out of control

[seaapple]

I've had this 75 gal reef for about 5 yrs. It was doing great until I let it go down hill. Now I'm still fighting hairy algae w/brown on the gravel. I really hate the brown algae! Anyways, just added new lights 48'' long 2/250w 10,000k w/ 2/96w actinics. How long do I keep them on? Now it's a little bit less hairy but the brown is still around. Ca is about 380 last week end. Ph is about 3.8 no phos. or nitrates and so on. 2 pwrheads and too many muchrooms!! Want to add some crocea clams but I think not yet, huh?
I've used Tropic Marine bio-calcium and now using Kent Marine liquid reactore. So far I've seen no change. I've even added some coraline algae and no luck. What what should I do now? Should I just buy new live rock and get rid of the one I have, its only about 30 lbs.

Please help...Oscar
[email protected]

 

[Kensn]

Oscar my friend check that PH number again, should be 8.2 - 8.4 :shock: !

Ken

 

[WaterDogs]

The crocea clams can use all the light they can get; what you have will be perfect, run the MHs up to 12 hours a day.
To clean up the algae problem either remove the gravel or clean it. The live rock needs to be cleaned too; blow it off or swish it around to break all the stuff loose for siphoning.
Do your water changes with RO/DI and a high quality salt like Aquacraft.

 

[NaH2O]

All salts have strengths and weaknesses.

Seaapple - you can test the phosphates and nitrates from the substrate to see if you get a positvite reading from there. Just make a little pocket and remove the water from there, and test it. It might be you will need to give your tank some time to recover from letting it go downhill. WaterDogs is right on about blasting off the live rock. Use a powerhead to blow the rock and free up some detritus, and siphon up the gravel. What equipment do you have on the tank....filters, skimmer, etc? What are your current inhabitants? What is your alkalinity and salinity?

 

[plack]

How are things seaapple well as far as coraline algea growing on rocks I wonder what type of lighting and how much you had ? You mentioned new light are they new bulbs or is this sompthing new compared to what you used to have ? also what do you keep and want to keep ? Metal halides are left on for 8 hours + but if you are changing from say 135 ewatts of p.c's to 500 watts of m.h. and you have some corals I would aclimate them slowly up to 8 hours first (slowly) and go from there the acitinics should come on before and go off after the halides. Also what have you got that stirrs your sandbed maybe a conch would help? good luck

 

[seaapple]

Hey guys, thanx for helping me out by the way!! I checked the ph and now it's 8.8 and ca went up from 380 to 400. Today I scrapped all of that hairy algae from the rocks. It took me about 2.5 hrs. but it's done. It looks alot better. I have about 30 lbs. and have some additional rocks but in an 29 gal. They've been there for about 2 yrs. w/out water. Can I add them to this tank? Or is it too old? If I can use them, do I just add them to the tank? They're nice pieces...

 

[tasos]

Hello there .How can a PH value be so high?What is the alkalinity level in your tank?I say it becaue I keep having a 8.0 ph value with my alk being 3.6 meq.