aaaaaaaaaahhh algae and microbubbles

[kathywithbirds]

I'm getting really frustrated.

I have algae EVERYWHERE, brown and green hairy algae. It's from the MH I'm pretty sure, trying to bring down the nitrates to 0, they continually hover between 5 and 10 even with water changes. Phosphates 0.

I made a DIY mini fuge, got a clearish HOB filter (a FW 50 gallon type), no media, put some sand in the bottom and a small mangrove. Still need a light for it. It's cute. Hope it helps.

I have also added 5 blue leg hermits despite my reluctance to do hermits, and 3 lettuce nudibranches. The creatures are all very happy and eating.

And the microbubbles. Every time I fiddle with something, which is alot, the microbubbles increase. They were fading last day or two, I figured the 5-day-old SEIO powerhead was finally "breaking in," then I put the fuge/filter on. I'm under the assumption that competing powerheads pushing flow against/away from each other has something to do with it.

Any advice?

[sasquatch]

Oh Dear! the MH will encourage an algae spike, maybe cut back a bit or raise them or screen,Ive had powerheads that spit bubbles constantly from no obvious source, try moving it lower down? For the algae you have to eliminate it's food supply by cutting back its origin, skimming it,chemicaly or by consumption ie macro, mangroves are ok but cheato, caulerpa etc are rapid growth and will soak up excess before the other algaes can blossom.Steve

[lcstorc]

Ditto on Sas's post.

Rather than hermits try a sea hare. Much better for eating HA.

[2455coop]

You could try using Chaeto or Caulerpa in your fuge. They multiple fast and love trates. As far as the algae I have had great success using a product called Marine S.A.T. from TLC Marine and Aquarium Products. It's a beneficial bacteria that helps eat the algae. the web site is...

TLC Aquarium and Pond Products

you might read up on it....

[kathywithbirds]

I like the sea hares but what'd I feed it after it ate all the algae? Could I keep it alive after its "job" is done with algae sheets or other foods?

Yeah, going for the chaeto. It's cheap and easy and a nitrate sponge. I liked the look of the mangrove, I was hoping to make a "pretty" fuge, HOB type, might put it on the side.

I'm a little afraid of putting STUFF in the tank, Bill. What kind of fishies/coral you got, did it affect them at all? or your skimmer?

[prow]

if you get a sea hair and have clams watch him. i got a sea hair and it went for my clams a few times over 3 days, after i saw the mantal of the clam in the hairs mouth, out the hair went. they also have that ink spray thing when they get spooked.

your cleanning crew for sure needs some help. i dont like crabs so will not suggest any. this for the 37gal? if so this is what i would shoot for;

20-cerith snails
20-nerite snails
15-trochus snails
10-margarita snails
5-mexican turbo snails
3-tongan nassarius snails

add in groups depending on your needs. the turbos will take out the hair algea in no time. but i agree with above you need to take care of the root cause. old bulbs, saltmix or mixing buckets, overfeeding, using tap water, filter sponges things like that. is your tank about 6 months old or so?

[kathywithbirds]

no clams. Clams scare me. I try to stay away from Victor : )

[Frankie]

Just watch the sea hare if you go that route. When they die they make a big mess if you don't get it out fast. But they do help some.
sasquatch gave some good sound advice.

[prow]

wow you guys are fast. i really need to work on my typing speed.

[kathywithbirds]

thanks guys...

yes, working on lowering nitrate levels, although it's a constant battle. Saw that mini DIY fuge idea and it's cute and might provide some help. We'll see.

Mike and I are considering our options with a fuge/sump, since he's gotten interested he's looked in places I wouldn't have thought of and is more courageous on DIY ideas. A bigger fuge with some niec chaeto would help, my tiny fuge probably won't do a great deal but it's an inch in the right direction, IMHO.

Prow, really?? That much of a cleaning crew??? Wow that's a lot of critters. I have 8 hermits right now, I'm kinda stuck with them, maybe they're not so bad. I dislike turbos as I've read they come from the Mexican coast and as such are from cooler waters than we provide... so they die. Which is what happened to me. Can I lose the turbos and keep my hermits from your list?

[2455coop]

I have a green frospawn with pink tips, a bubble, 6 different colors of zoas, choclate brown sun polyps with metallic green center and massive amounts of shrooms and green star polyps. And a long tentacle anemone with purple tips.

And as the fish go I have 2 blue green chromis, 5 gray chromis with yellow tail fins, a red scooter blenny, and a 6 line wrasse.

plus astrae, nassarius, and cerith snails. scarlet red mexican hermits and a dozen micro blue hermits plus 2 figthing conchs (my fav)

I used the stuff for about 8 weeks and have not had any algae since. The fish, inverts, and corals weren't effected at all. Their website has information on it. Like I said it worked for me and I was at wits end before I used it. i do agree with you about putting stuff in my tank. If it hadn't worked for me I wouldn't have mentioned it.

[2455coop]

I forgot to mention I have a Remora skimmer. I left the skimmer on while dosing. The bottle says to turn off the UV lights while using.

[kathywithbirds]

wait... saltmix I have a clue about as far as algae, but the buckets??

how come?

[sasquatch]

Originally Posted by kathywithbirds

wait... saltmix I have a clue about as far as algae, but the buckets??

how come?

are you talking to your self lol.Steve

[kathywithbirds]

Originally Posted by sasquatch

are you talking to your self lol.Steve

no, sorry, prow.

although the talking to self happens alot too.