Algae control ?'s......

[ZC]

OK so here's the problem.... I've got this black ( cyano-ish) algae growing on my substrate and rocks that I can't seem to get rid of.

Currenty I have a 30g aquarium with a 4'' Peacock mantis in it. I am running a 96w PC bulb over the top that's only 2months old. I also have a aqua C nano skimmer with skimmer box and a HOB whisper filter for added filtration. I have also been running a phosban filter with ROWAphos media in it. I do my 10% water changes weekly with RO water and a TDS of 11ppm. I use IO reef crystal salt. Everything is pretty much the same as my reef tank ( reef tank has NO problems??) I never really overfeed my shrimp either. All perimeters are in check ( nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, pH, phosphates, and salinity) and the tank is about 6months old. So i don't know what the problem is or how to treat it.


I'll be adding some Macro algaes in this week to help compete for the excess nutirents that are obviously there, but other than that any one have any ideas of how to stop this stuff. It really does look like the black plague in there now.

 

[DanInSD]

Please provide numbers (what does "in check" mean?). Any measurable phosphate is bad -- remember that you're measuring the free phosphate that the algae isn't using. Actual concentrations are probably higher. Same with nitrates. Try to drive those to zero with a deep sand bed (3 inches or more) and frequent water changes (try five gallons/week instead of three).

Due to the lack of a cleaning crew, most peacock owners supplement with a HOB refugium. I have done this (with chaetomorpha) and have virtually no algae problems.

Hope this helps,
Dan

 

[Dirt4dinner]

Water flow could be an issue also. Is the algea only in a certain area...and dead spot as far as flow goes? I know that in my mantis tank (which is plumbed onto my 100 gallon reef tank) I get a small area of algea that is just in the front door to the mantis burrow, there just isn't any flow right there, it's all blocked from the rocks he has stacked up.

 

[ZC]

Yeah i guess it could be from dead spots ( didn't think of that) cause it always starts by her burrow(dead spot ) and then spreads. maybe I can stick another PH somewhere around there..... it's worth a shot.

 

[Gonodactylus]

O. scyllarus frequently bury their molt skin and uneaten food. They don't always dig it up again. Crustacean cuticle is a major source of phosphate and can lead to algal blooms. The suggestions of better water flow and more water changes are good ones. Also try to find and remove quickly all uneaten food and the molt skin when the animal undergoes ecdysis.

Roy