What else besides a skimmer

[thomasmoore]

Currently running a 20gl tank with 3 fish/20lbs of LR and some ZOO's and GSP. the tank is 3mths old and I started with tap water at first and now nothing but RO/Salt water from my LFS. I have lots of green algea build up on the glass weekly. Besides more water changes what else can I do to keep my tank clear. I thought about getting a BakPak skimmer or maybe just a better hang on BIO filter. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[cdangel0]

How long are you leaving your lights on? Reduced lighting schedule may help reduce algae.

UV sterilizer may help - definitly 2 camps on this one - I personally think it helps, expecially in a smaller tank.

Snails would be the obvious choice - cheaper then UV and your not left looking at a dark tank because you had to turn the lights off as soon as you got home.

Keep in mind that all new tanks will go through cycles of algae - brown - green - red - green - brown etc. etc. etc.

There is no specific order or length of time for easch, just happens.

Get a handful of mexican turbo snail to keep the glass clean for you.

 

[jamesnmandy]

i would be curious as to the level of phosphorous in the tap water, among other things

my LFS told me it was okay to start the tank with tap water and IO, i decided to go with RO to start, compared to all of the other investments i had already made, paying 50 cents a gallon for the water was the cheapest thing i did

 

[rustybucket145]

In my opinion a good Skimmer is a MUST for any saltwater tank. It just gets the 'gunk' out of your water. As for the green algae on the glass... my tank has been up for years and I still have to scrape the glass once a week with a razorblade. But there's not one speck of algae on my rocks or any sign of nusciance algae. Some algae growth is the sign of a healthy tank, but large amounts of algae growth is the sign of a tank with too many nutrients and waste bi-products.

 

[thomasmoore]

Light are on from 3-10pm, but it gets some light from the window late in the afternoon. So skimmers and or filters would not be much of help? Even with a skimmer you would still have algea. Sounds like I need to reduced the amound of phosphorous by doing more water changes. And eventually I would remove the bad stuff from my tap water fills.

 

[thomasmoore]

Rustbucket, you are correct, only the glass gets the green slime. My sand bed is a little dirty, but the LR looks great. So my last post is incorrect, a skimmer could be some help. I'm trying to find one for a 20gal tank cheap, but the best deal seems to be a BakPak for 122$ + shipping. I'm trying to be cheap about it, cause I might do the same set up a 40gal. It's all about the budget.