Algae problem.. 55 gallon... nitemare

messeduptriple

messeduptriple

New Member
Can someone please help me. I have a 55 gallon salt tank. I have 1 star fish, yellow tang, tomato clown, 1 damsel and 1 shrimp. I have been having this algae problem for a while now.. the tank has been going for about 5 years now and the last 1 year or so it's been going bad but not overly bad if I may say..im seeing algae growing on the rocks but nothing horrible, in the back glass it's always showing up and on the sides. . Its starting to make my tank look yellow.. or a light yellow green in the light. I was told few months ago to change using tap water to RO which I have been doing religiously and still im not seeing any change. I dont have a huge stock and my tank is 55 gallon. What could be a different problem??? To much lighting? I bought a LED nite and day lamp which I started using but still that has nothing changed.. I have the auto light on at 1045 am until about 8pm. I feed every other day the small amount as told.. nothing drastic. I have no skimmer. I had a filter canister for while but for some reason it made my fish almost die.. not sure why but I would unplugg it then it wouldn't circulate water and they would start to do better withinhour or two. ..yea was odd. Anyways I got rid of that. my skimmer I had both broke and weren't even skimming after while.. maybe the cheaper one I had wasn't good .. what is a real.good brand? Anyways could someone give me some advice on what to try now??? Please help me.
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flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Messeduptriple http:///t/392896/algae-problem-55-gallon-nitemare#post_3491745
Can someone please help me. I have a 55 gallon salt tank. I have 1 star fish, yellow tang, tomato clown, 1 damsel and 1 shrimp. I have been having this algae problem for a while now.. the tank has been going for about 5 years now and the last 1 year or so it's been going bad but not overly bad if I may say..im seeing algae growing on the rocks but nothing horrible, in the back glass it's always showing up and on the sides. . Its starting to make my tank look yellow.. or a light yellow green in the light. I was told few months ago to change using tap water to RO which I have been doing religiously and still im not seeing any change. I dont have a huge stock and my tank is 55 gallon. What could be a different problem??? To much lighting? I bought a LED nite and day lamp which I started using but still that has nothing changed.. I have the auto light on at 1045 am until about 8pm. I feed every other day the small amount as told.. nothing drastic. I have no skimmer. I had a filter canister for while but for some reason it made my fish almost die.. not sure why but I would unplugg it then it wouldn't circulate water and they would start to do better withinhour or two. ..yea was odd. Anyways I got rid of that. my skimmer I had both broke and weren't even skimming after while.. maybe the cheaper one I had wasn't good .. what is a real.good brand? Anyways could someone give me some advice on what to try now??? Please help me.
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Good Morning, and welcome to the site!
A good skimmer brand is an in sump Octopus, I have yet to find a good HOB brand, but I havent tried a HOB Octopus either. The green you are seeing is organic matter in the water...you do need a skimmer from the sound of it. Tap water was a huge no-no. What are your test readings?
My best guess is you also have high phosphates. So post your numbers and lets see what you have going on. You came to the right place for some help.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Messeduptriple http:///t/392896/algae-problem-55-gallon-nitemare#post_3491745
Can someone please help me. I have a 55 gallon salt tank. I have 1 star fish, yellow tang, tomato clown, 1 damsel and 1 shrimp. I have been having this algae problem for a while now.. the tank has been going for about 5 years now and the last 1 year or so it's been going bad but not overly bad if I may say..im seeing algae growing on the rocks but nothing horrible, in the back glass it's always showing up and on the sides. . Its starting to make my tank look yellow.. or a light yellow green in the light. I was told few months ago to change using tap water to RO which I have been doing religiously and still im not seeing any change. I dont have a huge stock and my tank is 55 gallon. What could be a different problem??? To much lighting? I bought a LED nite and day lamp which I started using but still that has nothing changed.. I have the auto light on at 1045 am until about 8pm. I feed every other day the small amount as told.. nothing drastic. I have no skimmer. I had a filter canister for while but for some reason it made my fish almost die.. not sure why but I would unplugg it then it wouldn't circulate water and they would start to do better withinhour or two. ..yea was odd. Anyways I got rid of that. my skimmer I had both broke and weren't even skimming after while.. maybe the cheaper one I had wasn't good .. what is a real.good brand? Anyways could someone give me some advice on what to try now??? Please help me.
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If there are no corals in the tank, or plants that you want, turn your lights off. Your fish don't need lighting, but the algae does. The lighting is feeding the algae.
What are you using for filtration since you're not running the canister filter. By the way, it sounds like that canister filter may have had a short in it that was putting current into your tank.
Octopus and ASM are the two brands of skimmer that I like the most.
Do you have any snails, hermits, or any other algae cleaners? Do you know what types of algae are growing?
Test your phosphates
 
