Is this an algae bloom, and is it normal?

[JeffersonReef]

Hi all. I recently added metal halide lighting to my 125g tank. Previously I was using SO fluroscents. MH lighting = 2 250w DE 14k bulbs. All of my LR has turned like a "burnt brown" color... and my glass has gotten cloudy. Is this an aglage bloom? Currently, I am only running the MH lights from 11am to 5pm. Should I cut back on the light? Or is this kind of bloom normal when you first upgrade to MH? I just added a new fuge with a basketball sized ball-o-chaeto... so hopefully this bloom will blow over quickly. I plan to do a large water change (50% or so) this weekend. ANy other advice? Thanks.

PS - my trates are at 40, nitrite = 0, and I dont have a kit to test for phosphates at this point....

 

[bromion]

Changing the light will typically cause algae or cyanobacteria to flourish. This is because you are both adding intensity and wavelengths of light that were previously unavailable in the tank. Since algae and cyano are faster reproducers than anything else in the tank, they take advantage of this boon first, before the "good" stuff gets a chance to grow. If all goes well, the good stuff (coralline, corals, etc) will displace the algae at some point. The somewhat high nitrate level will also contribute to algae growth. Water change is a good idea (though 50% is more than I would do at once; maybe 20% one week, 20% another week, etc). With some water changes, it should work itself out in a few weeks and the system will re-stabilize. IN THEORY : )

 

[jjirsa78]

Diatom bloom - pretty normal. Try to blow it off the rocks and scrape the glass. If you can keep it suspended, it's much less likely to stick around in the future.

 

[TearDrop]

How old is your tank? Do you have a skimmer? Increased lighting can definitely cause an algae bloom, but it's not the only factor...could be heat, phosphate levels, flow, etc. A combination of all of these can cause a bloom. I would do the following:

1. clean off the rocks
2. do a water change
3. add a phosphate remover...phosgard or phosban
4. check your flow and temperature
5. change your light cycle to the evening 5pm -11pm instead, since it's cooler at night.
6. get some snails and/or hermits
7. test your make up water

I hope this helps. I can't say this will completely solve your problem, but it's always worked for me...good luck.

 

[billyzbear]

40??? Lights aren't the problem. Lights can cause coralline to change color. The advice above is good. Do you maintain your tank weekly? Adding the fug is great it will take a few weeks to see results. How long has the tank been up? What kind of salt do you use and where does the water come from?