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10/24/2018, 11:10 AM | #1 |
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Algae & Cyano Low Nutrients
Hello,
I have a "moderate" green/brown hair algae problem in my display tank. Just enough to be annoying. I also have film, red slim cyano on the sand. My Ammonia, Nitrates, Nitrites measure Zero. I run chaeto and green sea lettuce in my fuge. Fuge section is about 8 gallons in 29gal sump. DT is 75. Fuge is illuminated about 12hrs opposite of DT lights. There's also hair algae in the fuge as seen in pic. Should I try and remove this at all? I skim 24/7. Any ideas on source of algae with such low nutrients? Livestock is a few LPS euphyllia corals, 1 monti digi, 1 monti cap, a pair of Ocellaris clowns, a flasher, a cardinal, and a CUC of coral banded shrimp, fire shrimp hermits, cerith, and nerites, no more than 7 of any one kind. Last Triton is here.https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroo...icp-oes/60827/
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75 gal display running since 5/14/18--29 gal sump Ocellaris Clown Pair, Flasher Wrasse, Bangaii Cardinal, Fire Shrimp pair, Skunk Cleaner, Blue Coral Banded Shrimp, Euphyllia, Monti Cap, Monti Digi. C |
10/24/2018, 07:14 PM | #2 |
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Your phosphate Is?
Your tank age is? |
10/25/2018, 08:43 AM | #3 |
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I have to update my signature. Tank's been up and running since 5/14/18
Phosphate PO4 according to last Triton test is 0.03366 mg/l https://photos.app.goo.gl/BM5wZED3CpfeMMhk6
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75 gal display running since 5/14/18--29 gal sump Ocellaris Clown Pair, Flasher Wrasse, Bangaii Cardinal, Fire Shrimp pair, Skunk Cleaner, Blue Coral Banded Shrimp, Euphyllia, Monti Cap, Monti Digi. C Last edited by cjpitt80; 10/25/2018 at 09:13 AM. |
10/25/2018, 11:39 AM | #4 |
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5 months a bit young still, ugly stages is a PITA, that phosphate level is on point!
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10/25/2018, 12:37 PM | #5 | |
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Quote:
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75 gal display running since 5/14/18--29 gal sump Ocellaris Clown Pair, Flasher Wrasse, Bangaii Cardinal, Fire Shrimp pair, Skunk Cleaner, Blue Coral Banded Shrimp, Euphyllia, Monti Cap, Monti Digi. C |
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10/25/2018, 01:02 PM | #6 |
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Algae requires nutrients and light to survive..
So do corals,etc... If there are enough nutrients for corals there are enough for algae.. Its a constant battle.. Starve algae you also starve corals.. When a tank is still new (under 1 year old) algae typically wins the battle for nutrients and grows/runs rampant.. As the tank matures it usually starts to recede as competition is greater. Cyano "seems" to be more about an imbalance of nutrients in some cases.. The reason you are confused is simply because you thought you could skip the ugly stages.. You would be wrong.. Diatoms.. Then green hair/film algae then cyano and almost always in that order.. You are right on schedule.. A 3 day blackout will be helpful at this point beyond that you just need to wait and have patience..
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10/25/2018, 01:19 PM | #7 | |
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Quote:
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75 gal display running since 5/14/18--29 gal sump Ocellaris Clown Pair, Flasher Wrasse, Bangaii Cardinal, Fire Shrimp pair, Skunk Cleaner, Blue Coral Banded Shrimp, Euphyllia, Monti Cap, Monti Digi. C |
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10/25/2018, 01:24 PM | #8 |
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I advise against dosing nitrate in a newish tank.. You certainly can if you want but a bunch of algae could certainly be masking the nitrate/phosphate levels and its just more fuel for the algae..
Give it time to mature before messing with it.. You can certainly manually remove whatever algae you want/can.. You have cyano in the fuge too right? If so turn the lights off for 3 days there too.. Cyano is best treated by manually siphoning as much as you can out during a water change then 3 day lights out... then siphon out whats left.. repeat as needed every couple weeks..
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10/25/2018, 01:31 PM | #9 |
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What is your CUC like? Sounds like you need more herbivores though that wont help your cyano problem, it will help the rest. You need to keep algae down with cuc so your nutrients go to the coral.
Honestly, i don't think raising your nitrates a couple ppm will make a huge difference. It hasn't in my experience at least. More algae? Sure, but usually not by "supercharged" levels. |
10/25/2018, 01:31 PM | #10 | |
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Quote:
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75 gal display running since 5/14/18--29 gal sump Ocellaris Clown Pair, Flasher Wrasse, Bangaii Cardinal, Fire Shrimp pair, Skunk Cleaner, Blue Coral Banded Shrimp, Euphyllia, Monti Cap, Monti Digi. C |
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10/25/2018, 05:05 PM | #11 | |
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Quote:
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75 gal display running since 5/14/18--29 gal sump Ocellaris Clown Pair, Flasher Wrasse, Bangaii Cardinal, Fire Shrimp pair, Skunk Cleaner, Blue Coral Banded Shrimp, Euphyllia, Monti Cap, Monti Digi. C |
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10/25/2018, 07:05 PM | #12 | |
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Margarita snails can do some damage on algae too though supposedly they dont live very long in aquariums (6 months is what is often cited). Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk
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10/25/2018, 07:45 PM | #13 |
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I had the same "battles" with algae month 5-8.
