Green Algae

[jsolomon]

I have had my 92 gallon tank up and running for about 2 months now. I have 3 percula clowns in it right now and about 150lbs or more of rock (not live). I have green algae all over everything. I personally think this looks terrible. I've tried scraping it off but it just comes right back. Is this normal, is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening. I dont see this in any other salt water tanks I look at. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[krusk]

cleaner crew(snails, crabs, hermit crab etc.) will definitly help
they eat green algea and fish waste

 

[y2says]

There are a lot of reasons why you have a lot of algae. I've had that problem and is still going through it. You have to find out what is causing it. You want to check your phosphate level, especially if you are using tap water. Try to limit you lights to about 8 hours a day and don't feed as much. If your tank is a fish only, you can turn the lights off for about a week and it should go away.

 

[jsolomon]

Right now I think I run my lights too much. I would say they are on from about 8 in the morning til about midnight. Another thing is feeding. How often should I feed my 3 percs? Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[jakepilot]

in the ocean a reef only recieves direct sunlight for a few hours a day,cut back on your lights, maybe even leave them off for a day...it wont hurt the fish a bit, keep scraping the green off, and i suggest a good crew of snails, they do wonders.

 

[rhonda]

been there, done that and still doing it. They say algae is a sign of a healthy tank. Get a bunch of snails for the sand, sand sifting gobies and hermit crabs for the rocks. It has worked for us. How much and how often do you feed your fish? Is your tank near a window? We've cut down feeding, keep the blindes closed and got a bunch of cleaner fish etc. Scrappibg is a pain in the a--, I got a magnet and that works well. Good luck!

 

[iswimwithmyfish]

Try getting a dwarf angelfish like a pygmy or a coral beauty... they are famous for eating alot of algae and will almost need to eat very little food in their diet u give them because algae is a big part of their diet.

 

[broomer5]

jsolomon,
Algae seems to plague us all now and then. Seems to be one of the more difficult things to control, and quite often becomes a problem a few weeks to months after setting up a new tank.
I agree with rhonda that algae is a sign of a healthy tank, as long as it's the right kind of algae. When it get's out of control though, you really need to look closely at the cause.
I think Y2SAYS mentioned testing your phosphates.
I'm a firm believer that most people that are having a nuisence algae problem have high phosphate levels, but for some reason, do not test for it.
The money spent on test kits is well worth it IMO.
No better way to KNOW and stop guessing what is happening in your tank.
Along with what Mr Tang and others said about lighting, I'll also mention that a low pH can also contribute to nuisance algae. Keeping your pH above 8.2 seems to help as well.
Clean up crews and janitors will help get what's there, but will not do much to prevent further outbreaks.
Just my thoughts
Brian

 

[dpittman]

Good advise from everybody above. Clean up crews help but it is really a band-aid cure for your real problem. Phospates, combined with excessive feeding and light will cause algae. So if you are using tap water find out more about it. Cut down on your feedings and leave your lights off for awhile. Live rock really helps. Makes it much more difficult for the nuisance algae to compete. Buy a cheapo timer for your lights. Mine is set to come on at about 5 so its on when I get home from work and goes off at about midnight.