Algae Problems - any help please

[JustFishin]

Gets worse later in the day, due to lighting I'm sure. Most of it is in the lower part of the tank and seems to go down about a 1/16"-1/8" in the sand and stays together in small clumbs when disturbed, but can be broken up. Later in the evening it gives off air bubbles, which again is no real big surprize. I know there is a forum for this but wanted to run it by you guys first. Thanks.

 

[Opiy]

How often are you doing water changes? Do them alot like everyday at least once a day for a week or two. Suggested amount is 10% of total volume of the system. What are you feeding the tank? Flake or frozen food? Do you have a skimmer? When you syphon the water out try to suck out any detritus build up around the rocks or in the corners, also try to suck out that algae.

The thing I would try right away is more frequent water changes.

Maybe others will have more to chime in with but again you can't go wrong with water changes.

Larry

 

[JustFishin]

Forgot to mention

Forgot to mention

I have a 90 gallon tank, sump and asm skimmer. I have some nitrate issues (60-80) that water changes (25-30 gallons every week) has not touched, so I quit worrying about it. Now I do 10 gallons every two weeks; but I can increase if it will help. Here's what may be contributing to the algae: I've had the tank for about 4 months (friend had it established for years) and it started with 2 400w mh's with old bulbs. Since I got it I have added 4 T-5's and run them from 11am to 8pm; I have bought new 14K hamilton bulbs for the mh's and run them from 3pm to 7pm. The new lighting may be causing the bloom? I feed every other day alternating flake and frozen with algae strips. Thanks

 

[jasontammy]

Sounds like a mixture of new lighting and excess nutrients.You could suck out most of the alge while doing a water change and perhaps turn lights completly out for a few days and then bring them back in small intervules.Just food for thought.

 

[JR's Reef]

Sounds like a mixture of new lighting and excess nutrients.You could suck out most of the alge while doing a water change and perhaps turn lights completly out for a few days and then bring them back in small intervules.Just food for thought.

I agree! When starting them backup start them only for about 4hrs a day and slowly add time each week like 15-30 a week

 

[Tuscaquatics]

I don't think the lights are the issue, at least not when the nitrates are 60-80! That's your problem. What could be causing that? Is your skimmer working properly? Do you have bioballs or a dirty sponge somewhere in the system? You need to think about implementing some sort of nitrate reduction. How about macroalgae like chaeto?

And if your nitrates are that high, I would think your phosphates are crazy, too. Those numbers have to come down.

 

[jasontammy]

A good water change and filter cleaning would help tremendouslly.We like to run exsrta hang on filters just for the carbon&picking up exstra detritous.Our #'s are usually very low if readable.That is our method does not always apply to everyone.

 

[Opiy]

not when the nitrates are 60-80! That's your problem. What could be causing that?

That is what I was thinking, what is causing the nitrates to be so high.
Do you use a filter sock? Do you have a clean up crew in your tank, snails, hermits, etc? Is your skimmer still pulling skimmate?

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I have some nitrate issues (60-80) that water changes (25-30 gallons every week) has not touched

I agree with other posters. The high nitrate alone can cause algae issue although your phosphate may also be very high.

Frequent large water changes should dilute your nitrate level effectively. If they do not, your nitrifying bacteria is getting ammonia from somewhere and converting it to nitrite and then to nitrate. I suspect that you are adding too much food unless you have a large amount of detritus trapped in your sand bed or accumulated around rocks where water current is very slow.

How much food are you feeding to your fish? Do you have many fish? I often find that people with algae problems tend to have too many fish or feed their fish more food than they really need.

You have a lot of light on your 90 gallon tank. Light does encourage algae to proliferate when they have enough nutrients to utilize. Turning off your light completely for four to five days should kill off your cyanobacteria. As drastic as this may sound, it won't hurt healthy corals.

As Tuscaquatics has suggested, Chaetomorpha or other macroalgae can help reduce nitrate and phosphate.

