Green Algae Problem

[t4stock]

My tank has been going for about 9 months now. Until very recently, I have had little or no problem with algae blooms. Lately, however, there is an outbreak of green slime on the glass and clumpy green on sand bed.
I have been doing water changes to keep levels down. My nitrates are high, so have cut back on overfeeding. My question is this:
1) What is a good lighting regimine to minimize such outbreaks? (I am using 2 175 W MH & two 75 W actinics)
2) Is thera fish that eats this stuff?

 

[broomer5]

Reducing the lighting to reduce algae growth is often recommended, but if you have any light demanding creatures, is not the answer.
It is a bandaid for a problem.
You may want to look somewhere else for the root cause which is PHOSPHATES.
The key to reducing micro algae growth and blooms is to reduce your phosphate levels, especially with a 9 month old tank.
Phosphates can enter the tank through all kinds of ways.
Foods we feed, the salt mix your using, poor quality activated carbon, your water source, buffers added, etc.
What is your phosphate test results ?

 

[mrmaroon]

do you have any snails?

 

[blueh20]

You have not indicated if you are using RO water. If not start water changes using RO water. I would look at this as a good starting point.

 

[t4stock]

Poor quality carbon? Hmm... you know, i switched from using nice pre-packed carbon packets to using bulk carbon and refilling my own bag. this is about the time things started to bloom. I switched back recently and the bloom seems to be slowing.... can anyone tell me more about poor-quality carbon?
Thanks!

 

[chevron tang]

Try looking on the package from the carbon and see if it says something about having no phosphates. Inverts like hermit crabs, conch snails, turbograzers, and sand sifting stars should help some with the bloom. How often were you feeding and how long ago did you cut back on it?

 

[broomer5]

T4Stock
Get some RO/DI water and test it first for phosphates. If none is present in the water then proceed to test the carbon.
Take some of the carbon and put in a new clean plastic cup. About a teaspoon or so, then add the phosphate free water that you already confirmed has no phosphates.
Let the carbon soak in the cup for an hour or two, then test the water that it soaked in for phosphates.
It's really about the only way to know for sure if your carbon contains phosphates.
HTH
Broomer