frustrated, please help

K

kpatrick

Guest
This may be long so please bear with me....
After having a FOWLR setup for 3 years I decided to convert to a reef tank with soft and hard corals. I made the switch about 6 months ago and ever since I have had several battles with hair algea and purple/blua algea on my rocks (looks like cyno but not red). I cant figure out what to do to get my tank looking great again. I will give you all my specs and hopefully someone can tell me what im missing. I love the tank but this stuff is starting to discourage me:mad:
The tank is a 125 gallon. It has around 200lbs of live rock. It has (2) Emperor 400s for water movement (no filters just movement) and (4) maxijet 1200s connected to a Wavemaster Pro. I also have a Seaclone 150 (I know its not the best). My lights are (3) 250W 14K Hamilton MH bulbs. The center one is a HQI and the other 2 are single ended. I keep the lights on for 6 hours a day. Water parameters are as follows:
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0
Ammonia: 0
Phosphates: 0 ( I have also used sponges and medications just incase the reading in off.
Calcium: 420
Alk: 8.2
salinity: 1.024 to 1.025
MY fish include:
Foxface
Hippo tang
3 clown fish
royal gramma
watchman goby
2 clown gobies
(15) turbo snails
I have recently been thinking about doing away with the Emperor 400s and getting a 30 gallon refugium and fill it with cheato. Im not sure if the refugium or a better skimmer would be useful or if those would even fix the issues im having. Compared to a lot of other tanks I do not have much coraline algea. Im not sure if thats a indicater that im missing something or not. The only additives I put in the tank arte B-ionic supplements when needed. I have been doing 15 gallon water changes weekly.
I could really use help!!! I thought I knew what I was doing since I have had the tank going for several years but obviously I do not. :help: :help: :help: :help: :happyfish
 
dad

dad

Active Member
You need a cleanup crew. Hermits, crabs etc.
I love emerald crabs. I would suggest at least two for a 125g.
Do you have LS? or bare bottom?
i have not been around for awhile so i am sure people here will give you more advice on the cleaning crew.
HTH, ;)
 
K

kpatrick

Guest
I recently removed my red leg and hermit crabs because they were eating all my snails. I plan on adding some emerald crabs and I do have 3 strawberry crabs that I forgot to mention. To me it seems like its more then just adding a cleanup crew since I dont know many things that eat hair algea or the blueish looking cyno. I also have a couple starfish (brittle and serpant). Hope some other people jump in as well.
 
K

kpatrick

Guest
oops, I forgot to tell you that I have live sand. For the most part the cyno isnt growing on the sand just mainly on the rocks. kinda seems like its growing a lot right under each of the Emperor 400s so im not sure if the Emperors are putting out bubbles and the bubbles are attaching to the rock and the algea grows from the bubbles. Im not sure
 
farslayer

farslayer

Active Member
Ok, a couple of points I can make that I hope help.
If your reds and blues are eating your snails, it is either because they need shells (blues are bad about this) or the snails were already dead/dying. Crabs can sense this before we can, so don't always blame them, they're just doing their job.
If you have hair algae, I don't think your nitrates and phosphate can be 0, otherwise what is feeding the algae? Check your test kits, I think your readings may be off.
Ditch that skimmer, it is a piece of junk and is wasting your time. Get some filters in your emporer, the activated carbon will clean up your water very nicely. I have an emporer and a canister filter loaded with AC and my water is crystal clear.
For a clean up crew, I would recommend scarlets, emeralds, zebras and mexican turbo snails. These are great cleaners and keep my tank looking nice.
Lack of coraline could be due to the hair algae and such. I would recommend a sailfin blenny and/or a rabbitfish. These guys are great at eating hair algae. Another option would be to take a toothbrush (new!) and scrub the hair algae off by hand.
Cyno can form by having extra nutrients and not enough water flow. While a refugium will help, you need to double check your readings from your test kits. Make sure you do not overfeed.
Post a pic of your tank and problems areas if you can and I'll try to help as much as I can.
 
K

kpatrick

Guest
Thanks Farslayer,
I will put some carbon filters in the Emperors and see if it helps. I already have a foxface and I am going to load up on a variety of snails. I am also researching Abalones. My LFS says they eat tons of algea and probably 3 times more then the Mexican Turbos due. However I havent found a lot of info on them plus he wants $20 to $30 a piece for his.
I am currently designing my sump/fuge and it will have a better skimmer then what I have now...hopefully a euroreef.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Totally agree on the hermits/snails and the test kits. I would double check the nitrate and phosphate readings at the LFS. How old are your test kits? I just think it is mightily impressive that you would have 0 nitrates and 0 phosphates but still be having algae problems...even with no refugium (do you have a DSB?), poor skimmer, etc. Granted, you have a lot of LR and pretty light fish load all considering...and maybe you feed very lightly and do tons of water changes! :) Just worth looking into to be sure....but if you do have 0 on "the big things" then why ditch what you are doing already? Just something seems a bit off, but not impossible! How old are your lights?
I agree to stock up on the clean up crew. Activated carbon is a cure for many, but not all, ills. You'll find it is definitely run as a polisher now and then, but I would be sure that you don't leave the filter pads in so long that they start to trap waste in it.
 
verde_ad

verde_ad

Member
I would like to know how old your lights are as well. That can definetly do it. I didn't see in your post if you are using ro/di water or tap. That could definetly contribute. I just read an article on getting rid of Cyano and it mentioned a series of 25 - 30 percent water changes, combined with a scrubbing and syphoning off all of the cyano off the rocks. Then it says to look into a larger skimmer and upgrading circulation. Queen Conches will eat it as well. Just some ideas. I fought with this for a long time and it can be a real pain.
 
K

kpatrick

Guest
I will take the water to the LFS to be tested. I use Salifert test kits for calcium and alk but for the other things (nitrate, nitrites, phosphates) im not sure what they are but I agree that if the readings are current "0" then I shouldnt be having these issues. The lights are only 3 months old and are kept on for 6 hours a day. I am probably going to add 2 fighting conches when the LFS gets them in, he has been out for almost 2 months now.
I am using DI water and it test fine using my TDS meter. I guess the short term solution is upgrading my cleanup crew until I finish researching info on building my new sump/fuge and adding a Euro skimmer to replace my crappy one. (there goes this months budget:D , I guess fish are more importantant then eating :D
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member

Originally posted by kpatrick
(there goes this months budget:D , I guess fish are more importantant then eating :D
:notsure: Well, yeah, I think we were all assuming that you were doing this already! There's the problem right there :D ;)
 
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