messeduptriple

messeduptriple

New Member
Im not using any filtration. I stopped using it. I actually threw it away. I shouldn't have done it. I was actually told that the canister is a housing unit for nitrate. I was told just use skimmer..I have a hand full if hermits that's it. My star fish ate my large snails and my urchin. If I dont have a filtration unit how would I lower phosphate ?? I think the only lowering phosphate product at local fish store is intended for canister. Ill be upset if I have to buy another canister.
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btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
You need some sort of filtration, either a hang on the back filter, or canister filter or the like. With just powerheads and having fish, you basically need to do water changes EVERY day. You need some way to remove the wastes that your fish are producing. Without removing the wastes, your 1) polluting your water, which makes it stressful for your fish and 2) providing the algae with the necessary nutrients they need to grow.
Yes, canister filters CAN be nitrate factories, but if properly maintained, you shouldn't have much issues. I've ran them without any problems as well as many other people on this site. You could also do a hang on overflow and sump system, which would be best, but will involve more work in the beginning.
 
messeduptriple

messeduptriple

New Member

You need some sort of filtration, either a hang on the back filter, or canister filter or the like. With just powerheads and having fish, you basically need to do water changes EVERY day. You need some way to remove the wastes that your fish are producing. Without removing the wastes, your 1) polluting your water, which makes it stressful for your fish and 2) providing the algae with the necessary nutrients they need to grow.

Yes, canister filters CAN be nitrate factories, but if properly maintained, you shouldn't have much issues. I've ran them without any problems as well as many other people on this site. You could also do a hang on overflow and sump system, which would be best, but will involve more work in the beginning.
what is the deal with a sump? Is there multiple things I need to buy? Or can I just buy the sump?? This is all very foreign stuff I stayed away from but now I want the take back to its prime and will do some work needed. So the filter canister is ok?? Or should I just get a skimmer??
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bubblegurl

bubblegurl

Member
I have a 55 gl tank as well and use a fluval 305 canister filter. I keep carbon, rowaphos, the filter media and sponges in it. Clean thoroughly every 2 weeks and change media monthly. I just added my 6th fish to the tank so small bio load. I don't have a skimmer on the tank but have 3 power heads. I also do water changes every 2 weeks, tank has been running for 1 1/2 years and is doing great. I'd say get another canister filter on it and increase your water changes. How often are you doing them now?
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Messeduptriple http:///t/392896/algae-problem-55-gallon-nitemare#post_3491844
what is the deal with a sump? Is there multiple things I need to buy? Or can I just buy the sump?? This is all very foreign stuff I stayed away from but now I want the take back to its prime and will do some work needed. So the filter canister is ok?? Or should I just get a skimmer??
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A sump system really is best in my opinion. You'd need an overflow box and a sump. Basically it pulls water through the overflow out of the tank, and runs down a tube into the sump, then you have a return pump in your sump that would run it back into the main tank. It's really a giant canister filter to put it simply. The sump is just a tank sitting under your main tank where you keep all your filtration (carbon, skimmer, etc) so that it does not clog up the main tank. It also increases the total water volume, which makes small errors less likely to disrupt the tank.
Canister filters are okay, they just must be maintained. I really like the Fluval line of canister filters. I swear by the FX5, but that might be a little too strong for your tank, the 305 should work well. If you go to the New Hobbyist section of the forum, there are some great reads in the recommended threads where you can get a better idea of sump vs canister vs hang on the back filter. Either way, you need something more than a powerhead.
 
messeduptriple

messeduptriple

New Member
So what would be my best step next?? Buy the canister again.. it sounds like the sump is gonna be some work ..I have no clue on where to start.
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bubblegurl

bubblegurl

Member
Not disagreeing with btlreef at all, a sump system is a great choice if feasible. I looked into doing one on my tank and decided not to for a number of reasons -the risk of water on the floor was a big one as tank is not drilled, fully operational, but I have no room in my stand for one. so for me the canister works fine.
How much live rock is in the tank? Have you done any testing for phosphates, nitrates? Where are your other parameters?
 
messeduptriple

messeduptriple

New Member
Not disagreeing with btlreef at all, a sump system is a great choice if feasible. I looked into doing one on my tank and decided not to for a number of reasons -the risk of water on the floor was a big one as tank is not drilled, fully operational, but I have no room in my stand for one. so for me the canister works fine.
How much live rock is in the tank? Have you done any testing for phosphates, nitrates? Where are your other parameters?I have about 4 5 gallon pails of live rock in it.. its a good amount. I haven't done any tests no.
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btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Canister is probably the way to go since the tank is already running, I just wanted to give you all your options (sump/hang on the back filter/canister).
 
messeduptriple

messeduptriple

New Member

Canister is probably the way to go since the tank is already running, I just wanted to give you all your options (sump/hang on the back filter/canister).
ok..what size? The 350??
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bubblegurl

bubblegurl

Member
I've got the fluval 305, been running for a year and a half. Just make sure you clean it. With your current algae issues, I would clean weekly with water changes. Change the media monthly. I don't about other brands as this is the only one I've ever used.
 
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