Excess CO2 = algae growth?

[shock_therapy]

as the title suggests im having trouble with algea growth. i have a korallin ca reactor that is not hooked up to a ph controller. i was wondering if excess co2 from the reactor could be fueling the algae growth. i know other params are important (e.i, skimmer, lighting, flow, nutrient export), just wondering if this could be contributing to my issues.
thx

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

Yes, excess CO2 will definitely fuel algae/plant growth.
I am not saying that is your problem but it could be.

 

[Laddy]

Agreed.

Where are you dripping the effluent? Try for a high flow area on the supply side of the pump, or right at the skimmer output. This can help sometimes.

 

[shock_therapy]

the effluent is dripping into the return portion of my sump, about 4" from the uptake of the pump. would dripping it into a bio-pellets reactor help (e.i. fuel the growth of bacteria)?

 

[mscarpena]

the effluent is dripping into the return portion of my sump, about 4" from the uptake of the pump. would dripping it into a bio-pellets reactor help (e.i. fuel the growth of bacteria)?

No. CO2 is not fuel for bacteria. Also could change or disrupt your current bacteria colonies and cause more issues.

 

[Laddy]

the effluent is dripping into the return portion of my sump, about 4" from the uptake of the pump. would dripping it into a bio-pellets reactor help (e.i. fuel the growth of bacteria)?

We can assume the effluent is somewhere around mid 6 degrees, and you'll want to give the water it is introduced to a chance to aerate and raise the pH.

 

[shock_therapy]

cool, ill change that tonight and update if i see any changes.
thank you all for the replies. hopefully i can get this thing figured out
its driving me nuts.

 

[CUNAReefer]

We can assume the effluent is somewhere around mid 6 degrees, and you'll want to give the water it is introduced to a chance to aerate and raise the pH.

Hey James and OP,

I've heard (but never seen scientific evidence) that dripping the effluent into an area that the protein skimmer draws water from will help blow off excess CO2.

OP: Have you considered adding a second chamber with media to minimize any excess CO2 that would be added to the tank?

By the way... Whats your Ph at?

Warmest Regards,
James

 

[cdalmost]

The media you are using in your reactor may contain phosphates, which will fuel algae growth. You should test your phosphate level and think about using GFO if it is high.

 

[shock_therapy]

james - ph is at 8.3 lights on 8.2 lights off (reefkeeper ph probe)
cdalmost - ive thought about that too. im using carib sea arm media. and ive been running 2 cups of phosban ina tlf reactor changed every month for 9 months.