I surrender!

azeritis

azeritis

Member
The battle is lost. I give up. No use fighting anymore.... Whatever I do my trates never go bellow 20. Since restocking is not an option, I just have to live with it I guess. And scrub off that algea from the tank once a week. And keep on freshing up weekly.
My last stand will be to change my lights (have them for about 7 months).
Should have stocked with damsels, clowns etc.
Or buy a new tank! a 200 g!
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
I have no idea what you have for live stock...and filtration...but nitrate levels of 20-40 are not bad at all for a fish only system.
What info can you provide on your system and what steps have you taken to control nitrates?
The best method I've used has been the refugium on my reef that contains primarily LS and macro algaes that are harvested and discarded. Nitrates there have been non-detectable for about 18 months. My fish only has only LR/DSB/small skimmer...and nitrates stay around 40-60 ppm all the time.:cool:
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
I agree with reef. If you do not have macros or marine plants in your system then add them. I suspect you do not have enough because you are fighting algae. Once the macros/plants get established and ahead of the algae, then you will not have to scrub the tank all the time. And as stated 20-40 ppm is acceptable for an fish only system. Finally, from my recent experience, always suspect the test kit. Mine was reading too high. I suspect that is not the case with yours because you are fighting the algae. In my case the algae was subsiding even though the nitrAtes were pegged (160+). I actually had 20-40ppm. the test kit was bad.
 
azeritis

azeritis

Member
Thanks for the relpies
The system is a 90 g tank with a 15 g sump (400gph EHEIM return), an EHEIM professional II filter, prizm skimmer, 4 powerheads (1000 gph turnover), 150 lbs of lr, 2-3 inches aragonite sand.
I have got plenty of coraline algea (although its growth is either stopped or slowed doen since I moved 2 months ago)
I have a huma, a niger, a young panther grouper, and a young blue lined surgeonfish or pyjama tang.
BEFORE YOU START YELLING , I am planning to either upgrade or take the grouper back!
The water in the tank looks very clear, ammonia and nitrites are 0
alk is high, pH is 8.2 temperature is ok, salinity is 35ppm, I use RO water... Phoshates are also low but not 0.
I do not have algea growing everywhere. I will post a picture as soon as my bateries charge.
Macroalgea is not an option either, since there is nowhere I can buy it from here in Greece (exept if there is a wayu I can pick it up from the sea, but then I would not know what to pick).
 
col

col

Active Member
My last stand will be to change my lights (have them for about 7 months).
This will have no effect on nitrates.
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Macroalgea is not an option either, since there is nowhere I can buy it from here in Greece (exept if there is a wayu I can pick it up from the sea, but then I would not know what to pick). [/B]
First of all it actually sounds like your system is pretty good. I would go the sea and just get any plants you think look nice. might even look better that what we have here in the states.
 
madd catt

madd catt

Member
It can be that the eheim being a excellent filter is causing your high nitrates with that{if your using it} ehfisubstrat which is good for removing ammonia and nitrite which wood increase nitrate levels.
 
dreeves

dreeves

Active Member
Your Phosphates are probably the problem...they need to be zero...micro algea thrive on any level of phosphates...
Check you RO water for the phosphates, and nitrates...maybe time for a fresh membrane or something.
 
azeritis

azeritis

Member
COL
The lights do not have an effect nitrates but have om algea I think
Mad Catt
I do not use that stuff from EHEIM, only some black'stars'instead of bioballs, that supposedly have much more surface area than anything else
I will post a couple of pictures I just took. Not the best quality but you can see what I mean.
 
azonic

azonic

Active Member
That algae on the glass is a part of the hobby. Since you have an aggresive tank and cannot add any inverts(snails) to keep the glass clean, you have to do it yourself. :)
 
azeritis

azeritis

Member
Well basically yes. That is the algea I worry about.
There is also some light brown-beige algea growth under the LR, on the powerheads, and on the rear of the tank.
I tried to introduce snails (which I picked up from the sea) but only a few survive. The humma is making lunch out of them. There are 5 or 6 crabs (again picked up in the sea) that do roam the tank every night, but I guess it is snails I need.
The problem is that the tank is acrylic and I have a hard time with the credit card scraping off the algea. Plus I would really like to solve that problem once and for all....
 
col

col

Active Member
As far as I know, algae growing on the tank glass(or acrylic) is part and parcel of the hobby.
 
azeritis

azeritis

Member
You mean that all those amazing tanks I see in magazines, books, sites are not for real???? I do not even want to imagine having to scrub off the sides of a 200 g tank!
Seriously now, I have kept sw tank for several years and I learn something new every day. Especially in this board.
In addition, since interest for this hobby is not that great in Greece, all the new stuff associated with the hobby, reach us late. I really doubt that there are many hobbyists here that have the knowledge to set up a refugium (not that I can).
Is there a way to deal with that growth of algea on glass other than weekly scraping?
Sometimes this algea is really soft and I can wipe it off, and other times I must really struggle to scrub it off with a credit card.
Any help will be apreciated.
Is this algea growth associated to my nitrate levels? If trates were 10ppm would this algea still be there?
 
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