algae problem!

[rkmcewen]

I've had my tank for over 7 months and now I have a bad algae problem. I do 20% water changes every two weeks and I clean the sand, But it still comes back and very fast. I check my filter and everything it working good. Any suggestions !! I have 2 clown fish at the moment.

 

[andysam]

HI are you using ro/di or tap water Edmonton has a lot of phosphates in the tap water

 

[rkmcewen]

I just use tap water, I do condition the water ( not sure if that helps ) but the shops I go to say it should be fine. Is there anything I can do about it.?

 

[buddha_red]

lets get some details about your tank.
What size is it?
what are your water readings?
how long do you run your lights?

 

[andysam]

First depends what shops you go to, some are really bad for advice.Blue world on Calgary tr is very good ,so is big als, one shop in north west Edmonton which I wont mention is hopeless. When I had a outbreak of algae changing to ro/di eliminated the problem. Test your water for nitrates and phosphates if thy exist in above normal levels then WC and you could try phosphate removers [I dont like chemicals in my tanks] Other then that RO/DI

 

[rkmcewen]

well its a 30 gallon tank i have about 35 - 40 lbs of live rock. the ph is about 8.2 nitrate, nitrite, ammoinia all 0 . the alkalinity is fine. I find lots of problems at big als every one i talk to has a very different oppinion one persons advice acualty cost me 4 fish that wern't cheap. I always get great tips from this website everyone is very smart here

 

[CaptainAhab]

Your nitrates are probably at zero because your algae is consuming it. What kind if lighting? How old are the bulbs? How long do you run them? What kind of food and how often do you feed?

Algae needs food and the right spectrum of light.

Is your tank getting any direct or indirect sunlight?

 

[rkmcewen]

the lights are called novaextreme 30'' 48 watt...the bulbs are a few months old, they run from 8am - 9pm, i feed my fish mysis shrimp every second day, and there is No direct sunlight

 

[bawel]

wOW 13hours of lighting, I think that's way too long... try to cut your hours. I think 7-8hours per day is pretty good length. If you say you clean the sand, I think this algae is diatom like, on the sand, brownish color? Try to cut your lighting hours.

 

[buddha_red]

Yep i would say your running your lights too long, cut that and you should see the algae burn its self out. I had the exact same problem with the same result. Once i adjusted the lights, the algae went away. yea cuc!

 

[jose7878]

You should also buy new bulbs . From being on for 13 hrs a day and being 7 months old they probably lost their spectrium. 7-8 hrs a day is the ideal hrs for lights.

 

[Ziggy953]

I'm guessing that these are PC bulbs. As Jose7878 said they have probably shifted and need to be replaced. I would also suggest reducing your photo period to no more then 8 hours. If you don't have a clean up crew now is the time to add one. Even with only 2 fish you should have several snails and hermits working in the tank.

You may also want to invest in a Phosphate test kit and test your tap water. Phosphates will fuel algae outbreaks and cause you all kinds of issues. The best option is to get a RO/DI unit so you know your source water is 100% pure.

 

[rkmcewen]

Thanks so right now i just changed my timer to 7 hours and I will see if that make a difference .. I have a feeling because i have another tank 10 g and i keep the lights off ( theres nothing in it but a chunck of live rock) and there is no algae in it at all.. So if that doesn't help i will for sure check out the other methods suggested!!