What is that rusty looking algae?

[boges_au2006]

Just wanted to know what is that rusted looking algae that grows on the equipment in the tank? eg powerheads. i also hav a big of algae on the back glass is this ok to have?

Also i have decided to get my nitrates down to get a AKS product and take out the bioballs and put a deep sand bed layer in there. lets hope this gets rid of it as im going crazy. haha

 

[MT79]

Sounds like diatoms. They are common in new tanks. They are fueled by silicate usually. Are you using tap or RO/DI as your water source? Tap water can be a source of both nitrate and silicate.

 

[boges_au2006]

i am using tap water. have tested it for nitrates before and after mixing the salt into it and there is no nitrates in the water i thought that before.

Also what is silicate. never heard of it.

Do we think the deep sand bed in this hang on thingy will work? or at least help?

 

[MT79]

Also what is silicate. never heard of it.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/feature.htm

A DSB is not going to help if your introducing silicate through your source water. You will need to switch to RO or RO/DI water. It may go away w/ time, but since your using tap water it's hard to say.

 

[boges_au2006]

hmm ok thanks for that mt79 ill have to look into this now then. none of my lfs said anything about silicate. ill read up on this and see what i can come up with. THANKS HEAPS.
ps where do i get RO or RO/DI water from?

could silicate be increasing my nitrates? or is silicate only related to diatoms??

 

[MT79]

Some LFS or chains such as Walmart here in the US sell RO or RO/DI water. You can buy an RO/DI unit for your house. It can be plumbed into your sink or you can buy an adapter to attach it to the faucet only when needed. Many people on this forum have bought their RO/DI units off ebay for around $100-125 and are happy w/ them. I not sure the exact brand/seller though.

could silicate be increasing my nitrates? or is silicate only related to diatoms??

AFAIK they are independent of each other. Are you having issues w/ nitrate?

 

[boges_au2006]

yes still. it has come down a little but just cant seem to shake it. is it possible to do like a water change like every second day for a week to see if i can get rid of it?

 

[MT79]

I assume you started a thread about it. If so, I don't remember the specifics of your tank set up and problem. Have you figured out what is causing them? Heavy feedings, overstocking, dirty mechanical filters or media, ...? You must eliminate the source to fix the problem. Generally frequent, large PWC's w/ NO3 free water are good for reducing NO3. When doing that it is even more important that you match the parameters of the new water to that of the tank.

 

[boges_au2006]

ok then. cool. well ill give it a go. frequent ones. i think its coming from the canister filter. im slowly removing the bioballs and replacing with LR rubble. so ill see how it goes when i finish that cheers MT

 

[roka64]

If I remember correctly, your tank is done cycling so you can expect the bloom to come and then be gone overnight. Sometimes it takes a day or more. Can you get a pic?
I bought this RO/DI, in the US, but it will give you an idea:
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-6-stage-100...8QQihZ002QQcategoryZ20684QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Make sure you get the RO and DI.

 

[austinsdad]

Bio balls could get you some nitrate and so can overfeeding. How often and what are you feeding?

 

[boges_au2006]

hi thanks for your help. yeah its done cycling. should i leave the algae there or can i brush it off? i have gotten rid of it before but it came back. perhapes the high nitrates are contributing to my algae growth. i will take a picture for u all tonight when i get home from soccer training. ill put it up tomorrow hope it meets your standards. haha.


austins i feed them twice a day only what they can eat in like 1 minute. what i feed them is this small round granules things. i put this in some nitrate free water and mixed it in. tested the water and there was no nitrate in there so the food is ok. unless it sits there for a long time i spose. i also occasionally put in some nory only a small bit for the foxface which generally goes within 10 minutes and also occasionally ill swap the granules for some frozen meaty food. im looking at getting a refugium with deep sand bed to reduce nitrates too. hopefully when my tank is full of live rock i can get rid of the canister all together.

also i have to try and i think get rid of the crushed coral and put in sand somehow but i am not sure how i will do this with the live rock and fish int here specially considering i dont have a QT tank

 

[MT79]

hi thanks for your help. yeah its done cycling.

If this tank is very new, as said the NO3 and diatoms may go away w/ time on their own as things balance out and settle down. Removing the bio-balls is a good move as well IMO.

tested the water and there was no nitrate in there so the food is ok

After fish, bacteria, etc break down the food it becomes NO3. Most food will contain some PO4 which causes algae issues, some more than others. I would make the frozen meaty food their primary diet, and the pellets a convenient food to feed occasionally. Frozen foods are also easier to "wash" in water before use, removing some of the PO4. Be sure herbivores get the proper foods. Feeding them Nori daily is a good practice, as is including commercial food for herbivores/omnivores. I would consider feeding once a day or every other day until things settle down. The fish will be fine, and the reduced nutrient additions will aid NO3 and algae reduction.

also i have to try and i think get rid of the crushed coral and put in sand somehow but i am not sure how i will do this with the live rock and fish int here specially considering i dont have a QT tank

Good move to make. You can pour new sand into the tank using a piece of PVC piping to direct it directly to the bottom of the tank to reduce the mess. It can be done w/out too much hassle and is worth it.

