So ive been meaning fo make this thread for a while. Fortunately the issues are not distatrous I'm just trying to get some opinions on what exactly is going on.
I have two tanks set up in my home. A 90 gallon that has been running for 3.5 years and a system with a 60 gallon cube and 30 gallon frag with a common sump that i have been running for 2.5 years.
The 90 gallon stays pretty solid. Most LPS and SPS (except acros) grow fairly well in it. Very little issue with algae. I get some growing in my glass overflow box and thats about it. Chaeto does not grow in my fuge though. The tank is lit by a 32" reef breeders LED, i dose 2 part solution, run a skimmer, have good flow and genrally stable params. Temp is kept at 77.5, salinity 1.026, pH 8.1-8.2, alk currently high near 12 (recently had an alk swing because the dosers ran out of solution. Some coral are a bit unhappy but mortality was pretty low), Cal 420, Mag 1250, nitrates around 5.
Of course my ultimate goal would be to have acros growing in this tank. Unfortunately they normally have decent color but tend to not grow much at all.
Now for the other tank. The 60 gallon side has a horrible hair algae problem. Ive pulled buckets full of it out several times. Bubble algae has also run fairly rampant. Quite frustrating. The frag tank also has algae issues but not to the same extent. What confuses me about this is that i never get a nitrate reading above 0. Ive tested with 3 different tests. Algae shouldnt exist in this tank.
This tank is also lit by reef breeder lights, a 16" fixture over each tank. In the frag tank my acros actually grow the problem is they are all very pale. almost all the sps in this tank lack color. Its basically the opposite issue of the other tank. Crazy right?
So my main questions would be why do i have major algae growth in an environment with no nutrients?
Im thinking of supplementing my lighting with some t5 to possibly improve color and growth of sps. Would love to hear some thoughts on that.
I have two tanks set up in my home. A 90 gallon that has been running for 3.5 years and a system with a 60 gallon cube and 30 gallon frag with a common sump that i have been running for 2.5 years.
The 90 gallon stays pretty solid. Most LPS and SPS (except acros) grow fairly well in it. Very little issue with algae. I get some growing in my glass overflow box and thats about it. Chaeto does not grow in my fuge though. The tank is lit by a 32" reef breeders LED, i dose 2 part solution, run a skimmer, have good flow and genrally stable params. Temp is kept at 77.5, salinity 1.026, pH 8.1-8.2, alk currently high near 12 (recently had an alk swing because the dosers ran out of solution. Some coral are a bit unhappy but mortality was pretty low), Cal 420, Mag 1250, nitrates around 5.
Of course my ultimate goal would be to have acros growing in this tank. Unfortunately they normally have decent color but tend to not grow much at all.
Now for the other tank. The 60 gallon side has a horrible hair algae problem. Ive pulled buckets full of it out several times. Bubble algae has also run fairly rampant. Quite frustrating. The frag tank also has algae issues but not to the same extent. What confuses me about this is that i never get a nitrate reading above 0. Ive tested with 3 different tests. Algae shouldnt exist in this tank.
This tank is also lit by reef breeder lights, a 16" fixture over each tank. In the frag tank my acros actually grow the problem is they are all very pale. almost all the sps in this tank lack color. Its basically the opposite issue of the other tank. Crazy right?
So my main questions would be why do i have major algae growth in an environment with no nutrients?
Im thinking of supplementing my lighting with some t5 to possibly improve color and growth of sps. Would love to hear some thoughts on that.
