Algae on sand?

eclipseagent

eclipseagent

Member
OK, my sand looks really nasty. I have had my tank set-up for about 3 1/2 to 4 monthes now and everything is fine except for the algae growing on the sand. It seems with the light off it goes away a little but during the day it all comes right back? Do I need a stronger light?
 
quazi

quazi

Member
You need to provide a whole lot more info. Describe your tank, nitrates, nitrites, ph, lighting, critters, fish, etc.
Since your tank is pretty new, my guess is that this is cynobacteria. Is the "algae" bright green, red, filamentis, whatever.
 
eclipseagent

eclipseagent

Member
Well the info you are looking for was included in my previous post (posted by my wife).
It is a 29gal tank w 40lbs LS, 15Lbs LR, 1 yellow tang, 1 dottyback, a tetra tec PF300 filter, and a rio 600 power head (skimmer will be added soon along with more LR)
We are having a problem during the day. At night the algae seems to subside quite a bit. But during the duration of the day the algae seems to come back. Is this due to the poor lighting we currently have on our system? We have the original bulb DOH. I know I know dont flame a newbie.
Would it be in our best intrest to upgrade just the bulb or find a canopy and but on a ballast, reflector and a light fixture? what would be the best to help with our problem?
 
tjkohler

tjkohler

Member
Well there are several problems right away before the algae, but I'm sure the Tang police will be around soon to tell you some of those (no yellow Tang should be in any tank smaller than a 75, and even then a 100+ gallon is really the lower end).
Is this algae red? It's probably cynobacteria. There are a few 'chemicals' that can help get rid of it, but it will just keep coming back until you fix the cause of the problem. The cause of the problem is probably the amount of nutrients in your system, probably from overfeeding or the type of water you are using (use RO/DI water if you aren't already). I had a little run in with cyno in my 10 gallon nano. I cut back feedings and the lighting period and everything turned out nicely.
But for your fishes, please give up the Yellow Tang. He will become stressed, get ick or worse, and end up dying. It's a fish that likes to swim and should be in larger tanks.
 
saltyrich

saltyrich

Active Member
I agree that tangs are recommeded for larger tanks. You do need to eliminate the source. Make sure you're using RO/DI water and not overfeeding. As far as the sand itself. I'd suggest upgrading your cleanup crew. Get some sand sifting critters that keep sand clear of debris that may be causing the problem like fighting conchs, more hermits, nassarius snails, cerith snails, etc..
I hope this is helpful.
 
eclipseagent

eclipseagent

Member
I have the Tang because I am moving to a 75 tank (that is right now in storage waiting for room to be setup) :)
I will keep you updated.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top