Serious Algae Issue

[lcstorc]

I'm with SAS on this one. You need to find out where the fuel is coming from. With that much HA something is seriously feeding it. Find out where the food is coming from and it will die of starvation. You can certainly help it along by removing it with a brush etc, but if you don't find what is feeding it, it will just come back.

[AnotherLousy1]

Varga - no overfeeding as there's really nothing in there to feed. The snails and scarlet hermits all eat some form of algae, just not hair LOL so nothing extra going into the tank there.

Its back to basics, what is your water source, what additives are you using, do you have a skimmer, have you started using rowaphos yet? Remove as much as possible by hand, I wont do water changes as it just fuels it more (up to you) my theory is let it drain the nutrients by it self, when it slows down start the attack, alc up to 12 or 13 dkh, mag at 12 to 1300, rowaphos both tank and topoff water, when it starts to go clear or white I use a 3/8 id tubing with a length of 3/8 od rigid air line tubing a bucket with filterfloss and start to siphon it out, put your finger over the rigid tubing while draining allow the HA to go into the pipe, trap it with your finger and pull, its a WAR! take no prisoners lol

Sasquatch - I use RO/DI water from my LFS, same as I have done for over a year for my 29 gallon biocube. I have a skimmer that is pulling some of the nastiest skimmate I have ever had the displeasure of smelling (real dark brown/black).

In the sump, I have seagel, chemipure, and purigen (this was added when I first noticed the algae starting to really take off). Of course, I also have a basket of cheato in the aquarium itself to help with taking up nutrients as well.

The only thing I have dosed with is purple up (which BTW, I have stopped using over the last 3 days or so due to the algae outbreak). There are two things I did a little different in this tank compared to the 29 gallon. 1) Started with half cured live rock and half dry rock from marco rocks and 2) added bio-spira on day 2 of the tank being up with rock in it. I can't help but to think the bio-spira was a HUGE mistake.

FYI as well, speaking of the filterfloss, I have some of that (double layer) under my water flowing into the sump, so anything I removed last night is going thru the overflow into the floss (so that part is a good thing).

Anyway, I guess I'm just going to keep working at it, might try to pull a bit more tonight .... a little frustrating being I didn't have to go thru this with my other tank, but I guess it proves, just when you think you know how something should go, a wrench gets thrown into the mix. All about the learning experience.

Thanks

[lcstorc]

Most likely the Purple Up or the water source. Test the new water. Often LFS doesn't change the folters like they should. The uncured rock is also part of the issue. Lots of dieoff there.
Be sure to change that filter floss frequently so it doesn't become another problem.

[blue_eyes53813]

Another possible idea is to leave the lights off for 3 days. I would clean as much as you can out 1st and leave the lights off. Sea hares are very good too. Maybe a few more hermit crabs too. Good luck

[AnotherLousy1]

Funny you should mention that Blue_Eyes. I got out quite a bit of the "nastiness" the other night, and we are now in day 2 of darkness. The stuff looks like it's yellowing/dying off a bit. This weekend, going to get in there and pluck more off and see what happens, will probably leave the lights out thru the weekend. Keep your fingers crossed I get rid of this crap. LOL

Thanks again to EVERYONE for the input, this is the BEST SW forum around!!!!!

[sasquatch]

adjust skimmer to WET, if your getting dark gunk you are too dry, it should be green tea and LOTS of it, keep an eye on salinity as tea skim is about 30ppt salinity and will drop your overall quickly, everything else sound good, never used purigen or chemipure and what is seagel? and your cheato may fade away as the HA sucks up all the nutrient and starves it out

[lcstorc]

Do you have the tank in TOTAL darkness? Not just keeping the lights off but blocking all of the ambient light etc. That will really do the trick.

[Jimw369]

Id clean the LR as best as I can and cook it for a few mos in a garbage can or tub.

Get my substrate cleaned up or replaced and start over. With no fish in the tank this is the easiest way out. IMO

[Frankie]

I don't know what to tell you that hasn't already been said. Good luck dude!
Mind if i set that picture a my background? That is some doo!

[Tru2nr]

well you have it grown much higher then i did but i had a seriouse algae problem...was using tap water for 6months and was lowering a lower K rating for my pc lightning...and my tank is opposite to my sliding door in my apt mmmmm heh just check my chronical

[dianezoo]

My sons 18 gal hex has the same problem looks just as severe. He is very discouraged. We tried the sea hare, it creature didnt touch it and eventually died.
Im thinking of doing this nex: pull as much off by hand. Remove the rock into another bucket with tank water and no lights for 2 -3 days then scrub it under water with a brush rinse and put back in the tank... will that do it?
This tank only has two large rocks and both are "hairy".

[Snelly40]

wow, this is a nice lawn!
Like many others trying to help we have been through this. I had some nasty algea about 4 months ago too and it came out of nowhere.
My issue was undetectable phosphates, but as soon as i started using rowa-phos all the algea dissapeared, i also added some mexican turbos and they ate away.

The key is to find, as said above, what is fueling the outbreak!!!

[sasquatch]

"Sasquatch - I use RO/DI water from my LFS", LOL one time in Indonesia on a tour we went to a restaurant, bottled water for everyone, half way thru the bottle it dawns on me the cap was not sealed, well after numerous applications of imodium all was good. Moral of the story? take a tds meter to the lfs, he might be selling you tap water

[Snelly40]

where does one get a tds meter?

[Snelly40]

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http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...s~vendor~.html