eaglesrx
New member
Hello,
Okay, I was wondering if someone can help me out. I have a brown, looks like, slime algae problem. It basically started as soon as I started this tank. It's mostly on my one rock, but appears to be spreading to my other rocks, getting on my sand, clam, and some on the glass. There's also small bubbles where the algae is growing. I also noted some other nuisance algae really starting to flourish. Bubble algae is spreading, this dark, short hair like red algae is starting to grow, too. However, the brown algae is the worst.
FYI: I do still have some coraline starting growing on the back wall and all of my SPS are growing and still very colorful.
Most of the rock was transfered from my old tank of 3.5 years. I have also put in 2 small pieces of rubble rock that I had sitting in my garage for 2 months. Both pieces used to be in my sump of my old tank, so there may have been some dye off in my tank currently. However, I placed both pieces in after the algae started (probably when it was still cycling?).
One of the big rocks did have some green star polyp coral that I couldn't get rid of. So, when putting it in my new tank, I placed the rock with the green star polyp face down into the sand bed. Sand bed is about 2 inches.
I have a ton of amphipods running around, which I can see making channels in the sand. Some worms are starting to move through the sand, too, but, it's still early. I added some small bristelworms 1.5 weeks ago. However, I haven't seen them since adding them to the tank. I think my orchid dotty probably has already gotten them.
Each night some of the algae gets cleared, but then it comes right back the next day.
I just tested all of my levels last night:
-ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate (salifert, seachem, and tetra) are all 0
-Alk is around 2.9 (salifert)
-pH is about 8.2-8.4 (salifert & seachem); with my tetra kit, it tested at 8.8!!
-Salinity is 1.025
-Temp is at 79 (on a controller, and on a digital thermometer)
-calcium = 400 (seachem)
I have 28gallon nanocube (closed canopy with an open "sump" or back chamber area that's been up and running for 3 months. So, I think I'm past the cycling stage.
Filtration: I have a crappy JBJ stock airstone driven protein skimmer that pulls out semi-dark tea colored skimmate each day. I also run a bag of Purigen and a bag of Seachem's Seagel (carbon and phosphate remover), which I washed out both on a monthly basis. I'm also growing chaeto macro in my sump (no sand) with 1 mangrove plant growing on top of it. My cheato's growing very slowly, if at all and has a bunch of "junk" or detritus trapped in it. It has some of the classic, red slime alge on it. I run it on a reverse photoperiod. It's in my middle chamber of my nanocube, so there's a lot of flow moving through the macro. Sandbed is a "live" CaribSea sand.
Additive dosing: I dose 15mL of 2-part Bionic once per day.
I have 2 perc clowns, 1 orchid dottyback, 1 common cleaner shrimp, 4 red-legged hermits, 1 electric blue striped hermit, 1 pacific nassarius snail, 1 maxima clam, 3 turbo snails, and 1 fighting conch.
I did have a red striped small brittle starfish in my old tank that got transferred to my new tank. I used to spot him on occasion in my old tank at night. However, I haven't seen him in the new tank at all. Not sure if he died off and is contributing to the algae bloom.
Photoperiod: 150W MH 20k radiums from 12pm to 9:30pm
Feeding: feed formula 1 pellets once a day
Water changes: 5-10% monthly water changes with Nature's Ocean premixed Nutri-Seawater. I did a 20% water change last week.
Top-Off: Walmart's distilled water. Been using this water for years as my top-off, never any problems before.
Okay, so now that you have all of the details, here are my theories on the cause of my algae:
1. Green Star polyp is still dying off
2. Purigen and Seagel bags are trapping too much detritus and it's not being cleaned enough
3. Walmart's distilled water now has phosphate in it
4. brittle starfish died somewhere
5. 2 pieces of rubble rock added during the cycling period is now contributing to the algae bloom
6. Protein skimmer is just not cutting it and I should upgrade to an AquaC Remora HOB skimmer
7. My Bionic dosing is too much b/c my pH is too high?
Okay, theories 1,2, 4, 5, and 6 don't make sense as my ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are all fine. Theory 3 could be the source of my phosphate even though my test kit measured it at 0. I know it's very difficult to measure organic?? phosphate which is the one that algae uses. I'm not sure about 7. I tested pH with 3 different tests. So, I'm somewhat confident that it's not 8.8. But, I'm not sure how, if at all, my pH would contribute to an algae bloom.
Thanks for the help, and sorry for the long story. I'll try to take some pics of the algae, but it won't be until sunday evening or so.