 

[boges_au2006]

ok cool. thanks for the help again.
ok and yes i wash the meaty foods before i put them in. so perhaps feed them once a day and see how i go then?? also i might feed the foxface nori more often then.

so it will be ok and wont harm the fish with the sand being changed out?
how thick should the sand be to help with nitrate reduction?
i have a few hermit crabs. is this enough to sift the sand or will i need something else??
also when replacing the live rock back is it ok to just sit on top of the sand? i dont want it sinking and resting on the bottom of the glass.

 

[roka64]

I switched mine out 1/3 of the tank each weekend. I have a fully stocked tank and no problems. Make sure you have a PWC just in case you see an ammonia spike.
I have 5 inch sand bed in my 125 and about a 3 inch in my 55.
I would look into nassarius snails, cerith snails, maybe some turbos.
I would suggest resting the rock on the tank's bottom glass to avoid toppling. Both of my tanks are set up like this. I'm glad since I added a pistol shrim

 

[boges_au2006]

I switched mine out 1/3 of the tank each weekend. I have a fully stocked tank and no problems. Make sure you have a PWC just in case you see an ammonia spike.
I have 5 inch sand bed in my 125 and about a 3 inch in my 55.
I would look into nassarius snails, cerith snails, maybe some turbos.
I would suggest resting the rock on the tank's bottom glass to avoid toppling. Both of my tanks are set up like this. I'm glad since I added a pistol shrim

ok then cool. so just scoop out some crushed coral and replace it with a bit of sand each time. after each time i do it should i do a pwc?? probably should hey? ill look at a 3 inch one.
will this help with my nitrates??
will the snails be ok with the crabs i already have?
will the rock resting on the bottom glass scratch the glass though and possible crack it?? thats all im worried about.
why are u glad u done it like that because of a pistol shrimp

also quick question. i lost a green chromis the other day. now it had a chunk taken out of him. jsut wondering who could do this. i have no fish that would do this and the crabs cant reach it. now i have heard a clicking sound in the tank and i though mantis shrimp. but i have set a trap for 3 days with no success. just wondering what else couldve eaten the green chromis?

ps do any of u have msn??

 

[roka64]

will this help with my nitrates??

PWCs will reduce nitrAtes. Removing the CC will help to keep the gunk getting trapped in it.

will the snails be ok with the crabs i already have?

I just did a quick read of your posts and didn't see a mention of crabs. Are you talking hermit crabs? If so, get snails smaller then the hermits otherwise the hermits will make a snack of them and take their shells. It is best to get a few bigger shells for the hermits to move into. Other crabs will generally leave the snails alone, unless hungry.

will the rock resting on the bottom glass scratch the glass though and possible crack it?? thats all im worried about.

A slightly scratched tank bottom is no real big deal since it is not really seen. Just shift your rock back and forth and don't add too much pressure. You could also dig it out a little bit since you will be taking out your CC.

why are u glad u done it like that because of a pistol shrimp

Because he is very secrative and borrows in the sand, to make him a safe place. If I hadn't placed the rocks on the bottom, there is a great chance he would have dug under one and the pile of rock could have trapped and killed him.

i lost a green chromis the other day. now it had a chunk taken out of him.

Could be your clean up crew. As for the click, my pistol clicks once. I think I have read the mantis does multiple clicks (and anyone please correct me if I am wrong). Traps, somethime the critters are smarter than us (at least for a few attempts).
As for MSN,
check profiles tab. Personally I don't.

 

[MT79]

will this help with my nitrates??

I think you mean long term.? If so yes. DSB's provide anoxic areas for bacteria that convert nitrate into a gas that can easily escape the tank. Porous LR will also provide those conditions deep in the cracks and crevices.

All crabs, including hermits, are opportunistic predators. They will cause issues w/ snails sooner or later, usually sooner regardless of size (sorry Roka ). Many people, including myself, choose not to house hermits w/ snails for this reason. The same goes for other crabs, except generally they can cause much more damage to coral and even fish. Crabs, like the ones that commonly hitchhike in on LR, will prey on just about anything as they grow. From sleeping fish to coral polyps. There are very few reef safe crabs.

 

[boges_au2006]

ok thanks guys

well i will start doing more frequent water changes then to help remove the nitrates. i am adding more live rock each week so hopefully i can remove the canister filter altogether. actually a lot of the rock thats in there now (which was live rock that died off and dried out) seems to be getting a lot of colour on it and coming back. (i hope).

sorry about that i thought i mentioned crabs. yeah they are hermit crabs. two apparently substrate movers that will eat leftover food and so forth and the other two are actually algae eaters. (didnt know there was such a thing) perhaps a couple more hermit crabs then to sift thru the sand when i get it

ok then. well ill give it a try. i wont build it up too much. actually this is kind of a good excuse to redo the aquascaping to. as i dont like it much now. im thinking of more rock on one end sort of sloping down thru the tank to give the effect of it getting deeper. i dunno. ill figure something out.

ok ill set the trap a fe more times. hopefully something is there. i hear different clicks. but it seems to be more then one click. so i dunno.

thanks MT lfs said nothing about hermit crabs eating corals. gee they are nice sometimes. but i dont have corals yet. makign sure water is perfect first. and yes i was speaking long term with the nitrates. thanks.

 

[MT79]

MT lfs said nothing about hermit crabs eating corals.

Sorry I was not more clear. Hermits will not eat coral. I was referring to "ordinary" looking crabs that often hitchhike in on LR. Hermits are usually good, other than picking off snails. HTH and good luck.