Algae problem sovled..and things i've learned..

[cjworkman]

I know a lot of people have algae problems, especially if you have a closed system, so i thought I'd post some things I've learned in 2.5 years trying to master this hobby.
1) Always maintain proper Alk/Calcium levels. A low Alk level crashed my tank about a year in, killed all my coralline and caused a huge algae problem.
2) Sand bed types aren't as important as many seem to think. I have a 2.5" sand bed of mixed crushed coral and argonite, never have had a nitrate problem. As long as you have sand sifters you should be fine.
3) Fixed Algae problem by rinsing my frozen food before thawing in tank water and running phosphate sponge and carbon in a canister filter. Phosphate is the main cause of algae issues.
4) Canister filters must be cleaned AT LEAST once a week. They suck up food which gets caught in the filters and cause nitrate problems. Therefore if you don't clean the canister often, it will seem like its hurting more than helping. But it most definitely helps, as long as it's cleaned properly. Especially for a closed system.
5) Don't change stuff if what you are doing is working!!.. don't think you should start adding trace elements or other supplements when there's no problem. If it isn't broken don't fix it. 90% of the time it just causes problem.
6) Stability is key. If you find your water at 90 degrees.. don't freak out and bring it down to 80 as quick as you can. Do it SLOWLY.. that applies for anything in reef tanks. Salinity, high levels of nitrate or phosphate, etc. If you must correct a problem. Do it slowly!!!.. it's fast change that causes more damage than slowly accumulated harmful levels of chemicals or temperature.
7) Always find the source of a problem and correct the source. Don't try to just put band-aids on it.
8) If you are going to buy fish/inverts or corals from your LFS often... try to keep your tank at a very similar salinity level as your LFS. In my experience this is usually 1.023. Inverts especially have a much higher survival rate when you match the salinity levels they come from. Unless of course the LFS has terrible water quality in which case you shouldn't buy anything from them anyway.
These are just some of the things i've learned in the first 2 and a half years of this hobby. Which I love!!.. so hopefully this info helps out a few.
As soon as all my algae is gone, which should be soon.

I will post some pics of my tank. It's been awhile since the mistake that caused the crash, so very happy watching a happy healthy tank again.

 

[1320wrx]

Can you explain how to test your Alk and what it is and what uses it. I recently had alot of coraline die and a huge diatom algae growth. that might have been the problem.

 

[cjworkman]

Originally Posted by 1320wrx
http:///forum/post/2509070
Can you explain how to test your Alk and what it is and what uses it. I recently had alot of coraline die and a huge diatom algae growth. that might have been the problem.
All you need is an Alk test. Something like this one;
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=6
Alkalinity is a buffer that helps maintain the pH level in your aquarium. It's measured in carbonate KH or calcium hardness dKH.
Calcium cannot serve it's purpose in the aquarium without proper levels of Alkalinity, and your pH can reach acidic levels with low levels of Alkalinity.
Calcium and Alk has to stay in balance. For example..
If your calcium is on the low side at 350 mg/1, then alk should be at around 6 dKH. If calcium is on the high side at 475 mg/1, then alk should be at 14 dKH.
A calcium reactor can be really helpful for this, but they are expensive.
It can also be done with 2 part daily dosing of calcium and buffer, like 2 little fishies C balance. And also with dosing of Kalkwasser.
High levels of calcium depletes the buffers in the aquarium and can cause big problems. If Alkalinity drops too low calcium becomes useless and can precipitate in the aquarium. (looks like its snowing in your tank). So if you've been dosing calcium without buffering your water and maintaining the balance then that is likely the problem.
I made the same mistake, I just didn't realize that Alk and Calcium were partners and that they must be kept in balance with daily dosing. (and daily testing until you get a good handle of how much buffer and calcium to use on a daily basis to maintain proper levels)

 

[hurleykid69]

ditto my coraline growth halted and my glass grew crazy amounts of algea even some of my polyps closed and my rocks lost color

 

[cjworkman]

Originally Posted by hurleykid69
http:///forum/post/2509129
ditto my coraline growth halted and my glass grew crazy amounts of algea even some of my polyps closed and my rocks lost color
Unfortunately, once this happens it's a waiting game.
First correct the water using water changes and doing the tests mentioned in the above post.
Then scrape all the dead coralline off the glass, so the algae has nothing to grow on. For the rocks, the algae will have to eat all the dead coralline off itself unless you want to take each piece out and scrub it in a bucket of tank water to remove dead coralline.
If you can keep perfect water, new coralline should grow over the old, but the slightest bit of nitrate or phosphate in the tank will result in algae blooms.