I need serious help with an algae problem

Reef264

Reef264

Where's The Reef?
Hi guys,

Let me start off by saying a few things about my tank.It is 115 Gallons ( 60"x18"x25").It has been running now for 4 1/2 years.I run GFO, have a Precision Marine Skimmer rated for 175 gallons.I have somewhere around 90lbs of BRS pukani rock, that was added when the tank was first cycled.

Parameters:
Alk 8.0 dKH
Calcium 420ppm
Magnesium 1400ppm

My Stock list:
4" Sailfin Tang
3" Male Hoeven's Wrasse
3" Yellow Coris Wrasse
Mated Pair of Super Picasso Clownfish
3" Singapore Angelfish
1" Diadema Dottyback
4" Midas Blenny

I feed a small bit of LRS Frozen in the evenings, with Nori a few times per week.


Now that I covered that.I am having an issue with Hair Algae, and have been having issues with it for about a year now.I Really do not know what else to do, I change 25% of the water every week, sometimes up to 40% per week with ESV salt mix.My Salifert Nitrate Tests are coming back 0, I am positive that is not true.Same with Phosphate test, it came back 0 as well, once again, not true because my Acro's are not as colorful and are browning in spots.I replaced my GFO and Carbon, Skim wet, and starting running a poly filter just for kicks.I have changed my light bulbs and hopefully acclimated the new bubs correctly.I try my absolute to keep an imaculate tank, so this is really bugging me.Especially since a few weeks ago when my Montipora's started to suffer, they are losing tissue slowly, except for one 12" Green Monti cap that seems to act like nothing is going on.It would break my heart to lose that Monti, along with all my Acropora's that all have years of growth.

447F2A6E-13F1-4F39-B9A7-120C42CBA1E1.jpg


87AC808D-36F5-4244-A000-D7743EF3C097.jpg


DF6F32BC-9B2F-4193-AC6B-A056C266BC81.jpg



I really need idea's, please.Anything that I can do, whatever it might be.It is on the rocks, glass, sand, you name it, its on it.

-Ray
 
Last edited:
Kinda looks like dinos, in which case water changes makes it worse. I'm not an expert, but just suggesting its something to look in to. Good luck no matter what.
 
Hi,
Your readings are coming up zero because the hair algae are masking your tests. They are using it all up, so you are getting zero readings.
Start by checking your new make up water to make sure you are not introducing any phosphates/nitrates/silicates into the tank.
After thats done, I would siphon at least 1/3 of your sand out of the tank. Move the rocks if you have to. Then replace them back where they where.
Every few weeks, go in and do another section. You can replace with new sand. However, I would recommend you get yourself on a schedual on vacuuming out the sand at intervals.
I service tanks, and see this time after time on new tank services with algae problems.
I would test water with samples directly above the sand. this will give you a more accurate reading.
Plan on adding new fresh quality carbon to the tank. This will help pull out what you stir up while removing the sand.
I have found fine sand eventually fails!!!! 4-6mm is what I like. It can be vacuumed out easily.
Hope this helps!
 
rovster said:
Kinda looks like dinos, in which case water changes makes it worse. I'm not an expert, but just suggesting its something to look in to. Good luck no matter what.
Click to expand...

It does now that I think about it, just a little fuzzier.I actually battled Dinoflagellates before around a year ago.A lot of hard work was what it took to rid it from the tank.Im more confused about what is going on with my corals here,
 
meshwheel said:
Hi,
Your readings are coming up zero because the hair algae are masking your tests. They are using it all up, so you are getting zero readings.
Start by checking your new make up water to make sure you are not introducing any phosphates/nitrates/silicates into the tank.
After thats done, I would siphon at least 1/3 of your sand out of the tank. Move the rocks if you have to. Then replace them back where they where.
Every few weeks, go in and do another section. You can replace with new sand. However, I would recommend you get yourself on a schedual on vacuuming out the sand at intervals.
I service tanks, and see this time after time on new tank services with algae problems.
I would test water with samples directly above the sand. this will give you a more accurate reading.
Plan on adding new fresh quality carbon to the tank. This will help pull out what you stir up while removing the sand.
I have found fine sand eventually fails!!!! 4-6mm is what I like. It can be vacuumed out easily.
Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

Thank you, I will have to get a silicate test kit from my LFS.There has to be something feeding this algae.Light, or nutrients, whichever it may be.
 
I am sorry that you are going through this as I know what you are going through. I can't be certain it's the sand bed but how old is it?

This may or may not help but it's what I am doing now. I have been dealing with hair algea from hell and now I have red cyno to boot. Your algea looks exactly like what I have and some of my sps started to STN as well while others look good. It's A tough choice to clean the sand but I figured I had nothing left to loose. After cleaning and siphoning out 10 gallons of water last week my Sps look better. I am going slow with this process and plan on doing 10 more gallons this weekend. I was amazed at what collects in the sand bed if not maintained properlly. My sand bed is 6 years old and has been through some ruff times so in my case I truly believe this is my problem and it looks from the pictures you posted that you also may need to clean yours.

