Please help me i'm at my whits end!!

KARussell88

KARussell88

Member
I cannot get this crap out of my tank! I don't know what to do! I get this thick, really green algae and this green algae that traps all kinds of bubbles in it, I hope the pictures are good enough:
0305010048b.jpg

0305010048a.jpg

0305010048.jpg

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Ok here is my tank:
-90 gallon (around 6 months old) with overflow into 29 gallon sump. Sump has refugium with calupera, chaeto, and red macroalgae in it.
-Running a reef octopus protein skimmer, temp is at 74.
-Over 100 lbs of liverock all cured.
-Nova Extreme Pro with 8 bulbs and lunar lights running from 1pm to 8 30pm. Sump light runs from 9 pm to 5pm.
-2 Clear acrylic panels on top of tank to lessen evaporation.
-neo-marine salt with RO water.
-Water changes of 15-20% once weekly.
-about 2850 gph circulation
-CUC: around 8 Turbo Snails, 2 Serpant stars, 10-12 red legged hermits, 2 blue legged hermits, 2 emerald crabs, 2 peppermint shrimp, 3 Cleaner Shrimp, 1 Fire Shrimp.
-Fish: 1 Kole Tang, 1 Blue Tang, 1 Foxface, 2 Watchmen Gobies, 4 Green Chromis, 4 Pajama Cardinals, 1 6-line Wrasse, 1 Lawnmower Blenny, 1 Bi Color Blenny.
-pH:8.4
-Ammonia: between 0-.25 ppm
-Nitrite: 0 ppm
-Nitrate: 0 ppm
-Feeding frozen, Dt's phyto, Cyclopeze, Coral Frenzy
-Also have carbon in sump
I think that basically should cover all that you need to know. Feel free to ask anything else about my tank I desperately need help! My corals are getting covered! My zoas aren't opening! PLEASE EVERYONE HELP ME I KNOW THERE ARE EXPERTS ON HERE!!!
 
mbdave

mbdave

Active Member
This is what I would do if I were you.

KARussell88 said:
I cannot get this crap out of my tank! I don't know what to do! I get this thick, really green algae and this green algae that traps all kinds of bubbles in it, I hope the pictures are good enough:
0305010048b.jpg

0305010048a.jpg

0305010048.jpg

0305010047.jpg


Ok here is my tank:
-90 gallon (around 6 months old) with overflow into 29 gallon sump. Sump has refugium with calupera, chaeto, and red macroalgae in it.
-Running a reef octopus protein skimmer, temp is at 74.
-Over 100 lbs of liverock all cured.

(Do you have the rock stacked open and not in a "wall"? If it's stacked tight open it up, you want flow all in and around and throughout the reefscape to get the nutrients to the skimmer.)

-Nova Extreme Pro with 8 bulbs and lunar lights running from 1pm to 8 30pm. Sump light runs from 9 pm to 5pm.

(I would cut the lights back for awhile, remember algae needs, light, nutrients, and a substrate to grow on, you need to reduce the the things it needs to grow)

-Clear acrylic panels on top of tank to lessen evaporation.
-neo-marine salt with RO water.
-Water changes of 15-20% once weekly.
-about 2850 gph circulation
-CUC: around 8 Turbo Snails, 2 Serpant stars, 10-12 red legged hermits, 2 blue legged hermits, 2 emerald crabs, 2 peppermint shrimp, 3 Cleaner Shrimp, 1 Fire Shrimp.

(Peppermint shrimp, cleaner shrimp, and fire shrimp, are not CUC. Personally I like 1 snail, "like astreas" and 1 hermit, "blue leg, red leg, lefties, whatever" per gallon of water. Especially in an algae problem tank. Try stocking up on algae consuming animals there is some dealers with good deals in the sponsors section of this site for CUC. "reef cleaners" and if you do not choose them PM me I know others but Reefcleaners gets few complaints.)

-Fish: 1 Kole Tang, 1 Blue Tang, 1 Foxface, 2 Watchmen Gobies, 4 Green Chromis, 4 Pajama Cardinals, 1 6-line Wrasse, 1 Lawnmower Blenny, 1 Bi Color Blenny.

(16 fish, IMHO not to many in a healthy low nutrient running tank, but yours is not why I bring this up is with that many fish I wonder how much you are feeding? Cut back on food for awhile, like until the algae is under control. Feed once a day and all the food should be eaten in no more than three minutes, three minutes after you drop the food in there should be NO food. If your feeding frozen drain the thawed water from the food it has the nutrients you do not want.)


-pH:8.4
-Ammonia: between 0-.25 ppm
-Nitrite: 0 ppm
-Nitrate: 0 ppm

(What is your phosphate level? And consider running some granulated ferric oxide to remove any phosphate.)


