how to get rid of alage
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Krish
RF STAFF
I think if you dump some algae in the sump and give them a bit more lighting as well as a longer photo period than the main display, eventually the sump should grow all or most of the algae. I haven't added an algae yet to my sump, but it is lit on an alternate photo period and every week, I have to clean out the algae that grows in there. The lighting is freshwater pc's and about 4 watts per gal in there and not very much flow, and it seems the conditions are much better for it to grow their than the main display. When you start up your photo period and add your algae (or whichever approach you decide to go with) I'd remove as much of the nuicance algae out of your main display around the same time. Hopefully it won't grow back much in the tank after that. Just a few thoughts... HTH
daytonaconnecti
Well-known member
ck out this post, http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12394 it might help
Electrokate
Well-known member
Am tagging along. I have an algae problem as well, I believe caused by detritus settling on rock due to low flow (unplugged during a water change and forgot to plug back in). Add nitrate and/or phosphate and the algae will show up. How to get rid of it quickly, easily and permanently... that's the part I don't know.
Do you know what kind of algae it is that you have in the main tank? Some common ones would be hair, bryopsis (looks like hair but with feather like ends), diatom, slime/cyano, bubble. I think with hair algae you need to manually pull out and then turkey baste because if it's long a lot of algivores won't eat it, and it traps more debris which rots and becomes a food source. Think of hair algae as a filter feeder. So pulling out what you can is good, then use a turkey baster or powerhead to blow the rocks clean and keep circulation high.
If you blow the rocks off a mechanical filter is good to remove the water clouding debris. HOT magnum or Magnum 350 with pleated filter will take the freed debris, or you can try and siphon it out as you go and do a water change. I like using powerheads with the sponge on them, when the water clears I bag the powerhead, unplug it and take it out of the water to rinse. That's the cheapo/easy method.
Slime algae should be siphoned out, probably also has collected debris under it for food. Bubble is trickier, I like to do that in another container as if you breat the bubble it releases tiny ones to just make more misery. The big ones can often be twisted off intact if you are careful.
Kate
Do you know what kind of algae it is that you have in the main tank? Some common ones would be hair, bryopsis (looks like hair but with feather like ends), diatom, slime/cyano, bubble. I think with hair algae you need to manually pull out and then turkey baste because if it's long a lot of algivores won't eat it, and it traps more debris which rots and becomes a food source. Think of hair algae as a filter feeder. So pulling out what you can is good, then use a turkey baster or powerhead to blow the rocks clean and keep circulation high.
If you blow the rocks off a mechanical filter is good to remove the water clouding debris. HOT magnum or Magnum 350 with pleated filter will take the freed debris, or you can try and siphon it out as you go and do a water change. I like using powerheads with the sponge on them, when the water clears I bag the powerhead, unplug it and take it out of the water to rinse. That's the cheapo/easy method.
Slime algae should be siphoned out, probably also has collected debris under it for food. Bubble is trickier, I like to do that in another container as if you breat the bubble it releases tiny ones to just make more misery. The big ones can often be twisted off intact if you are careful.
Kate
daytonaconnecti
Well-known member
when i do mine. i blow off the lr.then net the large stuff. then repeat, and renet, then do water change, was thinking if i had a filter big enough to use, as i blow off lr,with all the stuff that floats around, it would get rid of it quickier...
fishcrazee
Well-known member
How exactly are you suppose to pull the hair algae off, it's slippery! 
Electrokate
Well-known member
That's my problem too. I try and pull it off the brain coral skeleton as it encroaches on the live stuff but it just slips out of my fingers. Tempted to get a couple finger cots or cut the tips off latex gloves and see if that gives my fingers more traction. Last ditch option: move the whole rock to the sump and feed the brain while keeping the algae dark. Probably will just hurt the brain more.
Kate
Kate
chazbier
Active member
I would try adding snails to the tank. Maybe even a star fish to clean out under the sand. A refugium isn't always the answer, I've never used one in my reefs.
liveforphysics
Banned
I'm not claiming to have a cure-all for algae, but I know I cant even get hair algae to just stay alive in my displays or fuges.
