Algae Out of Control

[justaqtcub]

:help: :help: :help: :help:
I am in dire need of some help with my 58 gallon. I have algae coming out of my ears. About a month ago, I broke down the tank and scrubed down all the rock because the entire tank was a giant green sesspool. After scrubbing the rock, cleaning almost all algae off them, scrapping the glass clean and adding 30lbs of live sand to the existing crushed coral base I had, the tank looked very good. I have been adding a bacteria, provided by the Local Fish Store, which is suppose to eliminate hair algae. I have been adding this weekly. It says to add it weekly until the problem is resloved. Before I did this massive cleaning, I took all my fish to the local store for credit. With this credit, I purchased an entire cleanup crew again. The Hawaiian Zebra Hermits are DEVILS. They wipped out my entire crew that I had previously. I currently have 4 Giant Turbo Snails, 20 red hermits, 5 Astrea Snails. My cleanup crew looks sluggish, as if they have no desire to eat. The water tests as follows: pH - 8.3, Ammonia - 0, Alk - 4, Phosphates - ~0.4, Calcium - > 450, Nitrates - < 20, Nitrites - 0.
When I did the massive cleaning, I cleaned everything... my sump, protein skimmer and all filters. I removed the bio balls in my sump. I kept hearing that they were the main cause of my Nitrates.
Now, a month after the cleaning, the algae looks likes it going to over run the entire tank again. The bacteria that I have been adding does not look like it's helping one bit. And at $15 bucks a bottle which only last less than a week, it's too freaking expensive to keep adding when it appears to be doing nothing. Someone please help. Or come pick up this tank. I am so ready to get rid of it.
Sincerely,
VERY FRUSTRATED HOBBYIST
:help: :help: :help:
I am serious about selling it. Everything for best offer. Local Dallas Metroplex only.

 

[smarls]

AQT,
Sorry about your problems. Two quick questions:
How many powerheads do you ahve in there, and what are the flow ratings of each.
What kind of water are you using? Tap water?
Stewart

 

[justaqtcub]

One powerhead - 180 GPH
I use Reverse Osmosis water for my water changes.
I use a MagDrive 5 - 500 GPH for my filtration.
I'm out of available plugs. I even added two outlets to the original one. One being a control timer for the lights.
Timed outlet - Timer - Outlet - GFI Outlet
Plus I am running a powerstip.
If your saying that I need more water flow, I don't think it will matter. The power head I have not, it blows full force on some rock and the hair algae grows just as fast there as it does else where in the tank that doesn't have as much water current.
I'm Stumped!

 

[yosemite sam]

What is the name of the bacteria stuff the LFS is selling you?

 

[smarls]

I would ignore the flown from your filtration, as while it may be 500 gallons per hour, it has to rise a certain level from the pump to the tnak which greatly decreases the flow.
Certain Algaes tend to start in low flow areas. You should be aiming for about 10 -20 times turnover...you are currently at about 3 times turn-over - way too low (ignoring your filtration).
The water movement helps stop algae settling and establishing itself. Once it is established, then of course it is a different problem.
I will need to think aoout this...I mean, the algae is thriving of phospates coming from somewhere...do you feed the tank? How long do you leave your lights on for?

 

[justaqtcub]

Yosemite - I'll have to get back to you on the name of this bacteria, the LFS has already closed and I can't find the product on the internet, at least a photo of it, so I can recognize it.
Smarls - Yes, the algae is WELL established. On the back of the glass, the overflow, everywhere. Some of the rock that I scrubbed is still clean. But I am afraid it won't last long. Why is my cleanup crew not taking care of at least some of this? I need something to KILL the algae. Something that won't harm snails and hermits. If starting over is the best option, then so be it. I can get rid of everything I have and copper the tank if that will help. I just would like to try and not kill everything, meaning the bacteria that breaks down nitrates, nitrates and ammonia.
I'm desperate here.

:notsure:

 

[smarls]

AQT a little more info would help:
Are you feeding the tank? If so what and how often?
What is your lighting, and what is your photoperiod? Are they new bulbs, or are they old? If old, how old?
Can you add another powerhead? 3 times turnover is not very much.
Starters: cut your photoperiod (depoending on what animals you have in the tank).

