Algae and coral food

[sh4n]

Hi, im after some advice for my saltwater tank. It has been running since november last year. the tank is 6ft x 2.5 x 2.5 with a 50 gal sump and a 40 gal auto ro tank.
There is roughly 120kg of live rock in the tank which is nearly covered in coraline algae. I have mainly soft corals with a few leathers, zoas and a heliofungia.
Fish include -
2 black ocellaris clownfish
2 true percula clowh fish
Bi-color blenny
Blue tang
Purple tang
30+ hermits/snails
blue linkia starfish
I have been using RO water from the very start, I'm using a protein skimmer and 1 x 12000 lph wave maker. water changes every second week, around 20-30%
I am still having trouble with green hair algae, and also green bubble algae (after buying rock second hand with it on it) I dont over feed the fish, my lights are down to 4 hours per day (blue lights only, white havent been on in a week). Parameters are good. I have metal halides.
QUESTION: What can be recommended to me? I have another wave maker that I can use, I just thought it was to blowy as my fish were small, I have a UV steralizer which I havent yet used. I have used API algaefix dont think its working. Would it be worth getting a poly reactor, if so what kind? I know someone i think Snake recommended a algae scrubber but im just unable to make one myself or get anyone here to unfortuetly. the tank is not near direct light.
My next question is coral food, I have been using marine snow but was looking around for something else I was thinking the following products, are they worth using?
Red sea Reef Energy A (Carbs Nutrition)
Red Sea Reef Energy B (Aminovit Nutrition).
Also should I be using the following to improve colours
Red Sea Reef Colours A (Iodine/Halogens)
Red Sea Reef Colours B (Potassium)
Red Sea Reef Colours C (Iron/Trace)
Red Sea Reef Colours D (Trace)
Thanks for any feedback/help

 

[nicknacs]

I'm new to and cant answer most of your questions but I had a lot of hair algae that came with the tank I bought and bought a sea hare to eat it. It's a pretty ugly little guy and it poops A LOT but it did the job in about 3 weeks. i still have what looks like hair algae start on little spots on the rock but by the time I notice it it is gone within a day or two.

 

[sh4n]

Thanks for the reply, that actually look kinda cute but I read once your tank runs out of hair algae they can starve, have you had that problem?

 

[nicknacs]

Mine hasn't completely ran out yet. Like I said u can see it a little bit at times but I haven't done anything else to get rid of it so he don't starve. But you can also buy algea for it to eat.

 

[sh4n]

ok cool thanks for that! ive never seen one here in australia but ill watch out for one

 

[snakeblitz33]

I don't recommend sea hares. They die when they run out of proper nutrients.
Algae scrubbers are cool. It not entirely necessary. Instead, invest in buying some macroalgae and put it in your sump/fuge with a light and Change the bulb out once every three months.
Stop feeding marine snow. Jus feed your fish. The detritus and fish waste will be eaten by the corals. Marine snow is like a pollutant to the tank, and is probably a cause for your algae problems.
If you don't have a skimmer, get one and use it liberally.
If you don't have macroalgae, get some and harvest it regularly.
If you don't have a phosphate reactor, get one and use it regularly.
Pick the hair out by hand. Keep your lights off for now. Replace your metal halide bulbs if they are more than a year old. Add a phos reactor and quit feeding marine snow.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SH4N http:///t/391256/algae-and-coral-food#post_3468745
Hi, im after some advice for my saltwater tank. It has been running since november last year. the tank is 6ft x 2.5 x 2.5 with a 50 gal sump and a 40 gal auto ro tank.
There is roughly 120kg of live rock in the tank which is nearly covered in coraline algae. I have mainly soft corals with a few leathers, zoas and a heliofungia.
Fish include -
2 black ocellaris clownfish
2 true percula clowh fish
Bi-color blenny
Blue tang
Purple tang
30+ hermits/snails
blue linkia starfish
I have been using RO water from the very start, I'm using a protein skimmer and 1 x 12000 lph wave maker. water changes every second week, around 20-30%
I am still having trouble with green hair algae, and also green bubble algae (after buying rock second hand with it on it) I dont over feed the fish, my lights are down to 4 hours per day (blue lights only, white havent been on in a week). Parameters are good. I have metal halides.
QUESTION: What can be recommended to me? I have another wave maker that I can use, I just thought it was to blowy as my fish were small, I have a UV steralizer which I havent yet used. I have used API algaefix dont think its working. Would it be worth getting a poly reactor, if so what kind? I know someone i think Snake recommended a algae scrubber but im just unable to make one myself or get anyone here to unfortuetly. the tank is not near direct light.
My next question is coral food, I have been using marine snow but was looking around for something else I was thinking the following products, are they worth using?
Red sea Reef Energy A (Carbs Nutrition)
Red Sea Reef Energy B (Aminovit Nutrition).
Also should I be using the following to improve colours
Red Sea Reef Colours A (Iodine/Halogens)
Red Sea Reef Colours B (Potassium)
Red Sea Reef Colours C (Iron/Trace)
Red Sea Reef Colours D (Trace)
Thanks for any feedback/help
DO NOT put any additives into your tank like the trace elements you listed without doing a test to see if it is low. Regular WCs every other week means that most likely they are not low.
Wild Toe, feeding frenzy are good coral foods....but remember, what feeds a coral feeds the algae. Snakes recommendations are perfect for you to do.
Green bubble algae is a macroalgae, as you remove it (harvest) you remove phosphates and nitrates. If you introduce another macro in abundance it should absorb the nutrients the others need and snuff them out. Caulerpa Prolifera, is an excellent macro...it looks like turtle grass and is super easy to harvest and looks awesome in the tank. If you put macro in the sump, Chaeto is a really good choice.