 

[JustFishin]

Some added information

Some added information

Bump... I do have a large fish load (3 Tangs, 2 clowns, 5 damsels, dottyback, and sand sifting goby). I know this sounds huge; but my friend had the tank before me with no nitrate problems. They have been high since the move and I did 20 gallon water changes twice per week for 3 weeks with relly no big change. The sump did have bio balls that I removed. I try to feed every other day, frozen cube and algae strip in one feeding and then a pinch of flake and pellets with a strip of algae the next. My nitrates are around 60, nitrates and ammonia are 0, phosphates around 3. I use a soak and change it out every week, skimmer works great, decent clean up crew.

 

[Opiy]

I wonder if its from the sand bed. The move could have stirred it up and caused it to release all of its stored up (whatever it is) and now its just all coming out. I assume also you used the same sand.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

That is a pretty big fish load on a 90 gallon reef tank.

Frozen food is probably 60% to 70% water based on the water content of many living organisms. On the other hand, pellets and flakes are solids and packed with added nutrients. I'd go very easy on pellets and flakes.

If you don't have any macroalgae in your sump or display, I recommend that you add some. They will take up nitrate and phosphate as they grow.

When you got the tank and fish, did you clean the rocks and substrate material to remove old detritus? Is your substrate sand or crushed corals? If you have not cleaned your sand/crushed corals, you need to vacuum them using something like python or another gravel vacuum. Careful not to stir up the substrate unnecessarily. The accumulated waste materials may release harmful nitrogen sulfide.

Like I mentioned before, if the frequent water changes did not reduce the nitrate level much, it means that your fish and fish food/waste were adding nitrate as fast as you were removing it. If your nitrite and ammonia levels are zero, your biological filter is working well. You need to decrease the input of the extra nutrients and export more.

There are other chemical means which removes nitrate and phosphate such as AZ-NO3 and GFO, but unless you get rid of the root cause of the increasing nitrate and phosphate, it will become very costly to keep on treating your tank with the chemicals.

Are you using an RODI unit? Do you get zero TDS reading? Do you test your water for nitrate?

 

[KingRicky]

I would think that the issue with the Nitrates is from stirring the sandbed during the move. Especially if they were not an issue when your buddy had it. I agree that adding a Macro Algae would be beneficial but you might also consider washing your sandbed out. I just went through a cleaning in my tank were I removed everything and wash the sand out. I was having an algae and red substance growing on the sandbed.

Also, where areyou getting your RO/DI water from? I was having a severe hair algae problem and changed water source and it went away. If the filters and membrane is not clean, you could be getting algae from the phosphates in the water.

 

[JustFishin]

I did not clean anything when moving the tank, I have ~4" substrate sand. I did move the tank twice, wife was gone during the first setup (I should have known better) so two weeks later I had to move it. On the first move I removed all the sand so yes it was stirred up quite a bit. I get water from two sources and both have tested fine. I do not know anything about macro algae but I can start looking at it. Thanks for the input, any other input is appreciated.

 

[Tuscaquatics]

I did not clean anything when moving the tank, I have ~4" substrate sand. I did move the tank twice, wife was gone during the first setup (I should have known better) so two weeks later I had to move it. On the first move I removed all the sand so yes it was stirred up quite a bit. I get water from two sources and both have tested fine. I do not know anything about macro algae but I can start looking at it. Thanks for the input, any other input is appreciated.

When you say your water "tested fine", what do you mean by that? I was using Brita water for a long time and I thought it was "fine" because it only had like 10 ppm overall and 0 nitrate. Once I got a phosphate kit I found out it had like 1 ppm.

And as for the sand bed, 4" is quite a bit for the display tank. I used to have that much in there and it would always collect detritus and get algae on it. Then I started vacuuming it and taking some out an inch or so at a time during water changes. Now I have it down to like an inch and I don't have the problem anymore.

I think it's probably better to have a remote DSB in your fuge. I'm building mine right now and the fuge will come last and will be fed by the return so that no raw water gets in there with detritus.

 

[joejoe1055]

i agree with what others say about water changes, and u moving the sand around
if u still have nitrates that won't go down may want to consider carbon dosing until u get them down