-Feeding frozen, Dt's phyto, Cyclopeze, Coral Frenzy

(Try stopping the DT's, Cyclopeze, and Coral Frenzy for now it is adding to your problem. Just feed fish food and a minimum of that. Don't worry your fish will act hungry and beg but trust me they will be ok:)


-Also have carbon in sump


I think that basically should cover all that you need to know. Feel free to ask anything else about my tank I desperately need help! My corals are getting covered! My zoas aren't opening! PLEASE EVERYONE HELP ME I KNOW THERE ARE EXPERTS ON HERE!!!
Click to expand...

Just be diligent in nutrient control and "be happy" most of us have faced the same demon :) Hope this helps.

Best of luck,
Dave
 
catran

catran

Well-Known Member
Buy a bunch of emerald crabs and they will eat the algae. Make sure to buy small ones.
 
GlassMunky

GlassMunky

Active Member
+1 on uping your CUC. Hit up jon on reefcleaners, BY FAR the best deals ANYWHERE on CUC's. and customer service second to none. Also, like mentioned, cut back on your feeding some too. you CAN get over this issue, it will just take some time and diligance. dont get too discouraged
 
Corailline

Corailline

Member
When it gets to the point your tank is, this is what my plan of action would be

1. Make sure your phosphates are below .05 ppm.
2. Remove as much as you can manually, means doing a lot of elbow work.
3. Complete/total blackout for at least 3 days. Corals will be fine.
4. Continue to do manually remove during black out daily, clean all mechanical filters once water clears. With small water changes to remove DOC and phosphates as the algae dies off during the blackout.
5. Run phosban or equivalent, or some GFO.

Just my 2 cents.
 
KARussell88

KARussell88

Member
A Blackout seems risky too me.. should I just cut down on the light for a week or so (how much?), cut down on feeding, keep up the water changes, test my phosphates (which I will do today and get back to you on), and add to my CUC (I already emailed jon and he's given me a list), before I try a blackout?
My rock is stacked up in a wall as well, I've wanted to change that but I was scared thats going to mess with my tank and stress my corals out..
 
FishNerd

FishNerd

Member
-1 for carbon in a reef setup. I would get a good protein skimmer it will remove a lot of the nutrients the algae require. +1 to a reduction of food and lighting maybe -2 or 3 hours small changes can have big impacts. I would increase my water change schedule; Ammonia should be zero in a cycled tank. Too much food is most likely the cause for this. Good luck, keep us posted.
 
KARussell88

KARussell88

Member
I was told its almost impossible to ever have 0 ammonia in a tank, and that it should be .25 or under. Maybe thats just freshwater?
 
FishNerd

FishNerd

Member
Well .25 is not terrible but should be 0 it is possible. Just shows that your bio load is greater than the biological filtration system can keep up with.
 
C

Clonefarmer

Member
AFAIK ammonia should be 0 in both FW and SW. The bacteria consume ammonia fairly quickly. If there is ammonia I would guess that the bio load is producing more waste than the bacteria can process.
 
KARussell88

KARussell88

Member
Ok so im definitely overfeeding, more liverock would be helpful, and a larger CUC would help this. I'll test my phosphates and get back to this later today to let you all know what is going on with that.
In everyones opinion how badly do I need to change my rock to a more mound like structure as opposed to the wall I have now?
 
FishNerd

FishNerd

Member
The position of live rock is important but not a deal breaker. If you go to your LFS stock up with hand fulls of blue leg hermit crabs, asteria, cerith, and nassarius snails. I am not a fan of emerald crabs; I had a bad experience with them eating my coralline algae.
 
reefracer

reefracer

Member
I personally have done a total black out and read of others doing so with positive effects on nuisance algae, problem anemone issues, and water clarity will improve as well. An absence of light (sun light as in severe storms) would not be unnatural in the ocean.
 
mbdave

mbdave

Active Member
KARussell88 said:
Ok so im definitely overfeeding, more liverock would be helpful, and a larger CUC would help this. I'll test my phosphates and get back to this later today to let you all know what is going on with that.
In everyones opinion how badly do I need to change my rock to a more mound like structure as opposed to the wall I have now?
Click to expand...

If you leave a wall you will get detritus build in areas where flow can not get to it and remove it, think about it, a wall is to "block" so your blocking your flow. Open up the structure, also you have plenty of rock and not sure how good your ammo test is but I would not believe you had any ammo. Yes you are over feeding read my previous answer to your first post.
This is just my opinion not saying a blackout would not help, but if I did anything I would cut back your light cycle and attack the other problems. If you do not get rid of the nutrients, the over feeding and other things that have been recommended when you turn the lights back on the algae is still going to grow. The algae die off you will probably get from the blackout might give a false impression of success when in fact the algae will return. You are also stressing the animals and that is never good.
 
DesertOrchid

DesertOrchid

Active Member
fyi..........algae takes up the nitrates and phosphates to give a false reading on tests. There could still be higher levels being produced but 0 showing on tests. Just a lesson I've learned.
 
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