Algae Algae Please Go Away!

[mrvinman]

Hi,

I am having an algae problem. My 72g FOWLR is about 9 months old. I'm getting that green film on my glass. Also growing on my live rock along with a red velvety algae ( or is that cyano?). I'm using RO/DI for make-up and top-off. I'm using Instant Ocean.

Fish : Blude Hippo Tang
Yellow Tang
Flame Angel
2 Percula Clowns
2 Banggai Cardinals
Hermit Crabs

I have a sump with a protein skimmer. Also using an Eheim 2028.

I went to my LFS and I was told that 9 hrs a day of light was too much and should keep it on for about 4 hrs a day, but keep lights totally off for about 1 week to help with algae problem. My lights are the Current Dual Satellite which provides about 230 watts of daylight and actinic.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Vin

 

[chrowski]

keeping my lights out for 4 days straight and then back to my 9.5hr cycle did the trick for a while, but then my algea came back in about a week (due to my RODI system, which is my booster pump thread).
Typical scapegoats....
-age of lighting bulbs
-flow issues
-phosphates
-nitrates
-TDS in RODI water

The red one sounds like cyano to me assuming it kinda looks like a film on the rocks.

 

[jewtball]

if you skim the water real good and limit some of the nutrient supplements, that should slow down some of the algae growth. of course also keep your phosphates at 0 if possible.

 

[mrvinman]

but is my LFS correct in telling me after a week of no lights to only leave them on for 4 hours a day permanently? That seems way low.

 

[chrowski]

I'm sure some people do that, but I know for a fact by reading the Tank Of The Month threads that even those pristine tanks have MH periods between 8-11hrs a day

 

[Dustin1231]

with no coral, you can leave it off a week. I did it on my tank, with no fish just LR with HA. and after 2 weeks most of it was gone. But there was still some there. But i had ALOT before.

 

[treejohnny]

with you having a fowlr tank.....i would cover top and every side possible for a week.......complete black out......then let natural light in for day...then aquarium lights the next

then i would take powerhead and blow anything that settled up in water colum and filter out what you can

and then do a water change

my 2 cents....

 

[mrvinman]

Won't a week of blackout either freak the fish out or be detrimental to their health?

 

[Potsy]

Once you're finished with the blackout treatment, be sure to address the primary cause of the excess nutrients that are feeding the algae or they'll come back again.

 

[treejohnny]

fish dont need lights.....just corals and algae

when done with blackout......dont let them see bright light right away......uncover tank at night so the light comes into the tank slowly as the sun comes out