Help red algae

[marinegeek101]

will a better protein skimmer reduce the amount of red algae. Because i have a filter skilter( Its crap) and my aquarium is over flowed with red algae?

Help, Lyndon again

 

[burning2nd]

yes

lOOk here

http://www.proteinskimmer.com/

 

[Brenden]

Why type red algae?

 

[balogh03]

chemi-clean. it is reef safe and works really good.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produ...ll&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2004&Nty=1

 

[Blazer88]

I wouldn't use Chemi-clean as it will just mask the problem and not actually FIX anything. We need some information about your tank to make a recommendation. Info such as: tank size, flow, top-off source, feeding, bio-load, equipment, age, clean-up crew, etc.

 

[Brenden]

I wouldn't use Chemi-clean as it will just mask the problem and not actually FIX anything.

Agree 100%

 

[ronj]

if i remember corectly, you have an undergravel filter and canister filter(if not , then disregard this)???? these could be problematic.

 

[marinegeek101]

I do not have an undergravel filter. I have a skilter filter (crap), my tank is a 32 gallon, i have 4 snails, 5 blue legged hermit crabs, 5 scarlet hermit crabs, 1 emerald crab, 2 percula clownfish, just recently my anemone died and i discarded it, my tanks is about 2-3 months old and i am looking to buy a better skimmer will it help?

Thank you

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Yes as will some better circulation and lighting. Add a maxi jet or two. Or better as the budget allows.

 

[balogh03]

I wouldn't use Chemi-clean as it will just mask the problem and not actually FIX anything.

does it really not work that good? i have only used it once and it seemed to do good. all of it is gone now. but, well treating i did raise my PH and change some things around(pumps, filters ect.) so maybe i got lucky...thanks for informing me though so i dont use it again!

 

[MikeS]

Agreed on the chemi-clean...it's an oxidizer and can create real problems in your tank in certain cases....best bet is more skimming, more water changes (RO water) and carbon....

MikeS

 

[Krish]

I definately agree on the better/more efficient skimmer, increased flow in ay dead spots and keeping up with the water changes using ro/di water. Carbon as suggested as well will help absorb some of the nasties in the water, but make sure you change it every 2-3 weeks at the most (some prefer less) so that it won't release back into your water all it had absorbed already once it has become exhausted. Good luck

 

[shallowreef]

What about a phosphate remover?

 

[FUBAR]

Carbon as suggested as well will help absorb some of the nasties in the water, but make sure you change it every 2-3 weeks at the most (some prefer less) so that it won't release back into your water all it had absorbed already once it has become exhausted.

This brings up a question I have...

I've read on a few sites, and have been told by several people, that if it's a good quality carbon... It shouldn't release toxins back into the tank. It may stop absorbing them, but wont release them.

Is that true?

 

[Krish]

This brings up a question I have...

I've read on a few sites, and have been told by several people, that if it's a good quality carbon... It shouldn't release toxins back into the tank. It may stop absorbing them, but wont release them.

Is that true?

Never heard that before and the subject has been beaten to death(LOL) We'll see if someone else chimes in on it, but black diamond is one of the best carbon's out there and it releases

 

[FUBAR]

Haha, yeah. I was just curious, because I've heard that a few times. I only run carbon a few days at a time to clear things up when I need to. So it's not really a concern of mine.

 

[MikeS]

carbon shouldn't "release" stuff back into the tank, but it will saturate and stop being helpful. This is of course dependent on many factors...ie quality of carbon, amount used, nutrient levels in the tank, flow through the carbon, ect...If changed out regularly, there shouldn't be a problem. I would hazard a guess however that if the carbon was totally saturated with stuff, a small amount may be re-released into the tank depending on flow, or in a high flow situation a particle of carbon may eventually degrade a bit causing the same. Also, the carbon is going to act just like any surface in the tank, you'll have some biological activity going on there, primalrily on the surface of course...so some of the nutrients absorbed will be converted into other things like Nitrate and such...another good reason to change it out regularly.

What about a phosphate remover?

Yes, another good tool in fighting algae/cyano outbreaks. There are two main types, ferrous (iron) based and aluminium based phosphate removers. There is some debate on both...In a nutshell, some avoid aluminium based ones because of fears that aluminium will leech into the tank, which has been shown to be a photoinhibitor in corals. There is debate, however on the degree to which this happens and even if the form of aluminum in the remover is harmful in the first place. Ferrous based ones don't have this issue, but they tend to be much more expensive, and usually require use in a reactor of some sort. Also, iron leeched from them could become algae fuel.

Having said all that...I've used aluminium based phoshate removers pretty much 24/7 in my reef for many years, with no observed ill effects on my corals. HOWEVER...please take the time to research them both yourself before making a decision on which one to use...

MikeS

 

[Llarian]

Never heard that before and the subject has been beaten to death(LOL) We'll see if someone else chimes in on it, but black diamond is one of the best carbon's out there and it releases

If you feel like searching for it, Boomer said in one of the carbon threads that high quality (including Black Diamond) carbon will not leech back into the water, it will just saturate and cease being helpful after about 2-3 weeks.

-Dylan

 

[Krish]

If you feel like searching for it, Boomer said in one of the carbon threads that high quality (including Black Diamond) carbon will not leech back into the water, it will just saturate and cease being helpful after about 2-3 weeks.

-Dylan

I searched and found this...

Previously posted by Boomer

Is it a standard thing that carbon can leach phosphates or is this a myth?

True if you go buy S_hit carbon, false if you buy good stuff. Even with the S_hit stuff if you rinse it almost all of the PO4 will be gone. It is easy to test fresh GAC for PO4. Put a half teaspoon in a glass of RO/DI and then add some PO4 indicator. If the GAC has PO4 the water will turn blue, the bluer it is the more PO4 there is. If it shows + then rinse it in and try again.

from this thread http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=72680&postcount=7

So I guess basically wrong all along that carbon leaches, but right in terms of the cheap crap we use to use around here did, before black diamond became available to us in the Bahamas. According to that thread, black diamond won't leach by this statement by Boomer

If you all use something like Marineland's Black Diamond you will be safe

My bad...I stand corrected. We learn something new everyday

 

[Curtswearing]

We are talking about two different issues.

1) PO4 leaching from brand new carbon.

2) Other adsorbates leaching from used carbon after a period of time.

For point one, using quality carbon and rinsing well with tapwater will do a very good job. I typically go one step further and deaerate the carbon in RO/DI water for 24 hours to remove air bubbles trapped in the adsorption pores and to leach off the rest of the available P.

For point two, you never want to leave the carbon in so long that it becomes biological filtration vs chemical filtration. Carbon can become useless due to all of it's adsorption pores being filled up or plugged with detritus. It can also become useless if it is completely coated with a bacterial biofilm. You aren't going to have a whole lot of leaching going on. For people who like to use carbon for a long period of time, use Boomer's trick. Once per week, pull it out, rinse it well, and then crush/break apart the carbon to expose brand new surface area. Rinse off the dust with tap water and then put the carbon back into your tank.