 

[rubberduck]

it could be helped if u regulate the lighting time, are u using tap water, because that helps growth.

 

[justaqtcub]

I'm not feeding the tank anylonger since I don't have fish.
The Bacteria that I have been adding is called:
Marine S.A.T.
Biological Clarifier

 

[justaqtcub]

I am using Reverse Osmosis water. The lighting time is controled at 10 hours / day. It is set by a timer that turns on and off at the exact same time every day.
My Light is a compact floresant. The light is 192 watts and is only 5 months old.
The only animals in the tank are the Turbo snails, Astrea Snails and hermits.
There is one Ricordea in the tank, but it's not anything I am worried about.

 

[smarls]

Turn off your lights then. No photoperiod for a few weeks. Hopefully your tank is not near a window!
Algae needs light to thrive, without light, no algae. The lack of light will not harm your snails or crabs (although you will need to return you ricordia).
This might goive your tank the "reset" it needs. Worth a try for sure.
Stewart

 

[fishamajig]

If I were you i might want to try a diatom filter. Scrub the rocks and the walls of the tank and run the diatom filter for about a half hour. removes all the algie in the water. People have conflicting views on a diatom filter but i use it in my reef tank and it keeps the water clear and i dont have to run carbon in my filter. also you might want to get a yellow tang. i have no experience with them personally but i hear that they can really take care of a hair algie problem.

 

[900dublr]

Draining the tank again isnt going to do a thing. And adding chemicals doesnt help b/c its going to keep coming back. You need to find the source of the phosphate. I would pick up a phosphate test and test your tank and the water your using. Im not sure where your getting the water but the filters might need to be changed. I have a yellow tang and it doesnt touch hair algae. The snails should eat it. Try putting the snails on the rocks where the algae is. Since you have the coral in the tank you cant turn the lights off completly but you could cut them back. Btw how old is the tank? HTH

 

[900dublr]

Forgot to mention do water changes. They help out alot. Mabe 5-10 gallons every few days. It should help with the phosphates. Btw dont give up, everyone goes through an algae spell, especially newer tanks. Im fighting diatoms as I speak.

 

[jgrossi]

i noticed that you mentioned that you did your water changes with r/o water. did you also use r/o water when filling the tank?

 

[justaqtcub]

Have a lot of questions to respond to, so forgive me if I miss one.
The tank has been set up since July 2003.
I have tested the R/O water before using it, and everything is ZERO across the board except the pH and Alk. Which are normal.
The only coral I have in this tank is a Ricordea. It's not doing so well, so I am not worried if it dies. Turning the lights off will be no problem.
The tank was originally set up as part of the purchase from the LFS that I bought it from. They used water from my garden hose to fill it. I don't think that would be an issue now, as it was a year and a half ago. I have done enough water changes to make up that big NO NO. But at the time, I didn't know any better, I was BRAND NEW to this hobby.
I don't think my R/O filters need changing yet. The filters are only 11 months old. My first water changes were done with store bought R/O carbon filtered JUG water. I would mix then in a big tub with the needed salt and do my water changes with that, until I got the R/O system. When I test the R/O system water, it's great.
I do test for Phosphates. They range between .6 and 1.0, sometimes higher.
Where do Phosphates come from? Light, Air, Waiste?
I have about 4 inches of substrate in the tank now, and Nitrogen bubbles are being released by it. I have been told this is good and am not worried about the bubbles.
The algae that grows also develops bubbles that cling to the strands. Seems strange to me.
I am just shooting out things that I see in the tank in hopes that something will spark a thought to help in this mess.
The tank is 58 gallon, reef ready by Oceanic with a wet/dry sump. I use a Coralife UV sterilizer, a REEF Devil protein skimmer.
I will see what I can do about getting more power heads in the tank. Plugs are a problem, but will figure something out. I just don't want to create a fire hazard.
If I missed anyone questions, sorry. I have been going back and forth to my reply and your questions in hopes to not skip any.