If I had a tank with an algae problem, this is what I would do.
Buy the $19.99 4 pack of spiral compact florecent spotlights (NOT the "daylights", they totally make cheato crash) (built in proper reflector makes them as effective for this application as 3-4 normal spiral CF bulbs). Buy 4 of the $1.99 outdoor spotlight holder thingys that people use for holding bulbs for lighting up santas and nativitys and things. Dangle the 4 cords above the sump or fuge or whatever. My fuge is my sump, and the algae seems to like the high flow rate. Stick some cheato in the sump/fuge, stick the bulbs in the sockets. The best setup would be to leave the lighting on the cheato on 24-7, but any scheme that gives them lots of light time will work fine.
Now, at this point, I would personally turn off the skimmer and any mechanical filtration. This is because having phosphates as the limiting reactant in algae growth is WAY better than haveing nitrates as the limiting reactant.
I would guess within about a week of the skimmer off and the cheato well lit, your tank wont be able to have dectable nitrates or phosphates anymore, and your display will just plain stop growing algae. Existing algae get consumed by snails and things. As snails notice there is no other algae available for food, you will find that they stop thinking they are too good to eat hair algaes.
This has been my experience with a number of tanks.
I am confident many others will tell you to do things like skim harder and water change etc. I personally belive these things are just band-aids at best.
If I had a tank with an algae problem, this is what I would do.
Buy the $19.99 4 pack of spiral compact florecent spotlights (NOT the "daylights", they totally make cheato crash) (built in proper reflector makes them as effective for this application as 3-4 normal spiral CF bulbs). Buy 4 of the $1.99 outdoor spotlight holder thingys that people use for holding bulbs for lighting up santas and nativitys and things. Dangle the 4 cords above the sump or fuge or whatever. My fuge is my sump, and the algae seems to like the high flow rate. Stick some cheato in the sump/fuge, stick the bulbs in the sockets. The best setup would be to leave the lighting on the cheato on 24-7, but any scheme that gives them lots of light time will work fine.
Now, at this point, I would personally turn off the skimmer and any mechanical filtration. This is because having phosphates as the limiting reactant in algae growth is WAY better than haveing nitrates as the limiting reactant.
I would guess within about a week of the skimmer off and the cheato well lit, your tank wont be able to have dectable nitrates or phosphates anymore, and your display will just plain stop growing algae. Existing algae get consumed by snails and things. As snails notice there is no other algae available for food, you will find that they stop thinking they are too good to eat hair algaes.
This has been my experience with a number of tanks.
I am confident many others will tell you to do things like skim harder and water change etc. I personally belive these things are just band-aids at best.
Electrokate
Well-known member
I agree, the tanks with no skimmer are doing great but the tank with skimmer is terrible. (took the other skimmers down as they would periodically overflow and dump water all over the floor) It has also had chaeto for a year and the snails will not eat this hair stuff, if I put them on it they retract and the current blows them off. If the hair algae breaks and lands on sps the coral dies.
I think this tank is going to get sold, it's been a nightmare since I bought it, or go FOWLR. I have never had any detectable phosphates in any tank, but recently had a high nitrate spell in this one (skimmerless tanks always test zero nitrate). I think I will just keep a few small skimmerless tanks for coral, they do so much better. I have no income as am disabled and didn't qualify for benefits so I can't reall afford to keep pouring money into this pit of a tank anyways. Plus it's in the bedroom and very very noisy. Having a few small tanks sounds so much nicer than this behemoth of a tank.
Kate
I think this tank is going to get sold, it's been a nightmare since I bought it, or go FOWLR. I have never had any detectable phosphates in any tank, but recently had a high nitrate spell in this one (skimmerless tanks always test zero nitrate). I think I will just keep a few small skimmerless tanks for coral, they do so much better. I have no income as am disabled and didn't qualify for benefits so I can't reall afford to keep pouring money into this pit of a tank anyways. Plus it's in the bedroom and very very noisy. Having a few small tanks sounds so much nicer than this behemoth of a tank.
Kate
