definitely (if not 2-3) while your fighting the algae.

 

[misterT]

Your phosphates and nitrates will read close to zero because the algae will use all of it in the water. I think you should add some reef hermits or a sea hare. They eat hair algae pretty quickly!


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