Ready to drain and sell

[byrodoc]

I hate to be they guy who posts another algae problem, but I"m close to the last straw & need some guidance...here are the stats.
70g started 3 months ago,30 lbs LR 30lbs base rock, fluval 305 canister filter, 1 koralia powerhead,seaclone skimmer which doesn't seem to be skimming(I know it's cheap). I filled the tank with RO, but have been doing water changes and top offs with treated well water.

For the last 8 weeks I've had a nonstop film algae bloom. It cleans very easily and is back the next day..covering the substrate and LR,not the base rock. LFS told me it might be bacterial and I should try product called REd SLime for cyanobacteria....tried it and it did nothing. I've tried all sorts of lighting schedules(algae left w/o light, but then returns). I've removed the LR and scrubbed them.

Is there anything left to do..Nitrates and phosphates are fine, both in the tank and my well water. I have purchased a RO/DI system recently.. is it possible that the base rock is leaching something into the system?? Is it too soon for ALgaefix? THanks everyone

 

[dalee26]

When was the last time that you cleaned out your canister filter? Mine can be a factory for nitrates if I let it go longer than 2 weeks without cleaning it. You might not be picking up any readings on your NO or PO because the algae is taking care of it instantly. Does your skimmer adjust on the output of it to raise/lower the height of the water in it? I noticed that when I adjusted mine, after I found out that it adjusted, it works 1000 times better. I have a different make though but some have adjusters. Hope it helps...just my 2c.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

FWIW, this is reasonably typical for a nutrient-laden tank at 3 months old. It's still "breaking in." That's the good news.

The bad news? Your nutrient export is clearly not up to task. You mention the non-functional skimmer and the canister filter - can you describe your maintenance on the canister? What media do you have in it? From the sounds of it, that's really the only way you're getting nutrients out of the tank right now.

Also, what livestock, if any, do you have in the tank? Are you feeding it? Please describe 100% of what you add to the tank on a regular basis. You've already mentioned water changes and topoff, are you dosing any supplements? Feeding? Anything else?

In the end, algae problems are caused by one factor - you've created an environment where algae can thrive. Usually, this is because there are too many unwanted nutrients in the tank. It's likely you're not seeing them on the test kits because the algae are taking them in as fast as they can - so right now, their growth is nutrient-limited. This is good news, because it means you can control their growth rate by controlling nutrient import and export - the goal is to add less than you're taking out.

 

[patsfan1130]

It's a new tank. algae is expected. I feel your main problem is your source of water. Even on the most high end, high tech setups, If your water is not of high quality...you will have problems. Get yourself a quality RO/DI unit, a decent skimmer as well, and be patient. a lot of other things can contribute to algae problems. But you need to eliminate the obvious. Nothing is more important than the quality of our water. nothing

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

Using the well water probably caused your problem.
When you get the RO/DI unit do a nearly 100% water change and start again.
I don't know what kind of base rock you are using but I doubt it is leaching anything but it probably absorbed whatever was in the well water.
I would not start putting bottled solutions in your tank until you find out if the well water is the root of your problem.
If you get the RO/DI unit and the problem persists for more than 6 months then your base rock, feeding habits, live rock, sand and skimmer need to be looked at.
Unfortunately algae problems are not simple to fix but don't give up, that is what makes the hobby so challenging and interesting.
Get a better skimmer use some GFO in a reactor and use only RO/DI water and you should have better luck.
There are no gaurantees but your chances will be much better.

 

[byrodoc]

THanks for all the prompt responses..I'll get the RO/DI system up & running soon. As far as livestock is concerned: 2 damsels,1 yellow tang, 1 porcupine puffer, 1 peppermint shrimp. I feed 2x day...mysis shrimp and spirulina flakes...only what they will consume within 30-60 seconds. Maintenance on the canister filter consists of changing the carbon only with water changes(which I've done twice thus far). I have 3 compartments with carbon and 3 with Fluval Biomax. The Biomax has yet to be changed(packaging says change every 3-6 mos). Should I change the media to a phosphoban?? Maybe it needs more time, but I'm just sick of looking at green goop everyday...frustrating.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

You need to do more nutrient export. It doesn't matter if your fish are eating it all quickly, that's still a pretty good bioload for a tank of that size without really powerful nutrient export.

Start looking for a better skimmer, a refugium stuffed with macro algae, or something else to get nutrients out of the system before they break down and become available to the pest algae.

Adding a sump is a great way to set yourself up for a skimmer AND a fuge, but of course it's a big change if all your equipment is currently hang-on. IMHO I wouldn't bother adding a phosphate reactor, as that'll only help in one dimension. You need wholesale nutrient export, not something that targeted.

