Need help with live rock

[FishieLover87]

I have a 10 gallon saltwater tank with 10lbs of live rock, 1 peppermint shrimp, 1 yellowtail damsel, 3 nassarius snails, 2 trocheus snails, 3 blue legged hermit crabs and 1 mushroom coral. Now I've done everything that I was told to do, the tank cycled well and the fish and shrimp and all critters are doing great but I can't seem to slow down the green algae which is all over everything, including the sand and the glass. I need help and I need to know what I can do because i scrub it off and its back in a week.

 

[echopiece]

Sounds like diatoms from a new tank setup? How long has the tank been cycled? What kind of lights, and how long of a photo period? How often do you feed the tank, and how often to do you perform a water change? There are so many factors that can cause algae or a diatom bloom. Have you checked your nitrate and phosphate levels? Are you using RO/DI water?

Sorry, but there are a few other things we need to know.

 

[FishieLover87]

Sorry. I'm kind of new to salt water. It cycled for about 4 weeks with nothing in it. Then I added the crabs and snails and its had the shrimp and fish in it for about 2 weeks now. So total I would say the tank has been running for 2.5 months. The light is a Power Glo and is usually on from about 9am-9pm daily. I use a tiny pinch of flake food for the fish twice a day and use the MarineSnow about 3 times a week for the coral. Water changes are done every 2 weeks and I check the specific gravity twice a week and I check the nitrate/nitrite and other levels once a week. All the checks are fine and at proper levels. No ammonia in the tank either. I use regular tap water for water changes with Prime water conditioner (which I was told is one of the best brands).

 

[RL206]

I'm a newb as well.

First off, depending on your fixture I suppose, 12hrs may be a little excessive.

Second, how much water are you changing every 2 weeks? Maybe try that every week.

Third, which I can tell you from experience, as I'm im doing right now and can already tell a difference 3 weeks in, is use R/O watter. I'ts worth it.

That's what I'd try to start things off, or just try one thing at a time and it may mellow it out, but like the previous post, maybe the diatoms are still going strong.

 

[RL206]

After looking at the pics, your tank looks pretty well off bud, the last pic, I'm assuming are diatoms, those should disappear in time.

Someone w/ more knowledge can say more I'm sure!

 

[echopiece]

Sorry. I'm kind of new to salt water. It cycled for about 4 weeks with nothing in it. Then I added the crabs and snails and its had the shrimp and fish in it for about 2 weeks now. So total I would say the tank has been running for 2.5 months. The light is a Power Glo and is usually on from about 9am-9pm daily. I use a tiny pinch of flake food for the fish twice a day and use the MarineSnow about 3 times a week for the coral. Water changes are done every 2 weeks and I check the specific gravity twice a week and I check the nitrate/nitrite and other levels once a week. All the checks are fine and at proper levels. No ammonia in the tank either. I use regular tap water for water changes with Prime water conditioner (which I was told is one of the best brands).

Ok, I would cut down your light period to 8-9 hrs and maybe supplement with some blue 453nm LED moonlights for viewing the tank. You can have low power LED moonlights on for much longer so you can still enjoy and view your tank. I am not familiar with that Power Glo fixture, is it a fluorescent light? How many watts?

Second, I feel you are feeding the tank too much at this point. When I first setup my 5.5 I only fed my fish every other day, just a pinch. From what I have heard marinesnow has gotten mixed reviews. You dont have the coral load at this point to be feeding all that at this point. Take it slow and maybe increase slowly as the tank grows.

Third, I would definitely try to top off with RO/DI and make new salt water with RO/DI. If you dont have a filter at home, try a LFS as they can sell you both fresh RO water and mixed salt water.

Good flow in the tank can help as well. Are you using any carbon? What other means of filtration are you using other than your LR? Something else to remember, take it very slow. Adjust things in very small amounts and time. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby!

 

[FishieLover87]

Ok thanks for all the input. I will definitely reduce the light amount and food amounts for sure. What is R/O water? The filter is an AquaClear30 which has a sponge, activated carbon and ammonia remover and then I have the circulation fan. And in terms of the water changes I'm doing a 10% water change so I don't shock the system.

I have a successful 55 gallon cichlid tank and I know with fresh water if you do extreme changes it will shock the tank system so I'm kind of learning as I go with the saltwater and trying to use my knowledge and apply it to the saltwater tank.

But thats also why I have joined here to learn more and I find that learning from people is much better then just reading the books. So I will definitely try and do the recommendations from all of you.

 

[debincalif]

You can also buy RO/DI water from a grocery store... which isn't a bad route for a small tank. Just read the labels of the big jugs of bottled water and they will indicate how the water is purified.

 

[NatetheGreat]

i also agree that the lighting schedule needs to be adjusted.
I do my lighting schedule based on my work schedule.
Lights are on at 4pm - 11pm at night.

It worked for me and im running a 28g nano with an LED hood.

also R/O water is another thing to consider changing to.

hopefully this helps

 

[echopiece]

Ok thanks for all the input. I will definitely reduce the light amount and food amounts for sure. What is R/O water? The filter is an AquaClear30 which has a sponge, activated carbon and ammonia remover and then I have the circulation fan. And in terms of the water changes I'm doing a 10% water change so I don't shock the system.

I have a successful 55 gallon cichlid tank and I know with fresh water if you do extreme changes it will shock the tank system so I'm kind of learning as I go with the saltwater and trying to use my knowledge and apply it to the saltwater tank.

But thats also why I have joined here to learn more and I find that learning from people is much better then just reading the books. So I will definitely try and do the recommendations from all of you.

RO/DI water is reverse osmosis/deionized water. You can buy the 4 and 5 stage filters from BRS here http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-4-stage-value-plus-ro-di-system-75gpd.html

The TDS meter is what measures the total dissolved solids in the water. You want 0 or close to that. My city tap water has roughly 120-130 TDS. Which will in turn make your phosphates higher and cause algae. Well water could be worse.

As far as water changes go, some people think more is better. Brandon429 on here likes to feed very heavy one day and then perform a 90% water change the following day. I never found this to work for me as PH and other things need to be spot on. My corals never reacted good to this change. He only had a 1 gallon tank lol.