Help with algae

[redheadedgirl]

Hi Fish Friends!

I've got major problems with my 159 litre (42 US gallon) tank including refugium. I have diatoms on the sand along with brown algae. The rocks are worse. I'm using Caribsea Life Rock not live rock. The rocks are covered with thick brown algae, small fluffy red dots and green hair algae. The rocks under my LED tiles are the worst, although the lights are only on 85%. I'm scrubbing the rocks weekly with a brush for cleaning dishes.

I've got a protein skimmer in the refugium along with a deep sand bed and a clump of cheato (which isn't growing, i've had it for at least 2 months under LED striplight). The tank has been up and running for 3 months. 2 weeks ago I put in refugium Fluval Phos Clear. Last weekend i added a polyfilter to the weir, carbon and ceramic blocks to the refugium. Nothing is killing the algae. I'm doing weekly water changes.

My tank has 5 blue green chromis, 1 halloween crab, 2 cave cleaner shrimp, 1 boxing shrimp, 6 red legged hermits, 3 ceriths, 3 astraea. I have a xenia frag, sun coral frag and duncan frag (1 head).

I'm using Salifert test kits and my levels are: ammonia <0.25, nitrite 0, nitrate low 10, pH 8.0-8.3, calcium 475ppm, magnesium 1200ppm, alkalinity 6.7-7.0dKh, phosphate 0. I'm adding liquid magnesium to try and raise the level.

I have never had a reading for phosphate above 0. I have an RO unit and the filters were changed 6 days ago and the output reading is 3ppm.

Can anyone give me advice on what to do next before I spend loads of money on a phosphate reactor?

Thank you.

 

[lllesley]

I would suggest that you phosphate reading is actually a false reading. If you have as much algae as you say then the algae is consuming the phospate. If your getting a reading I would actually double that and that will be closer to your real number.
Your ammonia should be 0 and your alk seem a little low.
Keep up the water changes, try and even out your mag, cal & alk.
I would invest in the Hanna phos checker, the salifert is very hard to see the blue colour.

 

[Mcgeezer]

Your ammonia should be zero. Use an ammonia reducing product immediately.

Your phosphate is zero because it's being consumed by the algae. You need to run GFO and go lights out for several days. Algae thrives on nutrients from excessive feeding and light.

Your LEDs May be too high on the percentage...consider lowering it.

 

[redheadedgirl]

Thanks for all your advice. I'm really worried now that I've been using a dud Salifert kit for phosphate. I'm going to lower my lights to 50% and see what happens and get a different phosphate test kit. I will let you know what happens.

 

[lllesley]

Thanks for all your advice. I'm really worried now that I've been using a dud Salifert kit for phosphate. I'm going to lower my lights to 50% and see what happens and get a different phosphate test kit. I will let you know what happens.

ITs not the fact that is a faulty salifert test kit, its the fact that the algae is consuming the phospates before you get to test it, so it is much higher than the best of test kits.
The ammonia is a real concern, i would use prime or similar straight away.
If you feed your fish, they pooh and you have tons of algae your phosphates are definitely not 0. Trust me.
I was getting constant 0 reading but my overflow was out of control with GHA. I started running a phos reactor with rowaphos and the GHA all disappeared. and the phos reading is now real at 0.02-0.03.
I would def invest in the phos reactor, well worth the money and they don't have to be expensive. Pick one up second hand.