taiidrkstrangr
New Member
i am lookin for ways to get rid of algae in my 230 gallon ref tank.could someone please help.
algae in a reef tank
- Thread starter taiidrkstrangr
- Start date
carrie1429
Active Member
Do you know what kind of algea it is? That would help determine how to clean it off. Also what is your clean up crew like?
taiidrkstrangr
New Member
it is green hair algae.my clean upcrew consists of 1 sally about 50 turbos,5 or 6 green emeralds,and about 50 or so blue legged hermits.i have been told that a saifin bleeny is good for taht is that true?
ed bohon
New Member
There are several items to consider, regardless of the type of algea (generally speaking). 1)Are your lights on too long? 2)Are you overfeeding your fish? Inverts? 3)Make sure you are using RO water for replacing your evaporation 4)Get algea eating critters and fish. -- keep in mind that algea blooms have cycles...so, don't do any drastic adjustments...algea needs light, phospates, silicate and dissolved organic matter. As algea uses these items, the algea will stabilize and eventually subside. Be sure that your skimmer is working effectively and your temp is not too high. I recently increased my tank's temp from 75 to 77 over a two week period and experienced an algea bloom...I reduced the temp to 76 and cut back my MH lights by 2 hours (from 10 to 8) and got it under control. I hope this helps.
Ed.
Ed.
carrie1429
Active Member
Usually the hermit crabs do a good job in eating hair algea but I guess sometimes they can be lazy. I think hair algea comes from high phosphates so I would check those and see if it is too high. I don't know about the sailfin blenny but I know that lawnmower blennies do a great job in cleaning algea. Also I had arrow crabs that ate hair algea too, but in case you don't know the are kinda aggressive sometimes.
taiidrkstrangr
New Member
my lights are on for 8 hours a day. i only feed my fish once a day and it is not much food just enough for them to consume in five minutes.all my readings are normal.i will try to cool my tank a few degrees and see if that helps.i was told the sailfin blenny and the lawn mower blenny are the same thing is this true?i have also had the arrowcrabs and they seemed not to interested in the algae.tahnks for the help it is very usefull.
david s
Member
Algae Control
by Tom Phillips (The Reef Guy)
There are alot of messages going back and forth about people having problems controlling undesirable algae in their reef set-ups.. Green hair algae is at the top of the list because it can rapidly turn a beautiful reef environment into an unsightly mess that looks like something that crawled up from the black lagoon in a horror flick.. Undesirable algae growth can choke out the growth of encrusting coralline algae and even kill your corals by limiting the light available to them for photosynthesis.. Brown Algae (Diatoms), Red Slime Algae (Cyanobacteria) and Bubble Algae (Valonia) are just a few of the other nuisance algae found in saltwater aquaria..
Brown Algae - Diatoms
One of the first signs of a nuisance algae in a marine set-up is the brown algae that begins as a dusting on your substrate and rapidly turns into a brown mat that can, if not controlled, cover the bottom in a few weeks time.. This brown algae is not actually algae at all, it's dead diatom skeletons that are actually linked together (visable when viewed through a microscope) and this is what makes up the mat found on top of your substrate and lying on your liverock..
Diatoms feed on silacates and only last as long as their is a supply of silacates in the water.. If you start a new tank using RO (Reverse Osmosis) or DI (DeIonized) water, you greatly reduce the possibility of introducing silacates into the set-up.. Untreated tapwater will often have unacceptible levels of silacate.. Another way silacates are inadvertantly introduced is in the choice of substratum.. If you're going to use sand, make sure it's aragonite sand or use a fine to course mix of aragonite gravel.. Don't make the mistake of choosing play sand or builders sand for a reef or even a FO (Fish Only) set-up.. Plain old silaca sand can and will leach silacates back into the water column and this leaching effect can last for weeks to months depending on the amount used.. Silaca sand will leach silacates into the water as the water flows over it and the leaching can be accellerated by vacuuming the sand, bringing more fresh sand to the surface of your substrate.. If you've ever made the mistake of using silica based sand, you're not likely to repeat it..