My readings for PO4 are always between 0.01 to 0.03 and nitrate is always zero. I change 6 gallons of water every weekend on a 120 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump. As stated above no matter how much water I changed the algea just didn't go away. I also removed my filter socks and sponge filters to eliminate and more areas for detritus build up and added gfo to remove the phosphates to reduce what the algea could feed off of. But again still no real results until I started to clean the sand bed. Take a look at the thread I started and check out the video. It's simply amazing what builds up in time, again not saying this is your problem but it's worth a shot when you have nothing left to check.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.


http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2361052

Michael
 
Reef264 said:
It does now that I think about it, just a little fuzzier.I actually battled Dinoflagellates before around a year ago.A lot of hard work was what it took to rid it from the tank.Im more confused about what is going on with my corals here,
Click to expand...

Lots of gas bubbles. Seems every pic I've seen of dinos, those are around. There are different strands of dinos. Have you tried a lights out for a few days?
 
trueblackpercula said:
I am sorry that you are going through this as I know what you are going through. I can't be certain it's the sand bed but how old is it?

This may or may not help but it's what I am doing now. I have been dealing with hair algea from hell and now I have red cyno to boot. Your algea looks exactly like what I have and some of my sps started to STN as well while others look good. It's A tough choice to clean the sand but I figured I had nothing left to loose. After cleaning and siphoning out 10 gallons of water last week my Sps look better. I am going slow with this process and plan on doing 10 more gallons this weekend. I was amazed at what collects in the sand bed if not maintained properlly. My sand bed is 6 years old and has been through some ruff times so in my case I truly believe this is my problem and it looks from the pictures you posted that you also may need to clean yours.

My readings for PO4 are always between 0.01 to 0.03 and nitrate is always zero. I change 6 gallons of water every weekend on a 120 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump. As stated above no matter how much water I changed the algea just didn't go away. I also removed my filter socks and sponge filters to eliminate and more areas for detritus build up and added gfo to remove the phosphates to reduce what the algea could feed off of. But again still no real results until I started to clean the sand bed. Take a look at the thread I started and check out the video. It's simply amazing what builds up in time, again not saying this is your problem but it's worth a shot when you have nothing left to check.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.


http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2361052

Michael
Click to expand...


Michael,
Thank you for the awesome reply!You and I sound like we are battling the exact same war.I have been siphoning my sand bed some, I did not want to get in there too deep, but I did some.I found some interesting things.Blackish Grey sludge was what I siphoned out in some places, other places just sand.The sand bed has been siphoned around every other to every three water changes, but I was not able to siphon it everywhere due to corals being in the way that could not be moved without breaking the incrustation to the rock.I will siphon some more and move my rocks around, maybe add more GFO just to see how goes it.I was surprised when you said some corals of yours are suffering and some are acting normal, cause that is what is going on here with me, my Strawberry Shortcake has been growing and maintained color, as well as my Green Slimer, while others are not near as vibrant.
 
Reef264 said:
Michael,
Thank you for the awesome reply!You and I sound like we are battling the exact same war.I have been siphoning my sand bed some, I did not want to get in there too deep, but I did some.I found some interesting things.Blackish Grey sludge was what I siphoned out in some places, other places just sand.The sand bed has been siphoned around every other to every three water changes, but I was not able to siphon it everywhere due to corals being in the way that could not be moved without breaking the incrustation to the rock.I will siphon some more and move my rocks around, maybe add more GFO just to see how goes it.I was surprised when you said some corals of yours are suffering and some are acting normal, cause that is what is going on here with me, my Strawberry Shortcake has been growing and maintained color, as well as my Green Slimer, while others are not near as vibrant.
Click to expand...

That's amazing as my SSC and green slimmer are doing great as well.
Interesting.
 
ClownNut said:
get a halloween urchin for the rock and couple fighting conchs for the sand.
Click to expand...

I don't know what kind of urchin that is also anything that eats what's in the sand bed is bad for the DSB. I would disagree with adding one of thouse as it would eat all the living animals I the sand bed so how could it work as a filter?
 
vacuum out the sand. You will be shocked at what comes out of there. Very much so if it's been in there for 4 years. Its long overdue.
Intervention is key with sandbeds. I have yet to see one that just keeps running on it's own for years on end with no problems....
 
I have 25 gallons of ESV mixed up, I'm going to move things around best I can and get down to business.
 
Agree with meshwheel.
Last tank like this is a shallow sand bed.
Water from the sand bed after settling was almost double the phosphate concentration than the tank water.
It only becomes a sink to hold everything.
 
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