Dirty tank syndrome :-(

Petronivich

Petronivich

New Member
Right hi guys, ive got dirty tank syndrome had it for a few months now. I seem to have a build up of ugly brown hair algae and some green. Ive noticed this seems to get worse on hot days which are far and few between in England. I put this down to poor water flow so have added hydor koralia in right corner of rsm 130d. Lights are running 12pm-9pm changed the bulbs 3months ago running stock. As for filtration sponge for mechanical, carbon, rowaphos phosphate remover changed weekly and ehiem bio balls cleaned 3 monthly not changed since setup about 6months ago.
I have been doing 20-30% water changes every week using just ro water and Kent marine reef salt removing as much algae as possible (can be hard as the clowns have made a particular bit of HA thier bed area :) ) before siphoning water out. Sponge is cleaned out weekly carbon changed at 3 monthly intervals. I currently have 2 perc clowns and 1 royal grammar. About 6 herms handful of snails and an emerald crab. They are being fed once a day with a quarter cube of frozen brine shrimp with garlic there is minimal wastage that I can see. The skimmer seems to be skimming correctly. I have had problems keeping the tank cool on hot days where I have had temps of 80-84. Currently it is 76 at 9pm. I have no corals just live rock and sand. This has really been eating away at me and I feel ive tried everything.

Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

Last water readings

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 15ppm
Ph 8.4
Salinity 1.026

5ad0fd6a-2368-fec4.jpg


I ran out of phosphate tester will pick one up when I get more water.
 
dmatt88

dmatt88

Has been struck by the ban stick
My guess is ur over feeding buddy n a tad shy on ur clean up crew. My guess is ur phosphates r pretty high. Did I read whether ur using rodi water?

..........I live my life as a warning to others.
 
B

brian70809

Member
Change Lights if they are old.. Keep Temps in the mid to upper 70's... Less is more... Lights for 8 to 10 hours a day.. I followed a guide on here on how to get rid of algae and it worked for me....
 
Petronivich

Petronivich

New Member
Hi, lights are about 2-3 months old. I am using reverse osmosis water that has not been de-ionized. My lfs dont have a de-ionizer. Im having problems keepin the temp down atm. Cant really justify buying a chiller for the possible 1week of sunshine we get for the year. Ive put freezer packs into the back chambers to bring the temp down this works on a temporary basis... Not sure what else to do.

Sent from my LT15i
 
Tru2nr

Tru2nr

Well-Known Member
shouldnt need a chiller....a small fan blowing across surface water should take care of the heat issue. I would buy your own rodi unit...di is essential as it removes silica which feeds algae. I would also cut back feeding to every 3 days

...Food, beer, salt needed can only afford two...i'll buy food next week i'm a reefaholic
 
Petronivich

Petronivich

New Member
Ive got the small fan "upgrade" running constantly. Maybe it needs replacing or a clean. I will have to look into getting a ro/Di unit as im going through so much water doing big changes, either that or find a new fish shop...

After reading all the info nano has posted I feel much better about the situation. My marine blues are lifting :)

If I opt to have 4 hours of light a day there is no harm to the livestock is there? My emerald and hermits will love it they tend to come out at night. Should I turn the night light LEDs off as well?

When I feed the beasties a 1/4 cube of frozen brine and garlic disappears within a minute. This once a day is ok yeah?

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K

kderobertis

Member
Unless I missed it, what's your phosphate level?

You need to reduce nitrates, phosphates to undetectableb levels. Also, I would recommend tank temp between 77-78 degrees. I vodka dose, to keep my nitrates and phosphates in check, did wonders for my tank, since I was getting green algae from time to time.
 
Petronivich

Petronivich

New Member
kderobertis said:
Unless I missed it, what's your phosphate level?

You need to reduce nitrates, phosphates to undetectableb levels. Also, I would recommend tank temp between 77-78 degrees. I vodka dose, to keep my nitrates and phosphates in check, did wonders for my tank, since I was getting green algae from time to time.
Click to expand...

Not sure about phosphates right now ran out of tester will be getting more tomorrow when I go to the lfs. It's tricky keeping the temp down when im at work dont want to keep the lid open as I have 3 Bengals who would either be fishing or swimming in my absence. Im going to try floating a frozen bottle of water see if that makes a difference.

Sent from my LT15i
 
Petronivich

Petronivich

New Member
Have just tested 0ppm phosphates with new salifert phosphate tester, not used this one before... So my nitrates are to blame I assume.

Sent from my LT15i
 
dmatt88

dmatt88

Has been struck by the ban stick
Possibly. Water change the trates out n see what u get. Also that cuc needs addressed.

..........I live my life as a warning to others.
 
reefer gladness

reefer gladness

Well-Known Member
I'd remove those bio-balls as the likely source of detritus build up and nitrates. The In-Tank media rack is a great addition to hold your media. Most people use filter floss, purigen, and chemi-pure elite in the rack. Also vacuum the sand bed when doing water changes if you haven't been.
 
K

kderobertis

Member
Petronivich said:
Have just tested 0ppm phosphates with new salifert phosphate tester, not used this one before... So my nitrates are to blame I assume.

Sent from my LT15i
Click to expand...

Your high temperature is also a factor, along with the temperature swings, not good for your livestock.

I would try carbon dosing with vodka (Carbon dosing with vodka guide, How to get zero Nitrates & Phosphate in aquariums) to correct your nitrate issue and secondly, get a chiller to maintain your water temperature. Outside of your algae problem, the temperature swing in your tank is really unhealthy for your livestock.
 
StirCrayzy

StirCrayzy

Well-Known Member
Phosphates will generally test 0 when algae is thriving ... so i wouldnt rule that out just yet.

Algae consumes the phosphate as soon as it becomes available, very hard to catch a high reading.

Another great product for your back chamber is a "Poly-Filter" pad. They remove nitrate/phosphate, and change color when exhausted.
 
Petronivich

Petronivich

New Member
Ah ok, I thought the poly filter pads were like the floss pads that worked like a sponge. Will try order some tonight thanks guys.

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