jktenpro
Member
I have brown algae that won't stop.
Set up:
90 Gal w/ 90 lbs of Fiji live rock(built in overflow)
pro clear 150 wet/dry
protein skimmer in sump
t-5 lights(2 daylights 10,000/6,500-2 actinics ea 54 watt-5 months old)
3 1/2 in of aragonite topped off w/ 10 lbs of live sand
inhabitants:
1-firefish
1-damselfish
2-cleaner shrimp
1-fire shrimp
4-emerald crabs
15- blue leg crabs
10- scarlet crabs
10- red leg crabs
20-nassisarus snails
1- mexican turbo
1- fighting conch
Tank has been set up for six months w/parameters since the cycle pretty much staying the same
ammonia-0
nitrite-0
nitrate-0(never went above 5)
ph 8.1
alk 7 dkh(ph has remained constant)
calcium 420
sg- 1.025
temp- 79-80
phosphate-0
Salifert, Hagen test kits
I feed usually every other day, used tap water w/ a TDS reading of 155 for the 1st 5 1/2 months. I bought an ro/di unit about 6 weeeks ago, have done a number of water changes and a gallon top off a day. Before I purchased the ro/di I used a phosphate sponge which didn't change a thing. If I leave the day lights on for just 8 or 9 hrs(actinics always about 12 hrs) two days in a row there is brown stuff all over the sand(some areas having hair attached to the sand) I have to turn the daylights off or cut back to about 4 or 5 hrs a day just to keep the algae at a minimum. If I turn the day lights off for 2 or 3 days most of it will go away. There is a little green algae mixed in occasionally but mainly brown. I had hair algae within the 1st month and that went away as did the bubble algae within the 1st 2 months. Everything has been the same for pretty much the whole 6 months. The tank parameters have really not changed and the only things I've lost were 2 Mexican turbos(cooler water snails).
A couple reefers of over 15 years at the lfs say they have always used Baltimore City tap with no issues, on their tanks and in the store, and hardly ever have had algae blooms (they both have MH). One guy said he's heard of a lot of algae w/t-5's. Oh, I have about 16x's the turnover. The ro unit hasn't seemed to help at all as of yet and I have probably done about 4 or 5 15% water changes with it the last 6 weeks.
On a side note, I hardly see any critters on the sand at night(the past couple of months) like I did when I added the live sand. Why would they be depleting? Should I add more? Does anyone have any ideas why this algae is so persistent?
Set up:
90 Gal w/ 90 lbs of Fiji live rock(built in overflow)
pro clear 150 wet/dry
protein skimmer in sump
t-5 lights(2 daylights 10,000/6,500-2 actinics ea 54 watt-5 months old)
3 1/2 in of aragonite topped off w/ 10 lbs of live sand
inhabitants:
1-firefish
1-damselfish
2-cleaner shrimp
1-fire shrimp
4-emerald crabs
15- blue leg crabs
10- scarlet crabs
10- red leg crabs
20-nassisarus snails
1- mexican turbo
1- fighting conch
Tank has been set up for six months w/parameters since the cycle pretty much staying the same
ammonia-0
nitrite-0
nitrate-0(never went above 5)
ph 8.1
alk 7 dkh(ph has remained constant)
calcium 420
sg- 1.025
temp- 79-80
phosphate-0
Salifert, Hagen test kits
I feed usually every other day, used tap water w/ a TDS reading of 155 for the 1st 5 1/2 months. I bought an ro/di unit about 6 weeeks ago, have done a number of water changes and a gallon top off a day. Before I purchased the ro/di I used a phosphate sponge which didn't change a thing. If I leave the day lights on for just 8 or 9 hrs(actinics always about 12 hrs) two days in a row there is brown stuff all over the sand(some areas having hair attached to the sand) I have to turn the daylights off or cut back to about 4 or 5 hrs a day just to keep the algae at a minimum. If I turn the day lights off for 2 or 3 days most of it will go away. There is a little green algae mixed in occasionally but mainly brown. I had hair algae within the 1st month and that went away as did the bubble algae within the 1st 2 months. Everything has been the same for pretty much the whole 6 months. The tank parameters have really not changed and the only things I've lost were 2 Mexican turbos(cooler water snails).
A couple reefers of over 15 years at the lfs say they have always used Baltimore City tap with no issues, on their tanks and in the store, and hardly ever have had algae blooms (they both have MH). One guy said he's heard of a lot of algae w/t-5's. Oh, I have about 16x's the turnover. The ro unit hasn't seemed to help at all as of yet and I have probably done about 4 or 5 15% water changes with it the last 6 weeks.
On a side note, I hardly see any critters on the sand at night(the past couple of months) like I did when I added the live sand. Why would they be depleting? Should I add more? Does anyone have any ideas why this algae is so persistent?
