Algae Problem

[Vapour1ze]

Tank over the past few weeks has got NASTY! Been keeping up on water changes etc, params are good.

Snails shells are no longer white they turned green or purple, my big snails have stuff stringing off them, my sand is brown, not white, and looking horrible, and my whole tank has some disgusting yellow tint to it now, and it looks horrible when my lights are on, Its a 29g, 10g sump, I have a skimmer, power compacts for lighting, livestock is,

-false percula
-peppermint shrimp
-turbos, crabs, etc
-scooter blenny
-green star polyps
-zoos,
-and some hair algae :-D

I dont know what to do. =/

 

[Deleted member 143833]

Maybe this will help:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1329802

 

[D to the P]

How long have you had those PC lights. I know when they start to get to the end of their "life", which is generally 6-12 months, that they will start to shift in spectrum towards a more yellowy color. That would also help algae grow. You say your params are fine, but what did you check for and what were the results.

 

[Vapour1ze]

ammonia 0, nitrate 0, nitrite 0, calcium 450, temp 76, ph stable,

 

[almees]

What are your phosphate's?

The yellow water might be fixed by changing out your carbon filter or running one on your tank for a day.

When I had green algae I introduced a mix of hermit crabs and snails to the tank.

 

[falconut]

I've had some algae problems lately too. My NO3 and PO4 were both 0, but I was told that could be because the algae is absorbing it. Plus there could be nutrients.

I've been using a turkey baster to blast the rocks in the algae areas. There is usually some detritus that blows off the rocks every time. Usually a day or two after blowing, the algae can be sucked off the rocks in that area.

Could old MH bulbs aid in algae growth too?

 

[D to the P]

Any type of bulb that has passed its "age" can lead to more algae growth. Metal halides should be replaced once every 6-12 months as well as PCs. Some people can keep their MH's good for a year, and I know some that replace them every 8 months or so. It's generally not the only problem in the tank, but it helps speed up the process.

 

[Vapour1ze]

i have no source of carbon on my tank, should i do something like that?