I started my tank on the 5th of august and have been running lights since September 10th. I had no real algae bloom until recently. Now my tank is covered in GHA. I have been advised that this is a part of the Nitrogen cycle and to shut down my skimmer and discontinue any water changes. In process the algae will die off and then I will have coralline algae growth as a result, making the aquarium more adequate for life. I have a 40 gallon long tank with overflow, sump, 40lbs of eco dry rock, 8 lbs of cured live rock. I addded this cured live rock around September 18th. I know I made the mistake of adding some critters pre-maturely (which are still alive btw)but I was under the impression my tank had cycled because my water was reaadding 0ppm's Ammonia and nirites 0ppm as well. I am using a RO/DI system for my water and top marin for salt. Does this seem like I am on the right track? Please any suggestions would be appriciated? Inhabbitance includes 2 pep. shrimp, 12 cerith snails 15 nassarieth, one sea star, 1 emrerald crab, 1 capnella, 1 toadstool, 1 pulsing zennia, a clown false pec., and one bg chromis. The fish I have removed to a quarantine in fear of what might happen to them. As of right now my tank is still showing Ammonia and Nitrite 0ppm. HELP, i just want to do this thing right.
GHA bloom A-N-N cycle ???
- Thread starter NTTH
- Start date
Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:
What normally happens in a cycle is that after you have done a bacterial cycle, as in ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate the bacteria population dies off a bit and the algae is usually the thing that jumps in and feeds off the nutirents they release when dieing. So yea it does tend to happen and will happen again until your tank hits a stage of equalibrium. Now as long as your nitrates are also not high you can add some snails and similar to help fight the algae bloom. Since you dont have anything that really needs light I would reduce the lighting period, this will hurt the algae a bit. Also doing water changes willl help lower the nutrient level in your tank. DO you have a skimmer or any other devices on your system??
Mojo
Mojo
Thank You Mojoreef
I have a protien skimmer, sump, korilla water pump, a mag 7 for my return, and a cpr overflow box. I am pumping about 5.4 WPG on my 40 gallon long. I recently cut down my lighting by about 40% and removed some of the discolored algae today. Hopfully soon I see the GHA begin to disappear. I will continue to groom my tank by pulling out the discolored stuff (GHA) a little at a time. If you have any other suggestions please keep 'em comming. I placed my fish back in a day ago did and did a 10% water change. I can see that more of the algae is becoming lighter. Also I tested my water got 0 A,N, and N. Let me know if I am on the right track. I feel that way but a second on that would make me feel even better.
I have a protien skimmer, sump, korilla water pump, a mag 7 for my return, and a cpr overflow box. I am pumping about 5.4 WPG on my 40 gallon long. I recently cut down my lighting by about 40% and removed some of the discolored algae today. Hopfully soon I see the GHA begin to disappear. I will continue to groom my tank by pulling out the discolored stuff (GHA) a little at a time. If you have any other suggestions please keep 'em comming. I placed my fish back in a day ago did and did a 10% water change. I can see that more of the algae is becoming lighter. Also I tested my water got 0 A,N, and N. Let me know if I am on the right track. I feel that way but a second on that would make me feel even better.
Krish
RF STAFF
The thing with algae you will have to keep in mind that tricks a lot of people is when they read zero nitrates, but yet have a tank full of algae. This is because the algae binds up the excess nutrients in the water (nitrates, phosphates etc) for it's growth and therefore it gives you a false reading of un-detectable nitrates levels when infact, it is just bound up in the algae. This is why it is recommeneded you trim back your algae as it grows. This is how you export these bound up excess nitrates (and phosphates) out of your tank. If for some reason the algae dies, it can release these things back into the water so it is recommended that the algae be manually removed as it starts to grow out. Same concept with a refugium. You grow an algae like chaeto for example which uses up the nitrates and phosphates in the water. As the ball of chaeto begins to grow, it is trimmed back a bit removing some of these bound up nutrients. 
baker89
Well-known member
Hey NTTH,
I am fairly new as well, and probably about a month ago beat my GHA back. You said you had a sump, but do you have a refugium? If not try to set one up and add some Chaeto macro algae to compete with your GHA for the nutrients in the water. I would get a nice high watt bulb and run it 24/7 untill the chaeto starts to out compete the GHA. Then I would recommend the opposite advice you were given and do a couple water changes a week. I'm not sure who told you not to do water changes, but what that will do is help remove nutrients in the water and help you "starve" the GHA. The only reason you wouldnt do water changes is if you were using tap water. If I was you I would probably do 2 10g water changes a week and make sure you are pulling that GHA out whenever possible. Also you might pull some of the easy to remove rocks out and scrub them with a toothbrush, rinse with RO/DI water and toss them back in.