And get ready for a debate about having bio media in your canister at all. Most people are of the position that bio media does not belong in a reef. All it does is break down nutrients into less harmful nutrients - it does NOT remove the stuff from your system. Hence, it only softens the problem, it does not solve it. Because of this, many people stopped using biological media on reefs some time ago. You could fill those compartments in your filter with mechanical media, but you'd have to change it or rinse it extremely frequently - like more than once a week. The other option is more carbon, phosphate media, or other chemical media - but as mentioned above, those are all pretty specific in how they help. If you're seeing a trend in my comments, it's that most people don't like canister filters as a *primary* means of filtering/nutrient export on a reef tank. Typically, they're used as a supplementary way to run chemical media, while most rely on a skimmer for their primary means of nutrient export.

 

[Crawf71]

Also, algae cycles come along with the territory. If you look at PaulB's 35 year old tank, he was saying that he still has algae cycles. They will come and they will go.

But +1 on what Der said. Add a sump or a fuge. They help a ton.

 

[SaltyDr]

Some base rock has A LOT of stored nutrients. Those that have used Marco rocks have noticed increased algae blooms and a longer cycle. Base rock should be cooked for 6-8 weeks before using to remove as much of the trapped organics and nutrients as possible.

 

[jbird69]

Re: Ready to drain and sell

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14783831#post14783831 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by byrodoc
I hate to be they guy who posts another algae problem, but I"m close to the last straw & need some guidance...here are the stats.
70g started 3 months ago,30 lbs LR 30lbs base rock, fluval 305 canister filter, 1 koralia powerhead,seaclone skimmer which doesn't seem to be skimming(I know it's cheap). I filled the tank with RO, but have been doing water changes and top offs with treated well water.

For the last 8 weeks I've had a nonstop film algae bloom. It cleans very easily and is back the next day..covering the substrate and LR,not the base rock. LFS told me it might be bacterial and I should try product called REd SLime for cyanobacteria....tried it and it did nothing. I've tried all sorts of lighting schedules(algae left w/o light, but then returns). I've removed the LR and scrubbed them.

Is there anything left to do..Nitrates and phosphates are fine, both in the tank and my well water. I have purchased a RO/DI system recently.. is it possible that the base rock is leaching something into the system?? Is it too soon for ALgaefix? THanks everyone

A couple thoughts about your set up....
You say you have 1 koralia power head, what model is it..1,2,3 or 4? No matter which one it is, Thats not enough flow to elliminate dead spots in a 75. If you are planning on corals, I think 2 koralia 4s would be minimum for that tank. algae loves benign flow.

You have a total of 60# live rock. I would recommend at least an additional 40# to that system. If your not going to have a sump, youre going to keep the fluval and the cheapy skimmer, the more live rock will have a substantial effect in the health of your tank.

Keep fiddling with that skimmer. If you havnt modified it in any way, it should pull skimmate. skimmers can be finicky until you get them dialed in. Try to get it to where the top of the "whitewash" is near the top of the narrow neck (just below the collection cup) See if you can get it to skim really wet ( clear with a tint of green) and slowly dial it back til it gets darker green.
I swear skimmers have personality and you almost have to talk to them.

As for the fluval. Take out the sponges!!!!And the bio media. Fill the baskets with carbon and phosphate media(in mesh media bags). The sponges are really what makes canisters nitrate factories. You will still need to deusch that thing regularly, but not nearly as often as if your running it with the sponges.

Be patient. Try to manually remove algae when you do water changes...suck it up with your syphon.

HANG IN THERE!!! Its a lot of work at first but I promise, if you stick it out and get over this hump, you WILL thank yourself.

Good luck!

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

One thing that wasn't mentioned that I would like to add is more flow. 1 koralia isn’t enough. 2 koralia 3 or 4's are advised.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

I guess I need to refresh when I walk away for 20 minutes. But +1 for the more flow. keep the unwanted nutrients in the water column longer to get filtered out with the skimmer or filter media

 

[mmedeiros2]

Also keep lighting in mind. How old are the lamps?

 

[byrodoc]

Great suggestions everyone...thank you. I did purchase a Octopus 300 skimmer and will set-up my Ro/DI system this weekend. Is my lighting an issue with the algae. I'm using two 39W T5 Life GLo(34"). I know I'll have to upgrade eventually with corals...is this a major problem or a minor one at this point in respect to the algae. Again, thanks

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

If you don't have any corals in the tank that need the light I would turn them off and leave them off until the alae issue is resolved. You definitely don't want to upgrade yet, more intense light will only make matters worse.