Want to get rid of Algae

[Sapfire]

So I have a 45 gallon tank with 2 powerheads that are sync'd at a moderate speed, and 2 T5 lights (on for 8 hours). I have 2 clownfish, 1 coral beauty angelfish, 1 clown goby, 15 red legged hermit crabs, 2 emerald hermit crabs and 3 large snails. I do not have any coral but want to get some in the next few months.

I have the red algae that is on top of a few rocks. When blown on my turkey baster is pulls right off the rock. It is slimy and It is not on any of the sand bed... I also have the green hairy algae as well.

I hate looking at the algae as it doesn't look like the really clean tank that my local LFS has which I'm jealous of and want.
I want to get rid of my algae and would like to know the best way and if it's getting more algae eaters I'd like to know how many to get... The local LFS keeps telling me different quantities and kinds... Any suggestions?

So here are my chemical levels: Salinity 1.025 (using a refractometer), PH 8.0 (which is normal for my tank), Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, Copper 0, Calcium 480 mg/L, Carbonate Hardness 179ppm or 10dkH, Phosphate 0.

 

[Rscomia]

Are you using ro/di water

 

[Sapfire]

You betcha it is. And water temperature is 79... The heater doesn't run much at all anymore. Every 2 weeks the water gets a 15-20% change. The RO can't do anymore than that at a time. I am looking to get a bigger RO around Christmas time to do more of a water change. And the tank is about 6 months old.

 

[Rscomia]

What about skimming how are you doing that

 

[Sapfire]

I have a reef octopus BH1000 protein skimmer. And I have an aquaclear biological filter

 

[Rscomia]

How big is the tank and how old are your lights?

 

[Sapfire]

45 gallon tank and lights are 5 months old.

 

[Rutrag]

What you have looks to be cyanobacteria which as you stated, is ugly and slimy.

Have you checked phosphates? If you don't have a kit, adding a phosphate remover won't hurt. I'd also consider adding a water circulating pump (Aqueon, Korallia, and Marineland all make them). The stuff doesn't like water movement.

You're doing well to pull it out with partial water changes. Don't just scrub it off because it will just settle and grow somewhere else.

 

[Rscomia]

It sounds like you have cyano which comes from excess nutrients in the water a couple things you can do is make sure your protein skimmer is skimming wet try to increase the flow and if possible increase your number of water changes try at least once a week if your ro unit would allow you

 

[Sapfire]

I have 2 VorTech power heads at either end of my tank. I'll increase the water flow and see if that helps. Is there anything that will eat it? None of the crabs or snails will get anywhere near it.

And my Phosphate level is 0 so I can't do anything about that. I have perfect water so there shouldn't be any reason to have algae and it's frustrating.

What about the green hairy algae? Any ideas?

 

[Sapfire]

And I really don't want to add any chemicals to the tank. I don't want to harm any of the fish I already have in it.

 

[Rscomia]

Same thing on the green hair algae I dont know of anything that will eat it if you cant diagnose where it is coming from it would just keep coming back even if there was something to eat it

 

[E-rock]

My tank had that. Honestly I think it was just a phase my tank went though. And that's what my lfs told me. It started when the tank was about 6 months old and got really bad around 8. But once it got to 9 months or so Everything cleared up, only thing that helped me was using poly pads.

 

[Sapfire]

What's poly pads? I haven't heard of these...

 

[Gti_Leo]

how much surface aggitation do you have, cyano tends to live in low oxygen areas where it oxygenates the water, it also builds up in low flow areas.

i had a problem like this when my power heads got caked in coralline algae

 

[Sergie]

Your levels are "perfect" because the algae is eating the excess nutrients as fast as they are released. Almost every tank has some cyano in it, but it jumps on imbalances and nutrients like a fat kid on cake. If you have any deadspots, the nutrients will float over that area for a longer period giving cyano a chance to bloom. I would do a PWC and do a lights out for a couple of days. Turn lights on for a day and do another PWC and black out for a couple of days. I did this when I had a HA problem due to the phosphates in my tap water. Hermits may not eat it all, but they will help mow it down. I also used Astraea Snails to eat what was mowed down and all HA was gone after a week.

 

[ezy33]

I would take a water sample to a LFS and have them test your water to confirm your test kits are working properly.

 

[kdpuffer]

Emerald crabs eat hair algae. Did the trick in my old reef tank. Urchin would to but I don't recommend that, more trouble than anything.

 

[joy13]

The red algae does it come off the rocks easy? I know in one of my tanks I have some red coraline algae, it the nearly the same color as the cyanobacteria.

 

[Sapfire]

I increased the flow on my powerheads. And when I go to the LFS early this week I'll get the water chemicals checked and I'm going to get more Emerald Crabs to eat my hairy algae.