When I did mine I left my lights on and skimmer on and it took me about 3 weeks to beat back about 1/4 of a tank of hair algae. Turning the lights down will certainly help and keeping the refugium light on 24/7 will help the chaeto work around the clock while the GHA is blacked out.
Good luck,
Dennis
I am fairly new as well, and probably about a month ago beat my GHA back. You said you had a sump, but do you have a refugium? If not try to set one up and add some Chaeto macro algae to compete with your GHA for the nutrients in the water. I would get a nice high watt bulb and run it 24/7 untill the chaeto starts to out compete the GHA. Then I would recommend the opposite advice you were given and do a couple water changes a week. I'm not sure who told you not to do water changes, but what that will do is help remove nutrients in the water and help you "starve" the GHA. The only reason you wouldnt do water changes is if you were using tap water. If I was you I would probably do 2 10g water changes a week and make sure you are pulling that GHA out whenever possible. Also you might pull some of the easy to remove rocks out and scrub them with a toothbrush, rinse with RO/DI water and toss them back in.
When I did mine I left my lights on and skimmer on and it took me about 3 weeks to beat back about 1/4 of a tank of hair algae. Turning the lights down will certainly help and keeping the refugium light on 24/7 will help the chaeto work around the clock while the GHA is blacked out.
Good luck,
Dennis
Dennis,
No I do not have a refugium, wished I did in this case but it is what it is. I'll just keep pulling out the light green stuff slowly so i don't disrupt my param's too much. With all the info I have been given I think this along with regular water changes might work. Another peice of this puzzle is the 8lbs of cured live rock I introduced to my system that had ran for 40 days or so with just eco dry rock. I added the CLR to seed it and boom GHA 1 wk later. Thank you for all the help.
No I do not have a refugium, wished I did in this case but it is what it is. I'll just keep pulling out the light green stuff slowly so i don't disrupt my param's too much. With all the info I have been given I think this along with regular water changes might work. Another peice of this puzzle is the 8lbs of cured live rock I introduced to my system that had ran for 40 days or so with just eco dry rock. I added the CLR to seed it and boom GHA 1 wk later. Thank you for all the help.
Yes you can try to out compete it by using other algae in other areas, but the issue is going to be the same. Algae needs, either P or N as a food source, so what would be prudent would be to find the source of them. SO you added CLR, well that rock is full of a number of things, detrius, nutrients sponge algae and so on on. So IMHO what you have is the rock naturally shedding detritus through bacterial tugor (bacterial produces bio film in order to reduce/oxidize nutrients and the build up of that coupled with gravity causes end product to push out fo the rock) also it probibly was filled with sponge as most rock is loaded with it, and with most kinds of sponge if it gets an air bubble in its matrix it begins to die, well it dies and bacteria and algae profit from it. Again one of those things we all kind of go through until the tank fully balances.
So the best thing to do is to take advantage of the GHA by allowing to absorb the nutirents it is getting and then harvest it to export them. Eventually what ever has died and is being reduced will cease and thus the algae will run out of fuel.
Or you can set up an elaborate refugium, with bio pellets, and GFO with some carbon possible a 1000 dollar skimmer, while dosing bacteria and a carbon source!! just joking!
Mojo
So the best thing to do is to take advantage of the GHA by allowing to absorb the nutirents it is getting and then harvest it to export them. Eventually what ever has died and is being reduced will cease and thus the algae will run out of fuel.
Or you can set up an elaborate refugium, with bio pellets, and GFO with some carbon possible a 1000 dollar skimmer, while dosing bacteria and a carbon source!!
just joking!Mojo
I am trimming the light stuff back, how long do you think this will go on before I start seeing the GHA disappear and coralline algae start forming on my eco dry rock. I seeded my 40gal long that has 40 lbs eco dry reef saver rock with 8 lbs of cured live rock. It was seeded with one 1lb CLR 18 days ago and 7 more lbs of CRL added 4 days later. Tank D.O.B 5 August. Thnks again for all your help.
