Maintaining cleanliness for pristine aquarium

[Matt spivey]

Hi everybody

My tank is a few months old now but I'm still cleaning algae a lot of the time, most days in fact. I just wondered how people keep their tanks at tank of the month standard.

I recently started using phosguard, purigen and got a new tunze 9002 skimmer. I have a decent size & variety clean up crew. I do bi weekly water changes and my algae related readings are all good e.g no nitrates next to 0 phosphates. I feed only a few flakes AM then PM I feed a little bit of frozen food like brine shrimp and it all gets eaten.

Got live rock and sand, sand is caribsea forgot which name it is but it is commonly used.

I have a vortech mp10 for improved circulation so algae can't settle as much too.

Am I missing something?

Is it just because my tank is fairly new? How long until they settle down?


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[DaveK]

It can take almost a year to get a tank really stable. It's not at all unusual to have some unwanted algae blooms. Over time most of the rocks, and for that matter everything else will get covered with coraline algae. It's still a problem algae, but it's not as bad as cyano or green hair.

Part of the problem too is that if your new to the hobby your going through a learning process. It takes time to learn just how much light or food your tank needs.Also, it's very easy to make minor mistakes that turn the tank into an algae farm, at least for awhile.

When you see one of the tanks of the month, you usually see a tank that has been set up a long time, and the corals have had time to grow out and almost cover everything. Often if you look close, you'll still see some patches of algae, but it's being managed.

Give your tank some time, and make non-emergency changes slowly and carefully, and you'll get something impressive.

 

[Matt spivey]

Thanks for the confirmation, the only thing I haven't done is just wait! The tanks new but I'm not, I've been a hobbyist for a while now.

I will just wait and let it die back then after a few months if it hasn't gone I'll be amazed. I know the silicates in the sand get used up etc and when it does you get less algae.

Never had diatoms though, weirdly. Just the green film and cyano here and there


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[PSU4ME]

I'm with Dave, it comes with time. I use seagel, Gfo and a big skimmer in my tank with weekly water changes and blow off the rocks weekly. Going through bloom stages is normal but it will pass. Resist the urge to treat with chemicals! Just keep it clean and don't over feed.

 

[Matt spivey]

Okay good to know eventually it'll be fine as I seem to be doing all of those things right!


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[BigAl07]

Top notch advice above. Time is your friend... use it and enjoy it

 

[Snelly40]

Im about the same as psu4me said... seagel, purigen and a big ole skimmer... I do have my tank running thru a filter sock as it adds clarity and filters out a ton, I just make sure to swap it out every week as I do my water change... you'll get there!! its great when all you see are clean rocks and no algae

 

[reefle]

If algae is really really bad, a temporary fix is just to throw a sea hare in there. Apparently they do wonders in a short time. I hear they do so well that unless you purposely grow algae to feed them, they will eventually starve so maybe ask your LFS to borrow one.

 

[Mrsalt]

Trouble is what feeds the algae in the first place. I agree hares do munch through it, but reality is there shouldn't be anything for them to eat in the first place. That is what we should strive for, but as said the tank needs to settle, and gain a healthy ecosystem of various bacteria going strong and a feeding regime that fits the livestock. Again plus one on the time...patience is hard to learn but probably the most important thing to learn.

 

[Creekview]

Consider an algae scrubber. I've become a convert. Turn the enemy into an ally. If you're running a sump, it's a $35 DIY. I'm running a 55 and a 33 off a refugium/sump based scrubber. No GFO, no chemicals, no skimmer.

 

[Matt spivey]

Algae isn't even that bad it's just not absolutely crystal like some tanks that you see. The sand is a little brown in areas and sometimes cyano builds up or green film on the glass.

True that patience is hard to learn ha
Scrubbers look good but on my 130d it wouldn't work I don't think. Too much DIY for me!


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