Getting Rid of Diatoms
As I mentioned before, diatoms only last as long as the silacates (that they feed on) are present.. When you see the brown mat first appearing, that is an indication that the diatoms are dying and should be gone in a matter of weeks.. You should begin using RO or DI water for all future top-off, kalkwasser addition and water changes.. A few 10-20% water changes (with RO or DI water) will help to reduce the amount of silacates present and you should syphon off as much of the diatoms as possible to remove the ugly mass.. Adding a few hermit crabs (1-2 per 5 gal) and some astrea snails (1-2 per 10 gal) will also help remove the diatoms..
Green Hair Algae
If you've started your tank with RO or DI water and did not use any silaca sand in the substrate, you may still see a brown dust type of algae but this won't become a mass like the diatoms.. This brown dust will simply begin turning green.. Depending on how wide spread the dusting is, it can start attaching to your liverock, glass, overflow boxes, powerheads and anything else it settles on and is able to make a holdfast.. As is grows it can become the dreaded Green Hair Algae..
Hopefully you're reading this long before the algae has gotten out of control but sad to say, you're probably reading it after the fact that it has already happened.. Fear not, all it not lost
Controlling algae is actually a simple matter of limiting nutrients.. You need to keep your Nitrate levels below 10 mg/L and Phosphate below .05 mg/L .. Many algaes won't grow at all with Phosphate levels below .03 .. Yes, .03 not .3 but .03 and most test kits for PO4 only read down to .1 mg/L and some only read down to 1 mg/L so, that test kit would show 0 mg/L even if you had a reading of .95 mg/L (which is way too high)..
Nutrients can be reduced with regular partial water changes with RO or DI water.. Doing a 20% water change (with RO or DI water) will reduce the nutrient levels in your tank by 20% because RO (Reverse Osmosis) or DI (DeIonized) water should contain virtually no nutrients until you add your favorite synthetic salt mix..and commercial salt mixes are not known to contain nitrate or phosphate.. Repeat the water changes up to once per day, checking Nitrate and Phosphate levels between water changes, until the desired levels have been obtained.. You should syphon off as much of the undesirable algae as possible..Adding a few hermit crabs (1-2 per 5 gal) and some astrea snails (1-2 per 10 gal) will also help to keep your algae problems in check..
Red Slime Algae - Cyanobacteria
Red Slime Algae or Cyanobacteria seem to appear out of nowhere.. Some of the contributing factors are.. Poor or incorrect lighting conditions, tanks that are high in Nitrate and or Phosphate, tanks that have a large bio-load and excess organics and poor quality protien skimmers or skimmers that have not been cleaned in a few months..
Cyanobacteria starts off as a small spot or discoloration from bluegreen to dark red and sometimes almost black in color that slowly forms a sheet or mat that rapidly spreads out from the localized spot.. Usually found in an area of low water flow and or low light.. This sheet or mat doesn't attach very well (thankfully) and is easily removed with a syphon hose and certainly should be removed to stop it from spreading.. After removal increase water flow in that area to stop it from reappearing..
Getting rid of Cyanobacteria..You should begin using RO or DI water for all future top-off, kalkwasser addition and water changes.. A few 10-20% water changes (with RO or DI water) will help to dramatically reduce the amount of nutrients present.. You should syphon off as much of the red slime as possible when doing water changes.. The addition of fresh activated carbon helps alot by removing excess organics and impurities from the system.. Use the fresh activated carbon for 3-4 days and then dispose of it (reusing the activated carbon can reintroduce the problem).. Clean your Protien Skimmer and replace the diffuser or clean out the venturi line, whichever is applicable.. If the problem persists, your Protien Skimmer is either undersized for your set-up or is not working effeciently enough to do the job properly.. Change your flourescent lights every 6 months to maintain the correct color spectrum.. Cyanobacteria in an established or mature set-up can also be removed by adding 1-2 cup of substrate or livesand (per 50 gal) from an established set-up (that is not infected with cyanobacteria)..
