Tank glass turning green

[tyson256031]

Take it down to 6hrs for a week or so it takes time fir it to effect the system... Since just about all algeas need the light to grow cutting that down will help. Do very frequent water changes and rare you running carbon?or a uv filter? That will help a lot?

 

[ttown]

So i still should add carbon to the refugium rite?

 

[Krish]

Your tank looks pretty cool! Nice setup you have there! The water looks pretty clear as well! Is it always like that or does it green up after awhile? Also, What is that dark stuff in the middle of your sump?? As for the algae I can see in the pictures, the stuff on the powerhead looks like either some sort of turf algae or hair algae. Not too sure though, but it definately is algae. I'd take the powerhead out of the tank and give it a good scrubbing. Before you put it back, make sure it is rinsed off thoroughly so as to not release any algae spores into your water column. With some algae, if you release and spores into your tank, it can cause the algae to be transferred to other parts of your tank. How old is this setup??

 

[Krish]

One more question...What is the white thing all the way to the left of your sump?? Is that some sort of filter sock??

 

[ttown]

Thanks. The dark stuff in the middle is my chaeto. Camera not all that great. Yes it is a filter sock.

 

[Krish]

Thanks. The dark stuff in the middle is my chaeto. Camera not all that great. Yes it is a filter sock.

Nice! How often do you clean your filter sock?? If left too long between changing/rinsing, it can work against you fueling the algae to grow. All the waste it traps will begin to rott if left too long which degrades water quality. That should be rinsed/changed every 2-3 days IMO. On the chaeto, I'll see if I can find the thread (was about 2 or more years old) but it made reference to chaeto saying that it was more beneficial if in a small ball and allowed to tumble in the sump. How you have yours, it is buried under some rocks it seems so you probably aren't getting as much benefits from your chaeto as you could. Also, there's another thread that I will find for you that might help. The main idea about our systems is removing waste before it has a chance to break down and cause water quality issues that can for one, fuel algae to grow. Give me a few to try and find you these threads

 

[Krish]

I'll have to search a bit more, but it was Anthony Calfo that said to have a small ball tumbling. Others have done it differently too though with success. As for the other thread, take a look here http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11686&highlight=sumps+cleaning We tend to forget our sumps can cause water quality issues if not maintained. Take a look at what was pulled out of my sump. All these things can all fuel algae to grow if not addressed.

Just a few thoughts

 

[ttown]

I usually clean my filter sock weekly. Too long huh? I'll start cleaning it every 2-3 days from now on. Yep my chaeto is buried under rocks. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the advices and ideas you given me. Hopefully i can get rid of the algae soon.

 

[Krish]

I usually clean my filter sock weekly. Too long huh? I'll start cleaning it every 2-3 days from now on. Yep my chaeto is buried under rocks. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the advices and ideas you given me. Hopefully i can get rid of the algae soon.

No problem man and do what works best for you. I don't like to force my opinions on people. Just present them with info that they can use as they see fit. Many ways to do things in this hobby. As for the algae, as the tank matures and balances out, it will start to disappear. Algae can't grow where its food source isn't present.

 

[SpecialTang]

hi Have you tested for silicates/silica at all?

My PO4 were fine it was my silica that was slightly high. Do you have a TDS meter on your RO/DI unit?

How deep is your sand bed? I recently found a few buckets of Instant Ocean and Reef Crystals with high silica. A water change and turning the lights opff only help as a temp fix. You really need to get to the root cause of it all. I would recommend getting a silica test kit, if you do not have one yet and see what you get. If possible get a complete water test done. Then start tracing where the issue might be coming from. Slowly make changes and wait a week between changes to see if you get any results. This is nothing that will be solved overnight and we have all battled it at one point or another. The downside is everyone's issue was most likely caused by different things including all the way back to the quality of water coming out of your tap into your ro/di unit.

Goodluck,
Andy

 

[ttown]

To be honest that's the first time i heard the term silica. Not sure what it is, but i haven't test for that at all. I could get it tested for that though. I get all my water parameter check this weekend at a local aquarium place and see if theres anything wrong with my water. I have no TDS meter on my ro. Could it be my salt mix because im using instant ocean? My sand bed is about 1-2".

 

[Krish]

Instant Ocean is all I've ever used and never had any issues. Might just be part of your tank cycling and trying to find its balance. On a side note where a tank finding its balance is concerned, the more inhabitants you add the more it will have to adjust to the new load so keep that in mind.

 

[blk822822]

What MH bulbs are you running? I had a odyssea fixture and the bulbs said 20K but were really yellow and then turned green after time. I changed to better bulbs and the blooms went away.

 

[ttown]

I have the odyssea fixture too but with icecap ballast. I haven't really thought about changing the bulb. I'll try anything just to get rid of those green stuff. Did you have the same problem Bill?

 

[blk822822]

I also have Icecaps. But those bulbs suck. And after I chaged bulbs the problem went away. They say 20k but they arn't and after about 2 months or so they will start turning green. The fixtures are great, I love mine. But I'm selling mine now just because I took down my 90 tank.