Thanks,
Phu
Okay, I was wondering if someone can help me out. I have a brown, looks like, slime algae problem. It basically started as soon as I started this tank. It's mostly on my one rock, but appears to be spreading to my other rocks, getting on my sand, clam, and some on the glass. There's also small bubbles where the algae is growing. I also noted some other nuisance algae really starting to flourish. Bubble algae is spreading, this dark, short hair like red algae is starting to grow, too. However, the brown algae is the worst.
FYI: I do still have some coraline starting growing on the back wall and all of my SPS are growing and still very colorful.
Most of the rock was transfered from my old tank of 3.5 years. I have also put in 2 small pieces of rubble rock that I had sitting in my garage for 2 months. Both pieces used to be in my sump of my old tank, so there may have been some dye off in my tank currently. However, I placed both pieces in after the algae started (probably when it was still cycling?).
One of the big rocks did have some green star polyp coral that I couldn't get rid of. So, when putting it in my new tank, I placed the rock with the green star polyp face down into the sand bed. Sand bed is about 2 inches.
I have a ton of amphipods running around, which I can see making channels in the sand. Some worms are starting to move through the sand, too, but, it's still early. I added some small bristelworms 1.5 weeks ago. However, I haven't seen them since adding them to the tank. I think my orchid dotty probably has already gotten them.
Each night some of the algae gets cleared, but then it comes right back the next day.
I just tested all of my levels last night:
-ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate (salifert, seachem, and tetra) are all 0
-Alk is around 2.9 (salifert)
-pH is about 8.2-8.4 (salifert & seachem); with my tetra kit, it tested at 8.8!!
-Salinity is 1.025
-Temp is at 79 (on a controller, and on a digital thermometer)
-calcium = 400 (seachem)
I have 28gallon nanocube (closed canopy with an open "sump" or back chamber area that's been up and running for 3 months. So, I think I'm past the cycling stage.
Filtration: I have a crappy JBJ stock airstone driven protein skimmer that pulls out semi-dark tea colored skimmate each day. I also run a bag of Purigen and a bag of Seachem's Seagel (carbon and phosphate remover), which I washed out both on a monthly basis. I'm also growing chaeto macro in my sump (no sand) with 1 mangrove plant growing on top of it. My cheato's growing very slowly, if at all and has a bunch of "junk" or detritus trapped in it. It has some of the classic, red slime alge on it. I run it on a reverse photoperiod. It's in my middle chamber of my nanocube, so there's a lot of flow moving through the macro. Sandbed is a "live" CaribSea sand.
Additive dosing: I dose 15mL of 2-part Bionic once per day.
I have 2 perc clowns, 1 orchid dottyback, 1 common cleaner shrimp, 4 red-legged hermits, 1 electric blue striped hermit, 1 pacific nassarius snail, 1 maxima clam, 3 turbo snails, and 1 fighting conch.
I did have a red striped small brittle starfish in my old tank that got transferred to my new tank. I used to spot him on occasion in my old tank at night. However, I haven't seen him in the new tank at all. Not sure if he died off and is contributing to the algae bloom.
Photoperiod: 150W MH 20k radiums from 12pm to 9:30pm
Feeding: feed formula 1 pellets once a day
Water changes: 5-10% monthly water changes with Nature's Ocean premixed Nutri-Seawater. I did a 20% water change last week.
Top-Off: Walmart's distilled water. Been using this water for years as my top-off, never any problems before.
Okay, so now that you have all of the details, here are my theories on the cause of my algae:
1. Green Star polyp is still dying off
2. Purigen and Seagel bags are trapping too much detritus and it's not being cleaned enough
3. Walmart's distilled water now has phosphate in it
4. brittle starfish died somewhere
5. 2 pieces of rubble rock added during the cycling period is now contributing to the algae bloom
6. Protein skimmer is just not cutting it and I should upgrade to an AquaC Remora HOB skimmer
7. My Bionic dosing is too much b/c my pH is too high?
Okay, theories 1,2, 4, 5, and 6 don't make sense as my ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are all fine. Theory 3 could be the source of my phosphate even though my test kit measured it at 0. I know it's very difficult to measure organic?? phosphate which is the one that algae uses. I'm not sure about 7. I tested pH with 3 different tests. So, I'm somewhat confident that it's not 8.8. But, I'm not sure how, if at all, my pH would contribute to an algae bloom.
Thanks for the help, and sorry for the long story. I'll try to take some pics of the algae, but it won't be until sunday evening or so.
Thanks,
Phu