 

[rickross23]

if you INSIST on coral food, Reef Chili by BRS is the way to go. dont get any till you solve the algae outbreak.

 

[snakeblitz33]

if you INSIST on coral food, Reef Chili by BRS is the way to go. dont get any till you solve the algae outbreak.
So, you have a couple months experience with it? Sorry dude, any bottled and preserved food additive isn't good for your tank.
If you insist on feeding anything, feed bottled, refrigerated nannochloropsis phytoplankton. You can buy it as "DT's Phytoplankton."
It's still alive in the bottle. It also has more nutrition in it, DHA and EFA and good MUFA's.

 

[rickross23]

Reef chili won best coral food...

 

[sh4n]

thanks everyone. it actually isnt growing any where near as fast. thanks for all feedback!
snake whats a good brand/type of reactor ?

 

[reefkprz]

Quote:
Originally Posted by rickross23 http:///t/391256/algae-and-coral-food#post_3469216
Reef chili won best coral food...
from whome?
and who else was entered to win?
also what was the criteria to win? was it most votes by people or were there actual standards to be met?
I'm curious. but I am willing to bet it was just a popularity contest, not with any real guidelines or standards.

 

[snakeblitz33]

I like the two little fishies phosphate reactor with phosban media. But that is only because that is the only reactor I have ever used. Many people suggest using the BRS dual reactor, which has carbon and phosphate binding media in it in two separate sections. I like the brs and would buy that if I didn't already have my two little fishies.
A phos reactor is only half the equation. You will need to add it to your tank and turn your lights off for a few days to a week and quit feeding the tank all but 1/3 you normally do. Then the algae will get weak because it's starving for light and food and eventually die.
Bubble algae is well, tricky. Usually I take the rock out and scrub it and dip it in hydrogen peroxide and add it back to the tank. But if there is a lot of it, a horde of green emerald crabs can usually work.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/391256/algae-and-coral-food#post_3469552
I like the two little fishies phosphate reactor with phosban media. But that is only because that is the only reactor I have ever used. Many people suggest using the BRS dual reactor, which has carbon and phosphate binding media in it in two separate sections. I like the brs and would buy that if I didn't already have my two little fishies.
A phos reactor is only half the equation. You will need to add it to your tank and turn your lights off for a few days to a week and quit feeding the tank all but 1/3 you normally do. Then the algae will get weak because it's starving for light and food and eventually die.
Bubble algae is well, tricky. Usually I take the rock out and scrub it and dip it in hydrogen peroxide and add it back to the tank. But if there is a lot of it, a horde of green emerald crabs can usually work.
The two little fishies reactor is great, for larger tanks you need a bigger reactor...I WISH my two little fishies would fit on my bigger tanks. It is easier to maintain.
Green bubble algae is beautiful, it looks like marbles.