Need Help With GHA New Reef Tank.

[RXCoral]

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone had any pointers on how to combat green hair algae in a new tank. I started with 25 pounds of dry rock and 10 pounds of live about 3 months ago. My phosphates are reading zero and my nitrates are also reading zero. I've tried blackouts, scrubbing and frequent water change (weekly at about 5%). Aside from that, the chaeto I put in my refugium seems to be doing ok. I'm wondering if my dry rock is slowly leaching phosphate and it never gets to the water since my phosphates have been reading zero?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

29 gallon tank
Two Marine Orbit LED
Reef Octopus HOB 1000 protein skimmer
Two 240 gph Hydor power heads
Two 425 gph Hydor power heads
Pennplax 300 converted into refugium with chaeto algae

25 pounds of live rock
20 pounds of fine sand

One ocellaris clownfish
Two emerald crabs
Four hermit crabs
Four nassarius snails

 

[RXCoral]

Pictures

Pictures

Pictures

 

[RXCoral]

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[RobZilla04]

Yes your dry rock is slowly leaching nutrients which the GHA uses to grow. On a new tank this is a phase you are going to battle for a while. It is sure to give you a headache.

Search the forums here, this topic has been beaten to death. Short answer: it will go away with time if you solve the excess nutrient problems.

 

[RXCoral]

Ok. Thanks for the quick reply RobZilla04. Should I take out the dry rock and replace it with "live" rock? Or just roll with the punches?


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[ReeferNoob4ever]

LOL! I'm sorry, I can't help but laugh. From your description I expected to see an actual outbreak. You need a turbo snail or two and that will be gone in no time flat. :thumbsup:

 

[RXCoral]

LOL! I'm sorry, I can't help but laugh. From your description I expected to see an actual outbreak. You need a turbo snail or two and that will be gone in no time flat. :thumbsup:

Haha. That's two days after scrubbing the rock and glass clean, otherwise you couldn't see the tank through the forest of green. But I haven't let it get there again after going on vacation for a week. What do you think about the rock? Scratch it? Or just get a couple turbos and ride it out?


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[mcgyvr]

Its TOTALLY normal and will pass with time provided you keep up with proper husbandry....

Get that clean up crew and let them take care of it.. Thats why we call them clean up crews.. Thats what they do.. Clean up during the "ugly"stages.. hair algae, diatoms and even cyano.. all are very common/normal parts of a new tank.. You are establishing an ecosystem.. It doesn't happen perfectly overnight.. Algae will always be there too.. You just keep nutrients low and it can't take hold/take over..

One turbo should be all you need plus whatever other smaller snails you want,etc...
Nassarius do not eat algae BTW.. Get Astrea, cerith, nerite,etc... and a turbo of course

Good luck with the hermits too.. They can/will go after snails when there isn't sufficient food.. I personally wouldn't have 4 in such a small tank.. 1 or 2 is usually ok..
But you have them now.. Expect some snails to become food.. Thats life though.. It happens..

And BTW.. That is live rock now..
"live" ONLY means its populated with beneficial bacteria.. Nothing else..
What once was "dry" is now "live"..

 

[RXCoral]

Its TOTALLY normal and will pass with time provided you keep up with proper husbandry....

Get that clean up crew and let them take care of it.. Thats why we call them clean up crews.. Thats what they do.. Clean up during the "ugly"stages.. hair algae, diatoms and even cyano.. all are very common/normal parts of a new tank.. You are establishing an ecosystem.. It doesn't happen perfectly overnight.. Algae will always be there too.. You just keep nutrients low and it can't take hold/take over..

One turbo should be all you need plus whatever other smaller snails you want,etc...
Nassarius do not eat algae BTW.. Get Astrea, cerith, nerite,etc... and a turbo of course

Good luck with the hermits too.. They can/will go after snails when there isn't sufficient food.. I personally wouldn't have 4 in such a small tank.. 1 or 2 is usually ok..
But you have them now.. Expect some snails to become food.. Thats life though.. It happens..

And BTW.. That is live rock now..
"live" ONLY means its populated with beneficial bacteria.. Nothing else..
What once was "dry" is now "live"..

Thanks for the advice! Yeah I might trade some hermits or the Nassarius in for a Turbo. I understand the live concept, it's just I didn't know if changing to a different rock that isn't leaching phosphate would be better, or just ride it out with the rock I have.


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[RXCoral]

Thanks for the advice! Yeah I might trade some hermits or the Nassarius in for a Turbo. I understand the live concept, it's just I didn't know if changing to a different rock that isn't leaching phosphate would be better, or just ride it out with the rock I have.


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But thanks again for the response! I definitely need all I can get with the reef tank[emoji23] It's a whole new ballgame after having cichlids for so long.


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[RobZilla04]

Ok. Thanks for the quick reply RobZilla04. Should I take out the dry rock and replace it with "live" rock? Or just roll with the punches?


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I would just leave it in and deal with it until the phase passes.

 

[Reefiez]

get some algae munching snails, astraea snails are my go to guys

also maybe a herbivore fish? my bi-color blenny did an awesome job when my tank was new. I would see these weird round white marks on my back glass and rocks. I finally found that it was my blenny munching on the algae and leaving a mouth shaped spot (algae free!), super adorable.

also, are your chaeto lights on 24/7? If they are on a reverse cycle (on when DT off), maybe turning it on 24/7 would help to use up the nitrates and phosphates all day long.

algae is completely normal, and any drastic measures to "combat" algae in a new tank is unnecessary imo.

just keep up your maintenance schedule, feed sensibly, and the problem would go away

 

[RXCoral]

get some algae munching snails, astraea snails are my go to guys

also maybe a herbivore fish? my bi-color blenny did an awesome job when my tank was new. I would see these weird round white marks on my back glass and rocks. I finally found that it was my blenny munching on the algae and leaving a mouth shaped spot (algae free!), super adorable.

also, are your chaeto lights on 24/7? If they are on a reverse cycle (on when DT off), maybe turning it on 24/7 would help to use up the nitrates and phosphates all day long.

algae is completely normal, and any drastic measures to "combat" algae in a new tank is unnecessary imo.

just keep up your maintenance schedule, feed sensibly, and the problem would go away

Thanks for the reply!
I was looking at a lawnmower blenny, but they're out of stock every time I go to my LFS.

And on the chaeto algae is on a reverse schedule for 15 hours and is doing pretty darn good.


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[RXCoral]

I would just leave it in and deal with it until the phase passes.

Ok! Thanks [emoji1317]


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