Blue green algae

[Smarkalan83]

I am hoping someone can help me this is my 2nd outbreak of blue green algae.... First one went away but turned red and came back... I did 50% water change everything went back to normal.... When
I do water changes I try to vaccum as much as I can up but I have a fine sand bed so it's hard to get it up.... I need help in a few ways... Is there better way to vaccum fine sand and what can I do to stop the blue green.... I know I will probably get " you have too many fish" but I donated few of my fish... My tank is as follows

60gal
Biowheel 350 filter
Biowheel 200 filter
Protein skimmer
1000gph power head(have 2-1300gph didn't put in because I didn't know if sand is good blowing around... Should I swap out for more water flow or add 1??)
35lbs base rock
13lbs live rock
265watt t5 lights
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 20
Alkalinity 2.6
Ph 8.0
Calcium 360
Salinity 1.23
Temperature 79
My tank is stocked with...
Hippo tang
Scopas tang
2 clown fish
2 damsels
1 fire fish
Sally light foot crab
Purple nudibranch
3 sebae anemones
1 small leather frag
2 small Duncan frags
1 small acan frag

Any insight would help... Also my tank size is 48w 13d the inside of the stand is 47w 11d I want to get a sump but can't find one small to fit the depth... Thanks

Ps I feed 1/2 cube daily and nori sheet pcs every other day or so.... Lights on 8 hours a day.... Sorry for lengthy post please help!!!

 

[austinsdad]

You tested for phosphates? Frozen cube food is likely full of it. I rinsed mine in FW to remove the frozen liquids.

 

[Smarkalan83]

Actually no that's the one test I didn't have.... Would that be causing the outbreak.... Do you feed frozen everyday or should I mix with flakes and pellets?.... Thanks...

 

[iDream]

you should be feeding every other day, say frozen monday, then some pellets/flake on wednesday, etc. overfeeding could definitely be a cause

 

[Smarkalan83]

If I deed every other day how often should I give nori sheets??

 

[iDream]

up to you, you could do it on say frozen day or pellet day

 

[mr_X]

closed systems (our tanks) are very easy to pollute. think about every piece of food we add to it. that doesn't come out until we take it out.
along with keeping the feeding to a minimum, you should also be using every tool at your disposal to remove what you put in.
water changes and a good quality protein skimmer are the 2 main things. phosphate and nitrate removal media is also an option.

this is another reason folks should be careful how they stock their tanks. overstocked, an aquarium stops being enjoyable, and starts being a relentless uphill battle to keep from killing everything/ the tank looking ugly.

 

[Smarkalan83]

Just got home checked phosphates and they are at 2.0 is this real bad and maybe what could be causing the algae or bacteria??.... Thanks

 

[austinsdad]

Your tap water can start it. The frozen cube water can add to it. Doesn't take much.

 

[Smarkalan83]

Is it something I need to fix right away or can it wait for my next water change??...thanks for help

 

[mr_X]

cyano itself isn't going to kill anything. it's just a symptom of the greater problem- excess nutrients.
it can wait a few days.

 

[Flukehook]

I have a cyano problem too in a 125 gallon with all juvenile fish ...hippo tang yellow tang two small clowns and a juvenile blueface angel... Lots of snails and crabs... I did some reading and learned to cut back on length of light exposure... Cut back feeding and increase flow to dead areas... So i cut back lights in half actinics go on at 10:30am full sprectrum from 3:30pm till 9pm then actinics till 11pm then moon lights overnight... I cut back feeding to once a day and much less quantity and installed a koralia powerhead to increase flow... Its only been a few days.... Ill post whether it worked or not in a week or two...