Algae algae algae!!

[Saltwat3rAddict]

Im so frustrated with algae. I dont understand where im going wrong due to my parameters all very stable and perfect. One day i have red slime, it goes away and i get hair algae. I rid the hair algae and the red slime comes back. I rid the red slime and hair comes back. Its something ive fought for months. Ive tried snails...FAILURE. Ive used hands...Success, but tons of daily work. What can i use now?

Ive been told emerald crabs are pretty good with algae, i understand the red slime is something nothing will really eat so i want to control the hair first.

After this i want to rid this slime. What is the best bet?? Ive used "red slime remover" works a week then it comes back 2 weeks later.

Suggestions please, before i rip my tank apart and start new =/

 

[Chiya]

If I may ask, what are your tank parameters?
Most algae issues start with water / nutrient problems.. So having your water parameters should help the experts to diagnose the root issue..

Don't give up!!

Cheers,
Ryan

 

[Jstdv8]

what are you using for water and when was the last time you checked your TDS? How often do you do water changes?
do you have a sump that you could get some cheato or a turf scrubber into?
and does your whole clean up crew consist of 3 nassy snails and a shrimp?

 

[MrsHaggis]

i got an emerald crab and not only is he hilarious to watch he eats algae with the ferocity that i eat ice cream!!! he is brilliant.

 

[capnfritz]

As I have sucessfuly used red Slime Remover, I'm thinking
you are introducing nutrients somehow. Using RO/DI?
Maybe too much food. Are you running a good skimmer.
if all else fails try vodka dosing.

 

[jase75]

I would try cutting back on the feeding, maybe to 2-3 times a weeks. That really helped my algae problem. Plus using RO/DI water.

 

[Allmost]

what ticks me off is this "I dont understand where im going wrong due to my parameters all very stable and perfect."

NO IT IS NOT ! what do u think perfect water is ? water that no algea grows in it so if algea, ure water parameters ARE NOT GOOD. simple as that.

you need to post info on ure system for anyone to be able to help you.

you need to basically match ure input nutrition to output, in order to have a stable system. there are tons of different ways of nutrition export

 

[boxfishpooalot]

Fast fact:
Algae grows in any aquarium. Algae grows in the ocean even on reefs.
Fast fact 2:
It will grow regardless of what you do. Its like living gfo (phosphate remover)
Fast fact3:
Many people grow an algal turf scrubber in a seperate area that out competes the algae in the display tank for nutrients. Eventually the display lacks algae.
Fast fact4:
Here in Mexico in the carribean, on the reef, there is algae only close to the shores, on the reef it grows very little. There are many sea urchins that eat it here, many hermit crabs, many brittle stars. Something to consider.
Fast fact5:
Durring a mini hurricane there are tons and tons of gracilliara washed up on the beach. That is natures way of exporting nutrients.

hope it helps

 

[lagatbezan]

I dont think algae removers or any additives are the best way to go. i would try to find the source of it and eliminitate it there. is the tank newly set up? maybe try increasing the flow? aslo make sure to use ro/di water. i think i remember reading somewhere that it could also be your lights, i'm not sure what kind you have but maybe worth looking into.

 

[Allmost]

Fast fact:
Algae grows in any aquarium. Algae grows in the ocean even on reefs.
Fast fact 2:
It will grow regardless of what you do. Its like living gfo (phosphate remover)
Fast fact3:
Many people grow an algal turf scrubber in a seperate area that out competes the algae in the display tank for nutrients. Eventually the display lacks algae.
Fast fact4:
Here in Mexico in the carribean, on the reef, there is algae only close to the shores, on the reef it grows very little. There are many sea urchins that eat it here, many hermit crabs, many brittle stars. Something to consider.
Fast fact5:
Durring a mini hurricane there are tons and tons of gracilliara washed up on the beach. That is natures way of exporting nutrients.

hope it helps

the ocean should give Zeovit a shot hahaa

 

[jefathome]

Do you have a fuge?

In my last tank I had a nice fuge with a 60w 6000k PC bulb. I swapped that out for a LED spotlight. A few months later I started to get a ton of red-slime that wouldn't go away despite repeated "Dosings".

It kinda dawned on me that I wasn't pulling out a gallon bag full of cheato every month any more so I put the old bulb back in. About a month or two later, no more algae in the tank.

 

[Jason S]

what ticks me off is this "I dont understand where im going wrong due to my parameters all very stable and perfect."

NO IT IS NOT ! what do u think perfect water is ? water that no algea grows in it so if algea, ure water parameters ARE NOT GOOD. simple as that.

you need to post info on ure system for anyone to be able to help you.

you need to basically match ure input nutrition to output, in order to have a stable system. there are tons of different ways of nutrition export

Who tinkled in your Cheerio's? :spin3:

Like Boxfishpoo said, algae grows in the ocean in the most pristine waters, and can grow in any tank. Don't believe me? Put a bucket of 0 TDS RO/DI water in the sun for a couple of weeks.

But... if the OP is having an excess of algae, there is an issue somewhere. Lack of CUC, flow, excess nutrients, etc.