I DO APPRECIATE EVERYONE HELP AND CONCERN.

Thank you all,
Daniel

 

[smarls]

AQT,
What kind of substrate do you have? I am going to bet it is CC.
The phosphates enter your system through (i) water, (ii) overfeeding, (iii) some other source. That level is high, so that is why the algae is everywhere.
Cut your lights way back (the algae needs light), and doi some really big water changes (like 40% every week for a month).
That should do the trick. You can also start running ome form of phosphate sponge. My tank (I have a CC substrate - wish I didn't) has higher levels of nitrate and phosphate than it should have, and so i run a phosphate sponmge to help limit it. It helps alot. However, you first step is big water changes for a period of time, and cut way back on your loighting.
Stewart

 

[justaqtcub]

My substrate is about 50% CC and 50% very fine live sand, probaby 40lbs of each. I mixed the sand with the CC when I took out the rock to scrub it. I have the red algae on the surface, but it's going away. I see the red algae when something new to the tank has been introduced like the 40lbs of live sand. Red Algae has never been an issue.
I going to turn the lights off completely for at least two weeks. Then check it afterwards. If I see an improvement, great. If not, then I'll leave them off for another two weeks.
I will do a 50% water change every week for a good month, maybe more.
One thing I don't want to see happen is the color on the live rock dissappear. The reds, purples, pinks and maroon colors are the only color I have right now. I don't want them to die.
I'm going to invest in new compact and UV bulbs as a safety. I was told that Phosphates can increase with bad lighting.
.
I would really love to retro-fit a Metal Halide in the canopy of my tank, but not sure how to prevent it from being a fire hazard. Those things get HOT!
OHHHHH... The tank temp usually sits at 78 - 82 degrees.
And I can't afford a chiller if I go with Metal Halide.

 

[nitram]

I have a 125 gal tank that was setup going on 2.5 months now and the hair algae was totally horrible to the point that I was ready to give it up and just get rid of the tank altogether then I bought 50 Astrea/Turbo snails and in 2 weeks it was almost totally gone I have almost 150 lbs of rock and it was clean my glass, power heads, filters all. I was so happy It mad me just want to start all over again. I think you would find the same results with these guys. They are reef safe and they seem to eat all the time sliding over everything. The only thing about these guys is that when they fall on there backs they don’t seem to be able to upright those selves. Also they I don’t really see them on the sand at all so that is were the nasssarius snails come into play I have about 30 of these little guys they love cleaning the sand bed as well as the glass and rocks. I have 5 green emerald crabs 25 blue legs and 25 scarlet hermits. And I have no ALGAE PROBLEM AT ALL. With your water test results it looks pretty good, I know some of you said to cut the lights off but I think that would cause a neither cycle of some sort, try the snails and I believe you will be surprised at what they will do. Good luck and I hope you have the same results that I did, fighting algae is a long, long, long process and no matter what everyone tells you to do you will find that it is all trial and error with this stuff, right when you think you have it whooped it comes screaming back, so far with the clean up crew that I described to you above and regular water changes, I am completely satisfied with the results as of this moment hopefully it will stay that way. Keep up the good fight

 

[justaqtcub]

NITRAM - Just wanted to let you in on my experience when my tank was 2.5 months old. What you have explained below happened to me too. At first, the algae was bad. I mean not quite as bad as what I have been going through now, but very bad. The algae reached it's peek at about a month into the tank being set up. The LFS told me that it was normal and that the tank wasn't finished cycling. Boy were they right. After about the 2nd month of the tank being set up... and my water still testing great, the coral skeletons that I had in the tank, along with the glass, all cleared up. The coral skeletons turned bleach white, the glass was clear and required no scraping. I was like WOOOO HOOOO! This is great. At this point is when I added my first fish. Nothing died as they said they would. The tank was great for about 8 months. The tank now being set up for a year and 4 months now adding things on the way, the algae came back 3 months ago and has been taking over DRASTICALLY.
I just wanted to say these few words to say keep an alert out.... because one day things may be great, then all of a sudden trouble.