Explosive algae growth, please help!!

rob_ou

rob_ou

Member
My 20 gal tank has been up for about 3 months now, and everything was going great until I went into the hospital and left my parents to take care of it. I don't think they did anything wrong, but when I got back, my tank was COVERED algae. Rocks, sand, glass, everthing.
Here's my cleanup crew:
1 turbo snail
4 hermits
3 emerald crabs
3 dove snails
1 cleaner shrimp
I'd never heard of the dove snails before, but I went to a new lfs and they said the doves burrow under the sand and stir it up. So far, they've been pretty good at that, and it's cut down on the algae on the sand by about 40%.
I've tried cutting my lights back to 10 hours/day, and I just added the dove snails yesterday. What else can I do to help my problem?
 
reefnut

reefnut

Active Member
What kind of algae is it?? I'd agree a larger cleanup crew is needed but depending on the algae... other steps may need to be taken.
 
rob_ou

rob_ou

Member
It's like a green coating over everything. Will turning the lights off for a full day hurt my corals?
 
rob_ou

rob_ou

Member
the dove snails are a little bigger than the nessarious that I've seen, but I may have been looking at juvenile nessarious, as well. So another turbo or two? At this point, I'm not really worried about stuff starving to death, because there's so much algae. But what about in the future? Will I have to worry about that eventually, if I get more clean-up guys now?
 
rob_ou

rob_ou

Member
Yeah, it's like the kind that grows on glass, but I have to clean mine every few hours now.
 
rob_ou

rob_ou

Member
if I put 15-20 turbos in there, all you'd be able to see would be snails...my turbo's shell is about 1.5 inches in daimeter...perhaps he was mis-labeled at the lfs? he sleeps most of the time, but he's a crazy algae eater...I can tell where he's been because his mouth leaves hundreds of tiny oval-shaved holes in the algea on the tank, heater, filter, etc.
 
rob_ou

rob_ou

Member
nutrient control...should I just totally ignore my tank for one whole day? not feed, not turn the lights on, etc?
btw, just before I went into the hospital, I was worried about my emeralds getting enough to eat. they had gotten in fights, and cut pincers off, so I didn't want them competing for food. I began dropping in a "omega one veggie round" every day for 3 days. could this be part of the problem? maybe the veggies weren't entirely dead in the food? it includes a bunch of different kinds of algea in the ingredients list.
 
rob_ou

rob_ou

Member
I just checked the inverts section, and I believe my snail is a mexican turbo. it says keep one per 20 gals, so will they starve if I add another one?
 
jones

jones

Member
If you put 15 to 20 turbos in a 20 gallon, they would definately starve. Plus I read that they can knock over corals when they get big because of their bull-dozing habits. What I've read says not to put more clean up crew in your tank just to take care of an algea bloom because they will starve once the algae is under control.
JMO
 
rob_ou

rob_ou

Member
yeah, mine knocks over at least one coral every night while feeding, but I kinda think it's funny...seems like he's a little passive-aggressive towards me. but it's not like they're big corals or my tank is really deep or anything, so I don't have a problem with just putting them back from where they fell.
 
jones

jones

Member
Yeah, I put 2 in my 20 gallon. What I read didn't say not to put them in a reef tank, just to take note that that can happen. But with 15 to 20 it would be a demolition derby in a small tank(at least until they die). They can get to the size of a fist.
 
reefnut

reefnut

Active Member
I'm not a fan of turbo snails personally... in fact I have none in my tanks. Astraea snails (Herbivore), Nassarius Snails (Omnivore), Cerith Snails (Omnivore) and a conch (Omnivore) is all I have.
and no... I wouldn't ignore your tank for a day... quite the contrary... I'd spend a day cleaning it and doing a good water change.
 
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