HELP!! looking for new filter for 10g

[rod_the_gh]

Alright, here's my deal. I have a 10g nano w/:
10 lbs. LR
20 lbs. LS
1 clown
1 blenny
2 cleaner shrimp
1 turbo snail? (I haven't seen it in a while)
marineland HOB filter
powerhead
90w pc lights..
everythings good except traces of nitrates.
Ever since my lights arrived, I've been having unbelievable algae growth. I bought the light so I could get some corals but the tank just looks horrible. I've been doing about 20-30% water changes weekly and have been brushing (w/ a toothbrush) the LR becasue it is completely covered in hair/slime aglae. This has been going on for a couple of months now and now I put my old light back on to get rid of the algae.Also, I've been looking into another filtration to clear my parameters. Would a canister filter work good for my tank?? I was maybe also thinking about diy refuge? I just don't know...money is tight and I really don't know what I'm looking for in a a filter.
thanks

 

[pclown]

What type of water are you using? What type of lights did you upgrade to?
As far as filter I would add 10 pounds more live rock and have a simple HOB filter just with a sponge and maybe some carbon and with no Bio media.

 

[rumrunner]

I ran a 7 gal minibow for a couple of years with 7 lbs of LR and an Aquaclear Mini filter with just a sponge. I washed the sponge with hot water weekly to kill any bacteria on it to prevent nitrates from building up. So it was used purely for mechanical filtration.
How long are you running your new lights? You may need to cut back on the hours and slowly build back to a full lighting schedule. I would step up the water changes to 20 % every other day to really knock down excess nutrients. Maybe do this for a week or so.
Also, you don't have nearly enough snails to keep algae under control. The typical recommendation is 1 snail per gallon. So I would get more snails. That should make a big difference on the algae. Make sure you feed very lightly when you are battling algae otherwise you are just adding more fuel for the algae. These are just some suggestions based on my experience. Hair algae won't go away overnight so try to be patient.
Good luck.

 

[rod_the_gh]

I'm using ro/di water; I upgraded to the 96w pc; When I bought the tank I had 10 turbo snails. They eventually all died. I guess that I could afford to get a couple of snails though.

 

[davind]

Any ideas why your snails died? I have 2 large Mexican Turbos in my 12 gallon and they keep the glass pretty much spotless. The only compaint I have is that they sometimes bulldoze some small coral frags I have.

 

[feixjai]

maybe you can go with renas or fluvals. like the fluval 104 or 204 or even 404. or the rena xp1. all pretty good filters.

 

[rod_the_gh]

I set up my tank a year ago and thats when I bought my snails. A couple of them died from being turned over from when I put them in and I didn't know at the time that I had to turn them right side up.
I'm not just worried about the algea that grows on the glass and makes it not clear, but I 'm about hairy algae that grows all over my lr. I can't even see the coralline algea anymore because the rock looks like needs a haricut. I'll look into those filter. thanks again.

 

[80sbaby]

I THINK A CANISTER -FLUVAL 204 WOULD WORK SWEET. IT WILL WORK AS A NICE POWERHEAD TO.

 

[pclown]

I dont like a canister filter for a reef. I dont feel you need one if you set it up correctly, and they are can be to much trouble. Of course this is my opinion.

 

[80sbaby]

WHAT TYPE OF FILTERATION WOULD YOU SUGGEST THEN FOR TEN GALLON

:help: ?

 

[pclown]

Originally Posted by 80sbaby
WHAT TYPE OF FILTERATION WOULD YOU SUGGEST THEN FOR TEN GALLON

:help: ?
For a 10G tank, I would use about 15lbs live rock and 10lbs live sand and a HOB filter (there a few brands that I like) for my mechanical filteration. You take out the Bio media and only use a sponge for your mechanical filteration. There are a couple that are nice because you have room to run carbon, Purigen, and etc... and or use live rock rubble. I recommend one rated for a 20G tank for a 10G tank.

 

[rod_the_gh]

i have 10 lbs of lr and 15 lbs of ls. I have a hob. I took the biowheel out and use cartiges that have carbon in them. I've been using this setup for about a year now but it wasn't until my damn light that the algae started to grow....however...the algae has stopped growing w/ my old light and I'm finally getting the tank to look clean again. I just hope I'll be able to use my lights b/c I will one day want to get coral.