Algae problem

[Stircrazy]

well i finaly got pics of the algae that is getting out of control in my tank. if anyone has had this and knows how to get rid of it let me know, I don't want to rip appart my tank if I don't have to.

and of course the gratuitous coral shots (but there is algae in thoes pics also)

Steve

 

[rainetheiceman]

What have you tried?? I have heard good things about ALGONE but I'm not sure how it might affect your coral??? Worth looking at any way.... Are any of your reading way off? Natural light(near by windows)???

 

[fishermann]

Red hair algae is like any algae in the sense it needs food. Are you using RO/DI water? Are you using a really good skimmer and one for the size of your tank? Are you running a high grade carbon or a resin of some kind? Are you using a quality phosphate remover. Is your substrate a true DSB or is it just a couple inches of substrate which in time well pack full of detritus? Anyone of these by themselves well give algae all the food it needs and if you have a couple of these it is going to really like it. There is a very fine line between having a thriving tank and one over the line, and onced crossed takes a whole lot of effort to get back. I would pick out all you can and as you find the food source you well starve the rest out in time.

 

[Stircrazy]

yes to all of the above exept the sand bed, my nitrate, phosphate levels are 0, Ca is 410, alk is 12, salinity is 1.026, and PH is 8.0. the sand bed is a 1" layer of sugar sand, if I have to pull the rock to clean I am going bare bottom at the same time.

corals are thriving and growing like weeds and the algae seams to be not increasing.

someone sent me this article
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-12/nftt/index.htm
and it pretty much nails it, so i am going to try the mexican turbos befor resorting to ripping out the rock and cleaning.

Steve

 

[fishermann]

Steve With a 1" sand bed you are neither BB or DSB, in my opinion and experiences all you have is a great bed for detritus to sink into and being really fine sand you can't even vac it. You can't believe how much detritus even a 1/4" of substrate well hold, it is alot.

 

[fishermann]

Steve Remember every piece of food these snails eat probably 90% is pooped back into your tank, never have understood how that is supposed to help the problem?

 

[Stircrazy]

Steve Remember every piece of food these snails eat probably 90% is pooped back into your tank, never have understood how that is supposed to help the problem?

it makes it look better also you dont get 100% of the nutrents that the algae has in there poop, every time a food source is "used" some nutrents are stripped.

Steve

 

[B-Random]

You could also try big Mexican Turbos, those have worked great in our tanks at the store for getting rid of red algae.

Brandon

 

[NaH2O]

Steve, have you been blasting the areas of algae with a power head or turkey baster to free up the detritus that has collected? That will help if you aren't ready for manual removal. Also, you can check the phosphates in your sand bed (~1/2 inch down) and also take a sample from the algae area and see if you get a phosphate reading.

 

[Stircrazy]

Steve, have you been blasting the areas of algae with a power head or turkey baster to free up the detritus that has collected? That will help if you aren't ready for manual removal. Also, you can check the phosphates in your sand bed (~1/2 inch down) and also take a sample from the algae area and see if you get a phosphate reading.

Thanks for the idea, I'll give it a try, I am thinking of starting to syphon the sand bed out over a few water changes, just trying to figure out how I am going to get the stuff under the rock.

Steve

 

[mojoreef]

Steve I have seen this type a few times now. It seems to start off as green hair and then goes red with time. As with all algae I know you know it is th nutrients. I can understand your reasoning with having a shallow bed but I think what most folks have to relise with them is that thier life span is alot shorter. With the biofilms and by products of the bacteria at work in thier they tend to fill up quicker. An easy test would be to do a P test from the core water in the bed itself. I think if you want to have this kind of bed in your tank replacing it every so often should be a part of the standard maintence schedule. That would go for CC shallows to.

Mike

 

[Stircrazy]

Mike, I put the shallow bed in before I spent the day talking to you.. if I could do it again I would go bare bottom. I am still planning on it, I am just Leary about having to pull everything to do it although it is looking more and more like that is my only option as there is sand under the rock. what i am thinking now is that sense I am leaving for Hawaii in the middle of June and not returning home till July 30th that I will throw some turbos in there and get a head start on the algae so it is less work to remove the rock and everything when I get home to remove the sand bed.

I am (and have been for some time) convinced that the sand is the bane of my problems.

hey do you know if they give behind the scene tours at the Waikiki aquarium?

Steve

 

[mojoreef]

I think they still do Steve, just bring Charlie a present, lol

Mike

 

[Stircrazy]

I think they still do Steve, just bring Charlie a present, lol

Mike

Oh sure, nothing like getting a gift for someone you've never met LOL I guess I will send the aquarium a e-mail and ask about it for the dates I am there.

Steve

 

[christyf5]

Take him a sixpack of Upper Canada lager. I hear he likes that stuff

Christy

 

[Stircrazy]

well time for an update.

this was the area with algae

this is the same area now

and here is an overall of the tank ( a little less colorfull than a couple months ago as my temp was up to 90 a lot while I was gone. hooked up the chiller last week so that won't be happening again)
let me know if this picture is comming up kinda dark.. looks fine on my laptop but dark on my home monitor.

Steve

 

[NaH2O]

Steve, what did you end up doing to get rid of the algae? It looks great!

 

[big t]

Wow! Great job. So yes please lay out all your steps. I have been working on some brown fur algea for quite some time. I am thinking that I need to do a series of big water changes to get rid of some nutrients. Plus I have only had a really good skimmer for a short time.

 

[bpm2000]

tell us the secret!

 

[Stircrazy]

I simpaly bought 20 mexican turbo snails added them to the tank and went away to Haiwii for 5 weeks.. I think it was the 5 weeks in Haiwii that made the most difference though

Steve