Are you noticing the GHA on the CLR rocks?? To answer your question the algae will grow until it runs out of food. Have you tested other possible sources? suck as the food your feeding, water? anything like that for P and N
Mike
Mike
Nothing really prevelant on the CLR's. I have not tested my RO/DI water for nitrates. I'll give that a try though. I did feed with very small amount of marine flakes for about 3 weeks. I know that has P in it I am pretty sure. But I only have a clown and a Chromis in there along with 3 small soft corals so my feeding has been once a day and very light. My clean up crew consists of about 20 snails an emrald crab and two pepermint shrimp. I did have a pajamia cardnial in there that dissappeared. Looked in the O.F. sump skimmer and all around the tank no where to be found. I believe this might have somthing to do with it. I also had a green lettuce leaf slug crawl up into a hole in my rock and never come out so... Maybey the pulling out the hair instead of my own, lol, that is turning light colored will eventually cure the issue.
Its all good in the overall life of your tank this is just a small blip. On a side note their are many types of dry rock, some is mined on shore, which is the best for lack of crud, some is just SW rock that has been left to dry, now this rick will still have allot of material in it that will have to be reduced by the bacteria. Remember to that it is P and N that can fuel the algae.
Mojo
Mojo
Krish
RF STAFF
What I did on a setup of mine was made the conditions in my refugium section of my sump more suitable for algae to grow there rather than in the main display and as a result, the algae stopped growing in my tank and only grew in the fuge. How I accomplished this was more watts per gal over the fuge compared to the tank using lights more suitable for plant growth (it was in the 6700k range vs the tank that at the time was 20k) and ran the photoperiod for more hours a day over the fuge than the tank so I had about 8 hour cycle over the tank and 16 hours over the fuge. At the time I had cyno and green algae growing in the tank which then shifted to the fuge when I setup the fuge with the light and in a matter of about a week I'd say, algae stopped growing in the tank and started growing in the fuge over the walls and floor. The food source was still there and all I did was make conditions more favorable for the algae to grow where I wanted it to grow rather than the tank. After a few months of removing the algae weekly and it growing back, eventually it slowed down as my tank matured and then completely stopped growing once things balanced out. It was after this time, I was able to remove the light over the fuge and never used that section ever again, but for extra water volume. When I get home I can post a few pics.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited:
Krish
RF STAFF
K...Here are a few pics to show you what I was talking about. Once nutrients are available, algae will grow. If you can dictate where it grows, then it can work at your advantage like in my case. Out of sight...Out of mind. Also, if you can use an algae that grows on it's own without having to substitute it with something else that may not grow as well, then it's a good thing. Some people will harvest some of the GHA out of their display and toss it in their fuge attached to a rock and use it for nutrient export that way or some who don't mind seeing it in the tank, will just let it run it's course in the main display. Also, keep in mind that using tap water that was not tested suitable for aquarium use can prolong your problems. I used tap water with over 60 ppm of nitrates when first getting into the hobby and was the reason I had so many issues. Also, over stocking, overfeeding etc are other areas you want to avoid.
Anyways, here are a few pictures. The first picture is of the sump and you can see the fuge section with the light over it. This shot was taken after I expanded the sump a bit
This picture shows some of the algae growing on the walls in the fuge section which you can see left of the phosban reactor taken before the sump expansion. What you are seeing there is mostly cyno in this picture.
An idea of how much algae I removed each week by vacuuming it out using a hang on canister filter with a polishing cartridge which I basically used as a shop vac. This shot is of a new cartridge next to a used one (used once).
Anyways, here are a few pictures. The first picture is of the sump and you can see the fuge section with the light over it. This shot was taken after I expanded the sump a bit
This picture shows some of the algae growing on the walls in the fuge section which you can see left of the phosban reactor taken before the sump expansion. What you are seeing there is mostly cyno in this picture.
An idea of how much algae I removed each week by vacuuming it out using a hang on canister filter with a polishing cartridge which I basically used as a shop vac. This shot is of a new cartridge next to a used one (used once).
Krish
RF STAFF
Thanks!!! Glad you liked them!!
On posting pictures, give this a shot http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/f236/how-post-photos-images-not-attachments-59241/
The Green Monster lol
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/209/dscn1254w.jpg/
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/209/dscn1254w.jpg/
Last edited:
Last edited:
Well here it is. I am running a 10 gallon sump on this beast. Not much room but my water turnover rate is very high. My corals aree closed up they extend a little from dark time to light but not much. They are frags from a buddy of mine, I hope they make it. Thank you Krish for the photo upload info, spot on as all the other info you and the others have been giving me from this forum.
