Ideas to rid tank of green algae?

[gerry46]

my 120 gallon tank is about 6 months old with 100lbs live rock,lots of flow,a sump with skimmer and a micron bag where water enters sump.

for a month or so my rock is covered with green algae. I have picked it off and it comes right back.

I have 1x 56 watt daylight and 1x actinic t5 lighting.

I feed the fish nutrifin max flake food and have even cut back on that.

would more filtration help? maybe a good canister if I keep it clean?

also,I have 8 small fish right now so bio load can`t be too high.

 

[rigleautomotive]

try a clean up crew ,crabs,snails ect...tangs rabbitfish urchins.anything good at eating algae.

 

[lfjewett]

Ok so as with all requests I've read like this let's get some information from you.

A - Water Source: Do you use RO/DI Water? Have you used a TDS meter to check the water source?
B - What kind of skimmer do you have and how has it been working for you?
C - Describe "lots of flow"
D - Light: For a reef tank 100 watts of T5 on a 120 is very low. How old are your bulbs and how long of a photo period do you run?
E - Have you or can you test for Nitrate/Phosphates ( NO3/PO4 ).
F - What does your current clean up crew look like?
G - Got a tank pic?

Lets get some of this info and then we'll chime in with real suggestions.

 

[gerry46]

I use a ge undercounter filter with 2 cartridges but considering ro because cartridges are $60.00 and only last a month or so.

skimmer is built into sump and has an oceanrunner needle wheel pump. I empty dark green gunk every 4-5 days or so.

I use a nutrifin test kit and phosphates show ok.
I normally use 2x56 watt daylight and 2x 56 watt actinic t5 with separate reflectors but cut in half hoping it would help.

I have 4 hermits,an emerald crab,snails and an algae blennie.

 

[Ciarán]

but considering ro because cartridges are $60.00 and only last a month or so.

Where did you hear that, its totally untrue!! My RO filters (Sediment and Carbon) last for 6 months and the membrane itself is good for a year if you flush it regularly. You could alternatively use Deionisation resin and use a TDS meter to guage when it is in need of replacement.

 

[Aquaman]

Phosphates show ok?? what is ok? should show 0

 

[Aquaman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7902735#post7902735 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ciarán
Where did you hear that, its totally untrue!! My RO filters (Sediment and Carbon) last for 6 months and the membrane itself is good for a year if you flush it regularly. You could alternatively use Deionisation resin and use a TDS meter to guage when it is in need of replacement.

length of time they last all depends on water quality of your city water really, I've had city water where my carbon and prefilters would last a month before being totally burned up and other places where they lasted 6 months

 

[brandoug]

Work on your water quality and look into getting a sea hare..... they are awsome grazers!

 

[archie1709]

OK. Please tell us your (a) Nitrates, (b) Phosphates, and (c) exactly the fish you have.

I am assuming you have a FOWLR because if not, then you have less than 2 watts per gallon.

I've fought long green hair algae before. But we need specifics in order to help you

 

[gerry46]

phosphates are 0.5

nitrates don`t even register

yellow wrasse,2 green chromis,2 small clowns,blue and yellow damsel,algae blennie,dogface puffer.

 

[lfjewett]

Aquaman and Cairan I think your read his post in-correctly.. If I'm correct he means to say that he is considering on switching to RO because his CURRENT under the counter filters cost him 60 bucks and only last a month. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Gerry, your skimmer seems to be working and your bioload does not seem excesivly high. Hair algea feeds of of Nitrate and Phosphate, plain and simple. A reading of .5 for phosphates is in fact high enough to cause your problem. Remember that the algea itself has locked up a good ammount of phosphates in their cells so you "DO" have them in there.

What you need to narrow down is where do these chemicals enter your system. The answer is from your water source or food source. Based on your answers I would start with your water source. Ether get a TDS meter or take a sample of your makeup water to a fish store and ask them to analyze it for you. If I were to gamble on this I would say your water source is the problem.

 

[Aquaman]

ljjewett, You are correct, I re-read his post. The GE undercounter filters he's talking about are most likely 10 micron sized prefilter/carbon only and may not include the TFC or a DI. So going to a RO/DI system will drop the nutrients in your makeup water and with proper maintenance the algae problem should go away quickly.

 

[returnofsid]

I'd definately add more snails. Turbo Snails do a great job on algae, as do Trochius. From what I understand, a good rule of thumb is close to 1 snail per gallon of water. I'm not sure but I don't think decreasing your lighting was the answer. If I'm not mistaken, the algae you're battling is a low-light loving algae. I'd increase your lighting and test your calcium. Boost it if needed to get your Coraline growing. It will outcompete the green algae given the right conditions. What about getting some kind of tang. They do a great job of grazing algae.

 

[Ciarán]

Even better, a rabbitfish (foxface) or a Centropyge angel. Rabbits are very hardy and less aggresive than tangs, pygmy angels are suitable for small tanks and graze constantly on microalgae.

 

[gerry46]

thanks, will look into getting a foxface and some more snails.

I cleaned out my sump today and there was a lot of filth on the bottom,hope that helps also.

do sumps cycle after a complete scrubbing?

also are the ro units on ebay any good?

 

[lfjewett]

99% of your bacteria is in your live rock and or sandbed. Cleaning your sump should have no impact on your system. I'm really not sure the foxface suggestion is such a good one. Adding more fish will simply increase your bio load hence increase your nutrients. Though they do eat algea.

At 120 Gallons you could do with some Turbo snails. They are great at hair algea but be forwarned most are from cooler water and if your tank runs hot ( above 78 ) their lifespan could be severly reduced. I also disagree on the 1 snail per gallon rule. My suggestion is about 1 snail per 2 gallons and mix your snail up a bit. Large snails like Turbos and Conches count more.

The RO Units on ebay are great. I have one as well. I would suggest you kick out the extra money and get the one with a 5 Gallon Pressure tank. If I remember correctly these run about 120 bucks and are well worth it. Filters will cost you 16 bucks every 6 months and DI resin as needed. The RO membrane itself will last between 1 and 3 years. I would ask for the 75 GPD membrane instead of the 125 they normally put in as it's a better quality membrane and will perserve your DI stage longer.

Have you considered putting a refugium on your system?

 

[archie1709]

Maybe you can do a fluidized installation to combat your Phosphate problem...or you can do Rowa Phos.

Your current livestock seems reasonable.

If you have time, I'd say try your best to toothbrush the hair algae off of your rocks. clean the sides of your tank from hair algae.

I used to have this:

Snails and Rowa Phos didn't cut it. I had to literally brush each rock off of hair algae.

This is how it was a few hours later:

Well, now it's this:

There's a cycle in the hair algae. Old colonies die and new ones appear. So to give you a head start, brush as much as you can off. At the same time, work on lowering your Phosphates.

Good luck!