Left for 10 days and GHA took over...why?

allendehl · 07/29/2018, 10:02 AM

Hello guys,

Left for vacation for 10 days and left my father in law in charge of feeding and topping off my RO/DI deposit. Made a WC the day before leaving.

Came back home to no loses but a green field of hair algae all over my sand. Just checked for Phosphates and they are in check, at about 0.03.

Pic is attached.

I am now making enough RODI water to siphon all that algae and detritus out and do a good WC.

Lights were on the same schedule I normally have it.

Any ideas what could have caused the bloom?

Thanks!

Reef noob_ · 07/29/2018, 11:05 AM

Probably due to your tank sitter over-feeding

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jrill · 07/29/2018, 11:15 AM

Yep, over feeding. Best to not feed while away.

Sk8r · 07/29/2018, 01:26 PM

Water changes. If it gets really bad, ask again:there are things that can be done.

mcgyvr · 07/30/2018, 04:38 AM

While some overfeeding "may" have been at play that kind of growth doesn't just sprout up in 10 days..
That was likely just a coincidence and it was gonna be like that if you were away or not IMO...

allendehl · 07/30/2018, 07:56 AM

Thank yo all. I checked Phosphates and Nitrates and they are in good range. Sucked all that crap out and did a WC.
Lets see now how it behaves.

If overfeeding was a factor, wouldn't it show up in the phosphates?

@mc, that is a big coincidence. I never had a single indication of that kind of bloom until now. What could cause it then?

mcgyvr · 07/30/2018, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allendehl

If overfeeding was a factor, wouldn't it show up in the phosphates?

@mc, that is a big coincidence. I never had a single indication of that kind of bloom until now. What could cause it then?

It won't show up if the algae was consuming it..

Algae happens.. It can take months and all of a sudden just show up..

allendehl · 08/18/2018, 05:29 PM

Ok, still battling it. It is not as aggressive as when I came back but it keeps popping up mostly on the sand bed and on a couple of more rocks, always the same rocks. I've siphoned it out a few times along with the clot of sand/gunk it attaches to but it comes back and I'm afraid that at some point I'll have to replace the sand I am taking out.
The ones in the rock I can never get all, it is really hard to scrape it out. @Sk8r here I am asking again, as you said

As a side note, in case this makes any solution available, I will be going fishless in the next few days thanks to the dreaded ich.

Uncle99 · 08/19/2018, 07:56 AM

Any sunlight hit those spots?
That's a big clump

allendehl · 08/19/2018, 10:08 AM

Sometimes. But its not new. The spots are not located in a specific side of the tank. They are random.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle99

Any sunlight hit those spots?
That's a big clump

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Uncle99 · 08/19/2018, 05:49 PM

I had a small band of sunlight cross my tank.
I gave removed the sunlight, it's just an algae maker.
A month later, green was gone.

07/29/2018, 10:02 AM	#1
allendehl Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 692	Left for 10 days and GHA took over...why? Hello guys, Left for vacation for 10 days and left my father in law in charge of feeding and topping off my RO/DI deposit. Made a WC the day before leaving. Came back home to no loses but a green field of hair algae all over my sand. Just checked for Phosphates and they are in check, at about 0.03. Pic is attached. I am now making enough RODI water to siphon all that algae and detritus out and do a good WC. Lights were on the same schedule I normally have it. Any ideas what could have caused the bloom? Thanks! __________________ [Newbie here so please take my opinions carefully] Current Tank Info: Red Sea Reefer 350 (72G) \| Jebao DCT 4000 (1056 GPH Max) \| Reef Octopus 152-S \| 2 X Jebao PP8 (2100 GPH Max)

07/29/2018, 11:05 AM	#2
Reef noob_ Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: holmdel, NJ Posts: 555	Left for 10 days and GHA took over...why? Probably due to your tank sitter over-feeding Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ ________________________ New Build in progress http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2528685 90 gallon DT, 65 Gallon Fuge, Chinese LEDs, LPS and Soft coral reef

07/29/2018, 01:26 PM	#4
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Water changes. If it gets really bad, ask again:there are things that can be done. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

07/30/2018, 04:38 AM	#5
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	While some overfeeding "may" have been at play that kind of growth doesn't just sprout up in 10 days.. That was likely just a coincidence and it was gonna be like that if you were away or not IMO... __________________ Who me?

07/30/2018, 07:56 AM	#6
allendehl Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 692	Thank yo all. I checked Phosphates and Nitrates and they are in good range. Sucked all that crap out and did a WC. Lets see now how it behaves. If overfeeding was a factor, wouldn't it show up in the phosphates? @mc, that is a big coincidence. I never had a single indication of that kind of bloom until now. What could cause it then? __________________ [Newbie here so please take my opinions carefully] Current Tank Info: Red Sea Reefer 350 (72G) \| Jebao DCT 4000 (1056 GPH Max) \| Reef Octopus 152-S \| 2 X Jebao PP8 (2100 GPH Max)

07/29/2018, 11:15 AM	#3
jrill Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Asheville, NC Posts: 54	Yep, over feeding. Best to not feed while away.

08/18/2018, 05:29 PM	#8
allendehl Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 692	Ok, still battling it. It is not as aggressive as when I came back but it keeps popping up mostly on the sand bed and on a couple of more rocks, always the same rocks. I've siphoned it out a few times along with the clot of sand/gunk it attaches to but it comes back and I'm afraid that at some point I'll have to replace the sand I am taking out. The ones in the rock I can never get all, it is really hard to scrape it out. @Sk8r here I am asking again, as you said As a side note, in case this makes any solution available, I will be going fishless in the next few days thanks to the dreaded ich. __________________ [Newbie here so please take my opinions carefully] Current Tank Info: Red Sea Reefer 350 (72G) \| Jebao DCT 4000 (1056 GPH Max) \| Reef Octopus 152-S \| 2 X Jebao PP8 (2100 GPH Max)

08/19/2018, 07:56 AM	#9
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	Any sunlight hit those spots? That's a big clump

08/19/2018, 05:49 PM	#11
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	I had a small band of sunlight cross my tank. I gave removed the sunlight, it's just an algae maker. A month later, green was gone.