Green algae taking over!

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Any good reason for a thin layer of green algae??

 

[crister13]

Bad water parameters.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Just tested... 0's across the board and 10 for nitrates...

 

[crister13]

That's the only thing that can cause it. 10 could be fueling it. It's also
Binding some so it would be higher f the algae didn't consume it. 0 phosphates?

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Just ran out of my 'phates kit! I had leftovers from a kit from my buddy..I'll snag one on my way home tomorrow... I haven't had any experience with high phosphates yet. If that's the problem, what's the solution? And by the looks, could this be there problem, and other than phosphates are there any other kits I should get? Thanks!

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Maybe GFO in the filter?? I know you're not a mechanical filtration guy crister, but is this a fix?

 

[crister13]

Gfo is chemical filtration I believe. You would be much better off using it in a reactor. I would make sure you have phosphates before doing anything. It could be the nitrates.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Ok I just did a 10% change last night... Should I
Do another one tomorrow, or wait a couple
Days?

 

[crister13]

Depends on what your parameters are. Just try to keep then as close to 0 as possible and you should be good. Also, do you have good flow in those spots? Algae likes lower flow.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Plenty of flow.. 43x kinda flow, touches every spot of the aquarium... Haha been a battle til I figured it out! I'll check phosphates tomorrow and see where I'm at... You seem pretty good at the biological composition stuff, mind if I PM you with results, or do you mind replying to thread if I post?

 

[crister13]

Whichever you want! Do both if it makes you happy lol.

 

[Madcrazyroyboy]

With 0 phosphates the algae could just be locking it up. For nitrates aim for 2. The closer to 0 the better. You need something to turn the sand bed. Algae is there to eat your phosphates and nitrates to keep it to a minimal level. That's why it gets created. Just keep doing water changes atleast 10% every week. I'd do a 10 percent every day to get it down to low levels. Also green hair algae thrive on high lighting. Keep your lights on for 6 to 8 hours a day. Turn them down to 6 for a week and see what happens

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

What do you mean turn the sand bed?

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Also, could the addition of activated carbon a few days ago,, if not a high quality carbon (included with Aquaclear filter) also be one of the reasons for the algae bloom?

 

[Madcrazyroyboy]

Like some crabs and some fish mix up the sand bed so it is always being refreshed. And what thoes filters do is trap fish poop and other impurities. Because it's salt water thoes little pieces of poop get microfied enough to go through the filter because it's part of the water, therefore creates more ammonia results as nitrate in the end. Try a skimmer. Do more water changes from a ro/di setup or if you don't have one use distilled water. Green hair algae is the end product of the cycle process and is a pain to get rid of. Also get some turbo snails to help clean up

 

[crister13]

I wouldn't reduce lighting. If you have no nutrients, you could leave your lights on for a long time and no algae would grow. Just make sure nitrates and phosphates are low, and it will go away. Also, buying snails won't help the problem. It will help with the aesthetic aspect, but not the actual problem itself.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Is there media to reduce phosphates or jut water changes?

 

[Schism]

Is there media to reduce phosphates or jut water changes?

GFO but you still need to do water changes.

 

[Madcrazyroyboy]

Turbos do help to remove algae if your nutrients are low but yes there media for that but water changes are the best way to do it. Media is just a bandaid. And lighting does fuel algae since they are photosynthetic. They use the light to form food to grow. It can be contained but is impossible if you don't do any water changes . I do atleast 10% 1 to 2 times a week. The vodka + sugar method is great to reduce phosphate and nitrate but is for advanced only.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Ok guys, just check phosphates... It was hard to tell but It was Somewhere between .25 and 1 ppm. If I do a 10% PWC every 2 or 3 days, is that too much? I also scrubbed the algae off the sides of the tank tonight, and the skimmer picked up most of it nice!