Let us know more about your tank, equipment, CUC(assuming what is in your sig is outdated), full parameters, maintenance, etc.

 

[Allmost]

Who tinkled in your Cheerio's? :spin3:

Like Boxfishpoo said, algae grows in the ocean in the most pristine waters, and can grow in any tank. Don't believe me? Put a bucket of 0 TDS RO/DI water in the sun for a couple of weeks.

But... if the OP is having an excess of algae, there is an issue somewhere. Lack of CUC, flow, excess nutrients, etc.

Let us know more about your tank, equipment, CUC(assuming what is in your sig is outdated), full parameters, maintenance, etc.

Zeovit systems can do wonders

ro/DI water with TDS zero wont grow algea, unless something was added to it.

Excessive algea is result of higher nutritions, way to solve it is to lower nutrition

I just hate how many new ppl say "I have perfect water and algea is growing" NOO ! you dont have perfect water, test it with a salifert no3 test kit, and even if it reads zero, it just means all ure no3 is being exported b the algea growing (which is not a bad thing, its actually perfect for many softies tanks, all u need is a tang in there to eat them all )

with help of Mr. Pohl from Zeovit, my po4 and no3 are undetectable, dont make me type out the maintenance though lol just too much haha

 

[Zebodog]

Im so frustrated with algae. I dont understand where im going wrong due to my parameters all very stable and perfect. One day i have red slime, it goes away and i get hair algae. I rid the hair algae and the red slime comes back. I rid the red slime and hair comes back. Its something ive fought for months. Ive tried snails...FAILURE. Ive used hands...Success, but tons of daily work. What can i use now?

Ive been told emerald crabs are pretty good with algae, i understand the red slime is something nothing will really eat so i want to control the hair first.

After this i want to rid this slime. What is the best bet?? Ive used "red slime remover" works a week then it comes back 2 weeks later.

Suggestions please, before i rip my tank apart and start new =/

Your parameters seem "stable and perfect" because the algae and cyano are feeding off of the nutrients before they register on test kits,

How old is your tank? You really should expect random algae and cyano blooms during the first 12 months while the bio filter (microscopic organisms in the sand/rock) establishes itself. The biological filter will essentially adapt to the biological load in the tank so adding too much livestock too quickly will result in algae and cyano blooms.

Do you use RO/DI water as a base for your salt water mix and top off water? Good RO/DI filtration will go along way to keeping nutrients out of your tank. You'd be surprised at the nutrient levels in most (read: not all) tap water.

Do you have a quality skimmer matched to your tank size/livestock load? Skimming, and a lot of it, will also go along way to removing excess nutrients.

RO/DI water, regular water changes for nutrient export and good skimming will solve 95% of your algae/cyano issues but you need to be patient once this is implemented - it won't happen quickly.

 

[boxfishpooalot]

the ocean should give Zeovit a shot hahaa

hahah, yes zeovit tanks look wonderful. Natures uses bacteria too, but i think its much too complex to understand considering there bajawillkilliowattiones of different species in the ocean. They existed since the beginning of time... apparently. my opinion? Bacteria are there for the algae to get food.

 

[Jason S]

Heh... I meant that for the OP. I am sure your maintenance is fine

I forgot an open bucket of 0 TDS RO water on my back porch for a while, and there was a thick green slime in it. It is true that sealed pure water should stay pure, but our tanks are not sealed, and things get introduced. Pure water exposed to air will not stay pure long.

Excessive algae CAN be caused by excessive nutrients, and that is the typical culprit. Even if you are reading low nutrients, you can still have an algae problem as the algae is using the nutrients.

We just need more information to help out Mr. Addict.

 

[sslak]

Suggestions please, before i rip my tank apart and start new =/

That won't fix it. If you don't change something, the "new" tank will end up being exactly like this one.

What are you using for nutrient export?

Are you growing macro-algae in a fuge? Running carbon? Phosban?

 

[Floowid]

Look everywhere for detritus build up. Places you don't usually see like bottom of the overflow, bioballs or filter floss, back of the refugium etc. Also check that your bulbs are within the acceptable timeframe. Old bulbs make yellower light, which fuels algae. Those are my two usual suggestions when "everything else" has been tried.

 

[Nanz]

Red Slime is not algea its a bacteria. The Chemiclean is an antibiodic that kills bacteria just like the pills a doctor gives you when your sick. The only difference is your tank does not have the ability to produce antibodies to fight off the bacteria and a week later the chemiclean is gone. The problem with chemiclean is it nukes all the bacteria including the GOOD bacteria that is processing NH3->NO2->NO3. Thus you end up with a new cycle and hair algea again.

Start at the begining:
1) What is the TDS of your RODI? If you dont have pure water then water changes will do you no good.
2) Continue with weekly water chages.

 

[Floowid]

Yes and no. Cyanobacteria is both bacteria and algae. It houses symbiotic algae within its cells. So you can kill the bacteria directly with an anti-biotic (not recommended) or kill the algae which is feeding the bacteria. It gets lumped in with the nuisance algaes because it behaves like one, and can be killed like one.