Help....Is this algea??

[networkguy]

So I need some advice...my tank was fine for about 2 weeks now all of a sudden I have an insane amount of algea growth all over the place...see the pictures. I don't currently have any type of cleaning crew and I am hoping someone can recommend what would work best. I also made the foolish mistake of not putting LR in my tank when I started it 3 months ago. My levels have been just fine and I have had fish in the tank for about a month and a half and they also seem just fine. Can I introduce LR now or will it throw my tank into another cycle and kill my $100 investment of fish?
Here's a little tank info that might help:
55 Gallon Tank with 3 Blue Damsels, 2 Clarkii Clowns, 1 Foxface For filteration I have a Fluval 305 with Pre-Filter & a polishing pad, Carbon, and BioMax, 2 Aqua-Clear 30GPH Powerheads, and a SeaClone 100 Skimmer.
The base in my tank is 45lbs of CaribSea Aragonite and it was crystal clean along with the rest of my tank until I put my 5 little freinds in. They don't seem to mind it one bit in fact the foxface is having a feeding frenzy but it looks awful as you can see in the pictures.... Any Ideas on the algea or on introducing LR I WOULD SO APPRECIATE IT!

 

[rbaldino]

Yep. Looks liks a diatom bloom.

 

[hatessushi]

Those are diatoms. If you are using tap water then you might want to switch to RO (reverse osmosis) water. Most tap water will cause lots of diatoms.

 

[nemo_66]

you have just experienced a brown algae bloom. people say that hermit crabs help, i dont think so. i just got a goby and bam! all gone. or just get a sandsifting star. get some turbos for your glass, they help a lot. if you add small amounts of liverock every week, you should be fine. and a suggestion would be to get a blue or black backround

 

[hatessushi]

Also you said your power heads are 30GPH. You should have 10 to 15 times water turnover in your tank. So that would be; 55x10 or 550GPH to 55x15 or 825GPH so your powerheads need to move 555GPH to 825GPH. You may start seeing more problems then just algea since your are only moving 60GPH.

 

[networkguy]

HatesSushi...thanks for kick starting my brain with the powerheads math. I just checked Hagen's website they arent actually 30GPH...the model number is 30 oops my mistake. They actually handle 174GPH..so I'm really circulating 348GPH...but still not enough. I think my next investment will be some new powerheads....anyone have any suggestions?

 

[coachklm]

Originally Posted by Nemo_66
you have just experienced a brown algae bloom. people say that hermit crabs help, i dont think so. i just got a goby and bam! all gone. or just get a sandsifting star. get some turbos for your glass, they help a lot. if you add small amounts of liverock every week, you should be fine. and a suggestion would be to get a blue or black backround
This is incorrect pls dont get a sand sifting star as these are not grazers but actually carnivors and will deplete pods and other meaty foods and then starve.
I got 10 astreas and they did wonders on my bloom ...

 

[hatessushi]

A sand sifting star should only go in a well established tank or about 120 gallon or more.
People seem to like Maxijet powerheads. A 900 or 1200 should be sufficient.

 

[networkguy]

Originally Posted by HatesSushi
A sand sifting star should only go in a well established tank or about 120 gallon or more.
People seem to like Maxijet powerheads. A 900 or 1200 should be sufficient.
Ok so here's the bonehead question of the night....I'm looking at some powerhead's on this site by Rio that advertise anywhere from 271 to 900GPH. If I get 2 that do 642GPH am I going to hurt myself with 1284GPH? I'm thinking of upgrading to a larger tank in the future and if I'm gonna make the investment I want something that would support at least a 100 gallon aquarium.

 

[rbaldino]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy
HatesSushi...thanks for kick starting my brain with the powerheads math. I just checked Hagen's website they arent actually 30GPH...the model number is 30 oops my mistake. They actually handle 174GPH..so I'm really circulating 348GPH...but still not enough. I think my next investment will be some new powerheads....anyone have any suggestions?
You could always just add another powerhead or two instead of replacing the ones you have. I'm not totally convinced about the turnover theory, though. Counting my powerhead, power filter, and skimmer, I'm moving 600 gph in my 29 gallon, and I still have brown algae problems. I also use RO water, and have a cleaner crew consisting of 10 snails and 12 hermits. I think the best method for controlling algae is limiting the nutrients you add to the tank.

 

[monalisa]

First off, welcome to the board!!
Second, if interested in adding LR into an already cycled system, your best bet would be to let it cure in a bin or some other container with heat and aeration for a few weeks. Do water testing as if you were starting a new tank in those bins, and when the parameters stabilize for a couple of weeks, your rock should be ready to go in without any adverse effects on your tank. Give this process about 6 weeks.
On the other hand, if you can get (guaranteed) already cured LR from your LFS and you don't have to transport very far...it's my understanding that you should be able to put it right into the tank without a problem...I would still do the bin curing thing, just to be on the safe side, even for just a couple of weeks.
I like your tank...post more pics as you get things changed around.
Again, welcome!!
Lisa :happyfish

 

[cjdjok]

I recently picked up a sieo 1500 gph PH for my 90 and it is great because it has a large head that doesnt send just a straight stream of water

 

[networkguy]

Originally Posted by cjdjok
I recently picked up a sieo 1500 gph PH for my 90 and it is great because it has a large head that doesnt send just a straight stream of water
pretty nice looking PH...pricey but seems like a good unit. when you say it doesn't send it out in a straight stream do you mean it oscalates or something. I looked at the website and it wasn't really clear as to how it discharged the water (at least it wasn't clear to me). Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[fbm]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy
pretty nice looking PH...pricey but seems like a good unit. when you say it doesn't send it out in a straight stream do you mean it oscalates or something. I looked at the website and it wasn't really clear as to how it discharged the water (at least it wasn't clear to me). Thanks for the recommendation!

It is like standing in front of a soft blowing fan as compared to being shot with high pressure air.

 

[rackyrane]

I like the nassarius snails. They stir up the sand and help with the bloom. I picked up some to these when I had my bloom and they helped.

 

[networkguy]

thanks to everyone for all the advice my LFS loves you after what I spent today!
I ended up picking up 2 Aqua-Clear 50's (270GPH) and left one of my 30's in so now I can do 714GPH. I also got 7 turbo snails and they have only been in an hour and having a field day! Of course all that stuff was cheap compared to the 25lbs of Fiji LR but I didn't mind paying a little more then swf.com charges cause the store gauarntee's it was cured. They actually took me in the back and showed me some LR curing that hadn't hit the sales floor yet...so you can't argue with that! so I thank you all for your advice and my lfs thanks you all for getting me to spend money!!