Bubble Algae - Valonia
Bubble Algae (Valonia) are dark green single celled plants that range in size from smaller than 1mm to larger than 1cm (1/2" or more).. They can rapidly become a nuisance because they grow in limited nutrients (even in dimly lit places).. They reproduce both sexually and asexually and care should be taken not to break them after they are about 1/4" in diameter.. The larger ones can be mature and contain spores inside.. The spores are released when the bubble is broken (causing them to spread).. Some hermit crabs will eat bubble algae but most of them are too large to be considered reef safe.. Red Sea Sailfin Tangs have been known to eat bubble algae but your mileage may vary..
The best method for removing Bubble Algae.. Use a 6-10" section of rigid tubing attached to a 3-4' section of airline tubing and start a syphon through it.. Have someone hold a container and the end of the airline tubing so, they can let you know when the syphon has stopped.. Then start breaking the bubble algae with the end of the rigid tubing and capture as much of the contents of the bubbles as possible in the syphon container (clear the tube when the syphon stops).. Remove the shells of the Valonia (that are too big to be caught in the syphon tube) with a pair of tweezers or add a Herbivorous Tang (they love to eat the empty husks).. This may have to be repeated several times before the valonia are completely gone and or under control..
What eats Valonia?
I added 3 Emerald Crabs to my set-up and they virtually eliminated the bubble algae within 2-3 weeks.. After 4 months the Emerald crabs have yet to bother a single polyp in my set-up (your milage may vary).. The Red Sea Sailfin tang is also attributed with eating valonia but mine never touched the stuff (again, your milage may vary)..
Closing Notes:
You should begin using RO or DI water for all future top-off, kalkwasser addition and water changes.. A few 10-20% water changes (with RO or DI water) will help to dramatically reduce the amount of nutrients present.. Change your flourescent lights every 6 months and MH lights about once per year to maintain the correct color spectrum.. You should syphon off as much of the undesirable algae as possible when doing water changes.. Adding a few hermit crabs (1-2 per 5 gal) and some astrea snails (1-2 per 10 gal) will also help to keep your algae problems in check.. The addition of herbivorous fishes like the Yellow Tang, Kole Tang or the Sailfin Tang will also help keep the algae cropped down to a minimum..
Don't go overboard on the addition of trace elements.. I use CombiSan but only add 1 ml (per 25 gal) every 3rd week and none is added for 2 weeks after a water change of more than 5-10%.. Consider additives like SeaChem Reef Plus, Liquid Gold and any liquid suspensions that contain any trace elements, vitamins, amino acids, or micro nutrients as trace elements and use them sparingly (about 1/4 dosage)..
enjoy your reading
by Tom Phillips (The Reef Guy)
There are alot of messages going back and forth about people having problems controlling undesirable algae in their reef set-ups.. Green hair algae is at the top of the list because it can rapidly turn a beautiful reef environment into an unsightly mess that looks like something that crawled up from the black lagoon in a horror flick.. Undesirable algae growth can choke out the growth of encrusting coralline algae and even kill your corals by limiting the light available to them for photosynthesis.. Brown Algae (Diatoms), Red Slime Algae (Cyanobacteria) and Bubble Algae (Valonia) are just a few of the other nuisance algae found in saltwater aquaria..
Brown Algae - Diatoms
One of the first signs of a nuisance algae in a marine set-up is the brown algae that begins as a dusting on your substrate and rapidly turns into a brown mat that can, if not controlled, cover the bottom in a few weeks time.. This brown algae is not actually algae at all, it's dead diatom skeletons that are actually linked together (visable when viewed through a microscope) and this is what makes up the mat found on top of your substrate and lying on your liverock..