Month 9 to 12 got a lot better as water chemistry and nutrient import/export came into balance. In this period I did a ton of testing, some daily like Alk, some weekly and after recording, a pattern showed up. In month 12 I got some red hair algae. 5 Mexican turbos clean every bit in two weeks. Now month 13 to date, 24 months, the battle is over and I simply do WC and daily dosing to maintain those parameters. I also use NoPox to keep nutrients in my range 5 ppm ish, and .05 phosphate is managed occassionally with a temp use of Rowa. When adding fish or inverts, the load changes, nitrates increase, then subsequently fall as bacteria population plays catch up. NoPox does work well to keep the nitrates in the sweet spit, for me, a mixed reef, seems 5 is ideal. I noticed when I provided, consistent on point water and developed a practice to keep these stable, no matter what coral I drop in, opens right away and stays full. I have not lost a coral in the last 12 months. I think you just need to continue to do what your doing and focus on water chemistry stability and let nature do the rest. Sometimes CUC add nutrients rather than clean them up, your list looks fine. If you like thus diversity that's fine, one can do the same with no CUC. Margarita snails come from colder waters and May last a month. monitor water closely and regularly and adjust those parameters which vary. Your almost there! Last edited by Uncle99; 10/25/2018 at 08:00 PM. |
11/14/2018, 02:43 PM | #14 | |
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Quote:
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75 gal display running since 5/14/18--29 gal sump Ocellaris Clown Pair, Flasher Wrasse, Bangaii Cardinal, Fire Shrimp pair, Skunk Cleaner, Blue Coral Banded Shrimp, Euphyllia, Monti Cap, Monti Digi. C |
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11/14/2018, 07:47 PM | #15 |
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I like those nitrate numbers.
Doin all the right things, keep it up, at one point, algae will go translucent, then start diminishing, the change will be quite noticeable. Good luck |
11/15/2018, 04:25 AM | #16 |
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What you have to realize also, the algae is using up the available nutrients from the water column before your test kit is registering them. Therefore your nutrient levels are actually higher then what your test kit is telling you.
I would not be adding anything until I got the algae in check. In my new tank I had the same issue, all 0's yet a huge algae outbreak. Just keep up with manual removal, WC's, and control the input into the tank and it will eventually sort itself out.
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80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work" |
11/15/2018, 10:41 AM | #17 | |
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Quote:
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75 gal display running since 5/14/18--29 gal sump Ocellaris Clown Pair, Flasher Wrasse, Bangaii Cardinal, Fire Shrimp pair, Skunk Cleaner, Blue Coral Banded Shrimp, Euphyllia, Monti Cap, Monti Digi. C |
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11/15/2018, 12:33 PM | #18 | |
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Quote:
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11/15/2018, 12:39 PM | #19 |
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What I like to do is clamp a filter sock onto my sump, then use a long hose and stuff it into the filter sock. Just suck off the top layer, what sand does get sucked up, can be rinsed out, dried out, and reused.
I then employ a turkey baster, and again the siphon in the filter sock for the heavy mats on the rocks. Turkey baster usually has enough strength to loosen it.
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80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work" |
11/15/2018, 12:41 PM | #20 |
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Ugh Water changes!!!
Well I'll start cleaning this crap up
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75 gal display running since 5/14/18--29 gal sump Ocellaris Clown Pair, Flasher Wrasse, Bangaii Cardinal, Fire Shrimp pair, Skunk Cleaner, Blue Coral Banded Shrimp, Euphyllia, Monti Cap, Monti Digi. C |
11/18/2018, 01:11 AM | #21 |
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Are you using RODI, and testing it for 0 TDS. Tap water, or Even RODI with exhausted DI water, can cause bad algae.
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11/23/2018, 02:23 PM | #22 | |
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Quote:
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75 gal display running since 5/14/18--29 gal sump Ocellaris Clown Pair, Flasher Wrasse, Bangaii Cardinal, Fire Shrimp pair, Skunk Cleaner, Blue Coral Banded Shrimp, Euphyllia, Monti Cap, Monti Digi. C |
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11/24/2018, 03:44 PM | #23 |
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I would change sediment and carbon at 6 months, the DI at 5 ppm, the RO can go for years depending on source.
This is my second year using same RO filter and it still is removing 95% of TDS, the DI stage removes the missing 5%. The RO filter can last longer when not allowed to dry |
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