Algae/whiteTips, HELP!!

[Manwolf]

Hey guys i got my acro and monti frag about 2 weeks ago and the tips have started to catch some brown algae and started to turn white.

Cal:480
Alk:8.5
Po:0
NO3:0
Temp: day- 79 night- 77-78
Lighting: Tek T5
Flow is good, and i do biweekly water changes. (Tank is 30g i do 5g water changes)

What could the problem be?

 

[Manwolf]

bump for some help

 

[gregr]

Phosphates possibly? Have you got any algae issues? How are you keeping the alkalinity and calcium balanced? I've heard that alkalinity fluctuations can make acro tips die.

 

[sanababit]

ok first it might be alk burn o stn starting at the tips of the coral, as soon as the coral dies at the tips, algae starts taking over, so there you go, i would strat fragging the tips off so whatever is killing the coral doesnt spread,

sana

 

[Manwolf]

i dont have any algae issues. My tank is only 30g and i do biweekly water changes and it seems to make my alkalinity and calcium balanced... maybe my test kit is bad even though i just bought it...

What can i do to fix the fluctuation in alk?

 

[gregr]

If you aren't dosing anything to keep things balanced then the alkalinity has got to be changing slowly so that doesn't sound like the problem. Unless-- when you make the water for the water changes do you let it mix for a while? I know people that don't but I like to let it go overnight before I use it. I think if you mixed it up and and an hour later added it to your tank that could cause problems like you're seeing.

 

[tahoe61]

Acro

Acro

Possibly more flow. If your nutrients are low then you should not be growing algae on the tips. I would take a turkey baster blow off the algae on the tips and increase the flow and see if that helps.

Looks like you have an algae problem on the back wall as well?

 

[gregr]

Do you know what kind of lighting these frags were under before you got them?

 

[Manwolf]

They were under MHs. I dont know the exact wattage though.

If i have a nutrient problem then my test kit is completely wrong. Il take some water to my LFS to get a test done by them.

 

[Manwolf]

Flow wise i got a Koralia 1 blowing almost right at them so i doubt its the flow
My tank is 5months old though... could that be the reason??

 

[gregr]

My tank was growing acros like mad at 5 months. The numbers you listed are all ok. If you had phosphate or nitrate problems you'd be seeing algae issues so it doesn't sound like a water quality deal. Have you got any hermit crabs or possibly hitchhiker crabs? What kind of fish do you have in there?

 

[Manwolf]

i bought my rock from Macro rocks so i dont have any hitchhikers because it was dry rock.
I have a chromis and 2 clowns
I have 5red tip hermits and 5blue tip hermits
1 cleaner shrimp
1 coral bandit shrimp
1 peppermint shrimp

 

[tahoe61]

Algae

Algae

My tank was growing acros like mad at 5 months. The numbers you listed are all ok. If you had phosphate or nitrate problems you'd be seeing algae issues so it doesn't sound like a water quality deal. Have you got any hermit crabs or possibly hitchhiker crabs? What kind of fish do you have in there?

In the original pics the back wall of the tank is covered either in hair algae or cyno, definitely a nutrient problem.

I have a 28gal with two koralia 1 and one koralia 3 flowing on my sps, so I do not think one Koralia 1 is really enough flow, maybe you just need to adjust the direction.

I would cut back on feedings and have your water rechecked, like you said at the LFS.

Good Luck

 

[HOSSER]

Did this problem arise recently? I ask only because this brown stringy algae your seeing is hitting alot of reefers and does about this time of year. Im having the same thing, its just "suffocating" the tips, the rest of the coral is probably just as healthy as mine. It should go away in a couple weeks duration.
Some have thought it went into moon cycles, others think it could be a certain algae that comes in on certain rocks that only arises at certain times of the year. This is the second time Ive had it and it went away the first time as Im sure it will this time.

A bunch of LFS near me have been having the same thing in differant systems throughout their stores. All my paramters are spot on as well.
Im not making light of any issue that it may be coming from but in my case and many others its just something that pops up.

 

[Manwolf]

If i do have a nutrient problem then what is the best way to get rid of it?
Less feeding?

 

[flamron]

Water changes, clean skimmer more frequently, feed less, lower bioload (get rid of a fish or two).

However, those look just like the pieces I have that I alk burned a few months ago. My alk was teeter tottering a bunch from manual dosing, and then it hit rock bottom (5.2 dkh). I jumped it up too quickly to 8.0 dkh and the tips burned.

I have also seen tips being burnt in my system from dosing vodka - I had a big bioload and was feeding heavily, so I tried the vodka route. It didn't work out, so I dumped my larger fish so that I could feed less.

My guess would be a combination of phosphates/alk swings. Unless you are testing phosphates with a hanna handheld meter, you aren't testing it properly.

HTH,

If i do have a nutrient problem then what is the best way to get rid of it?
Less feeding?

 

[Manwolf]

Last night when i tested my Dkh it was 7 now this morning its back to 8-8.5...

 

[gregr]

Rinsing the food helps too.

 

[Manwolf]

i never rinse my food, il give that a try

 

[flamron]

what kind of bioload do you have?