Diatoms feed on silacates and only last as long as their is a supply of silacates in the water.. If you start a new tank using RO (Reverse Osmosis) or DI (DeIonized) water, you greatly reduce the possibility of introducing silacates into the set-up.. Untreated tapwater will often have unacceptible levels of silacate.. Another way silacates are inadvertantly introduced is in the choice of substratum.. If you're going to use sand, make sure it's aragonite sand or use a fine to course mix of aragonite gravel.. Don't make the mistake of choosing play sand or builders sand for a reef or even a FO (Fish Only) set-up.. Plain old silaca sand can and will leach silacates back into the water column and this leaching effect can last for weeks to months depending on the amount used.. Silaca sand will leach silacates into the water as the water flows over it and the leaching can be accellerated by vacuuming the sand, bringing more fresh sand to the surface of your substrate.. If you've ever made the mistake of using silica based sand, you're not likely to repeat it..
Getting Rid of Diatoms
As I mentioned before, diatoms only last as long as the silacates (that they feed on) are present.. When you see the brown mat first appearing, that is an indication that the diatoms are dying and should be gone in a matter of weeks.. You should begin using RO or DI water for all future top-off, kalkwasser addition and water changes.. A few 10-20% water changes (with RO or DI water) will help to reduce the amount of silacates present and you should syphon off as much of the diatoms as possible to remove the ugly mass.. Adding a few hermit crabs (1-2 per 5 gal) and some astrea snails (1-2 per 10 gal) will also help remove the diatoms..
Green Hair Algae
If you've started your tank with RO or DI water and did not use any silaca sand in the substrate, you may still see a brown dust type of algae but this won't become a mass like the diatoms.. This brown dust will simply begin turning green.. Depending on how wide spread the dusting is, it can start attaching to your liverock, glass, overflow boxes, powerheads and anything else it settles on and is able to make a holdfast.. As is grows it can become the dreaded Green Hair Algae..
Hopefully you're reading this long before the algae has gotten out of control but sad to say, you're probably reading it after the fact that it has already happened.. Fear not, all it not lost
Controlling algae is actually a simple matter of limiting nutrients.. You need to keep your Nitrate levels below 10 mg/L and Phosphate below .05 mg/L .. Many algaes won't grow at all with Phosphate levels below .03 .. Yes, .03 not .3 but .03 and most test kits for PO4 only read down to .1 mg/L and some only read down to 1 mg/L so, that test kit would show 0 mg/L even if you had a reading of .95 mg/L (which is way too high)..
Nutrients can be reduced with regular partial water changes with RO or DI water.. Doing a 20% water change (with RO or DI water) will reduce the nutrient levels in your tank by 20% because RO (Reverse Osmosis) or DI (DeIonized) water should contain virtually no nutrients until you add your favorite synthetic salt mix..and commercial salt mixes are not known to contain nitrate or phosphate.. Repeat the water changes up to once per day, checking Nitrate and Phosphate levels between water changes, until the desired levels have been obtained.. You should syphon off as much of the undesirable algae as possible..Adding a few hermit crabs (1-2 per 5 gal) and some astrea snails (1-2 per 10 gal) will also help to keep your algae problems in check..
Red Slime Algae - Cyanobacteria
Red Slime Algae or Cyanobacteria seem to appear out of nowhere.. Some of the contributing factors are.. Poor or incorrect lighting conditions, tanks that are high in Nitrate and or Phosphate, tanks that have a large bio-load and excess organics and poor quality protien skimmers or skimmers that have not been cleaned in a few months..
Cyanobacteria starts off as a small spot or discoloration from bluegreen to dark red and sometimes almost black in color that slowly forms a sheet or mat that rapidly spreads out from the localized spot.. Usually found in an area of low water flow and or low light.. This sheet or mat doesn't attach very well (thankfully) and is easily removed with a syphon hose and certainly should be removed to stop it from spreading.. After removal increase water flow in that area to stop it from reappearing..
