I'm back and have a small question about fish only aquariums

[Krish]

Hi guys!!! I'm back! It's been a while since I posted anything (probably Feb or so). Last time, I was taking down the tank and doing a few things before setting back up. Well, I'm just about ready to set back up, but I want to try a different approach this time. I have installed one of those "natural backgrounds" (you know the ones that are installed on the inside of the tank and basically looks and feels just like real rock) and I wanted to go fish only this time around. I'm not really concerned with the growth of coralline or anything like that, or keeping live rock...Just my background and a few fish (no inverts). Is there anything that I can add to the water that will prohibit any type of hair algae etc from growing? I know you can do it with freshwater, but not sure about salt. Any input will be greatly appreciated

 

[Ed Hahn]

Hello Krish,
You could get a efficient skimmer and try not to put any more phospates in the water or very little phospates. You could use rowa phos in a media reactor to lower your phospates. But first of all just use RO or RODI water to elimate adding phospates into your water when doing a water change.
Those are things that come to mind in preventing outbreaks of bad Algae.
hope this helps,
Ed

 

[loohunter]

i think a uv eliminates agae

 

[wrightme43]

Uv will kill any algae that passes thru the unit. Not all algae will so the stuff in the tank will be uneffected. Low light levels. I know of no marketed algaecide for saltwater systems except Marc Wiess new ALGAE MAGIC MAGIC MAGIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS INCREDIBLE PRODUCT WORKS BY LOWERING THE FOOD SUPPLY OF NUISANCE ALGAE BY STIMULATING OXYGENATION. LOL
I am not buying it. It says its 100% natural organic and will not harm any other thing in your saltwater tank. Corals, fish, snails, all that stuff. Uhhhhh......
Well enough of my sense of humor. LOL
You can turn the lights off for a few days every week. Or just do like Ed says and invest in a good skimmer and keep nutrient import lower than export with water changes or rodi and good salt, and low food input.
Hope this helps and makes you laugh a little too.
Steve

 

[Krish]

Yeah, I only use ro/di water and have a phosban reactor which I use now in my discus tank. Never had a problem with algae in my 90 gal fresh, even with nitrates about 15-20ppm (ammonia 0 and nitrite 0). If I do have nitrate levels about the same, 15-20, but keep my phosphates really low will it help. I've had terrible trouble with algae in the past using my phosban reactor and ro/di water and weekly water changes. I knew my problem in past was do to not using ro/di water in the beginning and not having a phosban reactor. I think that my LR was pretty much doomed from then...which I continued to use along with my wet/dry (with bio-balls) and crushed corals. My idea was a shallow sand bed, keep the wet/dry, maybe 8 hrs of light (1 hr of blue actinics to 6hrs of blue and 10,000k to 1 hr of blues again) phosban reactor, ro/di water, a few clowns and weekly water changes of about 10-15 gals. Should practically no traces of phosphates and this lighting period along with possibly 10-20 ppm of nitrates present a problem?

 

[wrightme43]

One thing that might help is cutting back on the water changes. I have noticed in my tanks that I get more algae right after a water change. Just a thought maybe worth a try. Steve

 

[Krish]

Thanks Steve...I see you're still hard at it with all the good advice (and everyone else for that matter). Hope all is well with you and your tank

 

[Sloppy Joe]

UV Good Skimmer and a reef pack of efficient algae inverts is what I would go for just remember there is no such thing as a small question just small people.

 

[wrightme43]

Like Uummppaahh Loommppaahhs? LOL

 

[Jiddy]

Also if you had a plant in there that you did like, it would compete for the nutrients that a nuissance algae would need to grow

 

[Krish]

Sounds good, but on the otherhand, I won't be using half the amount of light as before...Somewhere about 80watts for less hours (maybe 8 hrs at the most). Not really concerned right now with coralline and corals, just fish.

 

[NaH2O]

Krish - welcome back! Glad to see you are setting up again, since the hair algae. I would think with low light levels you will be good on the algae front. Just keep up with the RO/DI water, and skim like mad. What size tank again? I would also try not to have too high of a bioload.

 

[Krish]

Thanks Nikki. My tank is a 90 gal. I do not want to overstock so I think I should be fine. Since the last time I had my tank setup, I built a new stand and canopy and made a few other changes. I will post new pic once I set up.

 

[Katchupoy]

Just to add something... Astrea snail does wonderful jobs on algae. And since this will be fish only.... then you can buy those fish that helps clean your tank.... like yellow tang for hair algae, rabbitfish for valonia or bubble algae...

 

[Krish]

True true sounds good good good!!!