Algea problem!!!!

[jb clown]

I have had my fish in my tank for about 6 weeks and I have lots of aglea(or of what i think i aglea). I have a 65w blue and 65w white light right on the tank. There is green and red slimmy stuff over the live rocks in my tank. You should see it in my pic. Should i take off all the algea off the rock or what? I also have algea on the side of my tank but that is not big becasue i can just take that off really easy.
Help please... :help:

 

[benj2112]

Do you have a cleaner crew of any snails or anything like that? If you do...what kind?
What are your water peramiters? Nitrate, Phosphate?
How much and how often do you feed?
How much water flow do you have going in your tank?
New tanks often have issues so the more information you give the more people will have an idea of how to help you.

 

[chandler04]

You definitely need a bunch or powerheads and flow in the tank. Don't use tap water to fill the tank. Regulate the light use, only about 8-10 hours a day. Keep the tank away from windows. Get a Lawnmower Blenny. Anything else? LOL. The only thing I need now is another powerhead, and my cyano will go away. Im getting it soon, but you should definitely get one, or two for both sides of the tank. K, good luck

 

[greatfullreefer]

Algea is a normal part of the cycle and i agree with most of what has been said. Algae feeds of Phosphates and Nitrates and light, you need to eliminate 2 of the 3 Phos and Nitrates. What water do you use? How often do you execute water changes? what are your water parameters...Ammonia NitrItes and NitrAtes? How old are your light bulbs? and how well is your tank circulated?

 

[knoxville]

keep your lights off for a couple of days

 

[wwfstyle]

I agree with chandler04, get a lawnmower blenny that will help clean it up REAL fast. Do a WC and keep ur lights off for a day or 2. Also I have good luck with Bumble Bee snails cleaning my LR. Get like 5 or more Bumble Bee and 1 Blenny. Your tank will be clean in no time at all.

 

[jb clown]

PH 8.2-8.3
Ammonia 0
NitrIte 0
NitrAte 0
What is a Phosphate??? Have not herd of that...
I have 2 snails and 2 pepperment shrimp. I bought 6 snails and only 2 lived for some reason.
I feed them once (1) a day and only and i am cutting down to a little now.
I have a 350 mag drive on my 75 pro sea life system. The outtake pump faces the middle of the tank.
I bought my lights new and they are about 1 month old.
I turn on the lights when i wake up and them turn them off when i go to sleep but i guess i should turn them off earlier.
I am going to turn off my lights for about 30 hr and the what happens.
Thanks a lot!!!!

 

[wwfstyle]

You could only feed them every 3 days or so. You need alot more movement in there also. Snails will dye but you just have to keep buying a few more at a time. Phosphates is the amout of food in your tank water. I turn my lights on about 3-4 hrs after I wake up due to our frineds comeing over later at night so i can show off my tank. Lights come on about 10am MH 12noon lights off MH 9pm and VHO11pm.

 

[reverai]

Snails often die when placed in a cycling tank. Algae also often comes when the lights are on long or there is to much waste food left over. I also doubt I would have put fish or shrimp in a tank so young. What are your water parms? The green and red slimmy algae tends to mean you have night nitrates in your water as well as phosphate. I recommend you keep your lights off for a while and do some major water changes(not with tap water) and get another powerhead and hope for the best as I suspect you have cyanobacteria algae. Cyano needs lots of food to eat and lots of light and low flow. It can be hard to get rid of it as all it needs is one spore to start all over again.
Steve

 

[jb clown]

I don't live in a city so I have a well....I get good water from the well.. Do I still need to buy water??
Thanks

 

[benj2112]

That well water could be your problem. It could have some stuff in it that is fueling your problem. I would try some RO water for a month or more and see if that helps your problem at all.

 

[jb clown]

Thanks BenJ.....

and all.
I will try that.....What is RO water....? RO?? Is it like store water....?
Thanks

 

[reverai]

Before you buy new water, test your water first to see what is in it as it may be fine. In general, well water often has desolved metals in it that you don't want in your tank as well as run off water depending where the well if actuallt getting the water and where you live.. RO water is just a type of water that has been filtered in a certain way taht created 99% clean water. I buy my water at Walmart. The distilled water there is about 45 cents a gallon and is OK for saltwater. Though I can see using this would make a large tank quite costly. You can buy a RO filter on ---- that can create 10 to 15 gallons a day of perfect tank water for about $65. But first, see if you can find a local LFS to test your well water before you put it in your tank. A saltwater LFS should be able to tell you, if this bloom is caused by your water.
Still, I think the problem is more related to your lights and boi-load than anything else. But it never hurts to test your water to see what is there.
Steve

 

[benj2112]

If your lfs can't check the quality of your water for metals and everything you can have a company like Culligan do it as well. You just have to know that they are trying to sell you their system and have to go through the sales pitch to get that water test.
I go to the local grocery store and get RO water for $0.39/gallon. I have nice 5 gallon jugs that I get refills on.