Getting rid of Cyanobacteria..You should begin using RO or DI water for all future top-off, kalkwasser addition and water changes.. A few 10-20% water changes (with RO or DI water) will help to dramatically reduce the amount of nutrients present.. You should syphon off as much of the red slime as possible when doing water changes.. The addition of fresh activated carbon helps alot by removing excess organics and impurities from the system.. Use the fresh activated carbon for 3-4 days and then dispose of it (reusing the activated carbon can reintroduce the problem).. Clean your Protien Skimmer and replace the diffuser or clean out the venturi line, whichever is applicable.. If the problem persists, your Protien Skimmer is either undersized for your set-up or is not working effeciently enough to do the job properly.. Change your flourescent lights every 6 months to maintain the correct color spectrum.. Cyanobacteria in an established or mature set-up can also be removed by adding 1-2 cup of substrate or livesand (per 50 gal) from an established set-up (that is not infected with cyanobacteria)..
Bubble Algae - Valonia
Bubble Algae (Valonia) are dark green single celled plants that range in size from smaller than 1mm to larger than 1cm (1/2" or more).. They can rapidly become a nuisance because they grow in limited nutrients (even in dimly lit places).. They reproduce both sexually and asexually and care should be taken not to break them after they are about 1/4" in diameter.. The larger ones can be mature and contain spores inside.. The spores are released when the bubble is broken (causing them to spread).. Some hermit crabs will eat bubble algae but most of them are too large to be considered reef safe.. Red Sea Sailfin Tangs have been known to eat bubble algae but your mileage may vary..
The best method for removing Bubble Algae.. Use a 6-10" section of rigid tubing attached to a 3-4' section of airline tubing and start a syphon through it.. Have someone hold a container and the end of the airline tubing so, they can let you know when the syphon has stopped.. Then start breaking the bubble algae with the end of the rigid tubing and capture as much of the contents of the bubbles as possible in the syphon container (clear the tube when the syphon stops).. Remove the shells of the Valonia (that are too big to be caught in the syphon tube) with a pair of tweezers or add a Herbivorous Tang (they love to eat the empty husks).. This may have to be repeated several times before the valonia are completely gone and or under control..
What eats Valonia?
I added 3 Emerald Crabs to my set-up and they virtually eliminated the bubble algae within 2-3 weeks.. After 4 months the Emerald crabs have yet to bother a single polyp in my set-up (your milage may vary).. The Red Sea Sailfin tang is also attributed with eating valonia but mine never touched the stuff (again, your milage may vary)..
Closing Notes:
You should begin using RO or DI water for all future top-off, kalkwasser addition and water changes.. A few 10-20% water changes (with RO or DI water) will help to dramatically reduce the amount of nutrients present.. Change your flourescent lights every 6 months and MH lights about once per year to maintain the correct color spectrum.. You should syphon off as much of the undesirable algae as possible when doing water changes.. Adding a few hermit crabs (1-2 per 5 gal) and some astrea snails (1-2 per 10 gal) will also help to keep your algae problems in check.. The addition of herbivorous fishes like the Yellow Tang, Kole Tang or the Sailfin Tang will also help keep the algae cropped down to a minimum..
Don't go overboard on the addition of trace elements.. I use CombiSan but only add 1 ml (per 25 gal) every 3rd week and none is added for 2 weeks after a water change of more than 5-10%.. Consider additives like SeaChem Reef Plus, Liquid Gold and any liquid suspensions that contain any trace elements, vitamins, amino acids, or micro nutrients as trace elements and use them sparingly (about 1/4 dosage)..
enjoy your reading
P
pa reef pig
Guest
Im not trying to tell you you need to go out and buy more stuff, because I agree with the earlier statement about algae blooms going in stages. But,...the amount of clean up crew you mentioned sounds more like the correct amount for a 50-75 gallon tank and not a 230 gallon tank. I would have thought you would need alot more critters to controll nusiance algae in that size tank. IMO
Dont get too excited yet.
When I had my hair algae bloom I made sure to change my filter in my DI unit and started pulling out as much of that crap by hand as I could and after a few weeks it has gone and not come back since. My tank is much more mature since then too which helps alot.
Its just one of the many reef growing pains. lol
Dont get too excited yet.
When I had my hair algae bloom I made sure to change my filter in my DI unit and started pulling out as much of that crap by hand as I could and after a few weeks it has gone and not come back since. My tank is much more mature since then too which helps alot.
Its just one of the many reef growing pains. lol