im going crazy please help

[jw0934]

Ok I have had my tank set up for about a year and now all of the sudden I just got a huge outbreak of green algae. It is on my glass. My parameters are all normal except nitrates. A little high. Temp is 78 degrees F and salt level is .022. I have done two water changes so far and changed the filters twice. I have 6 turbo snails that arent doing a thing to this algae. My tank includes a fox face, snowflake eel, yellow tail damsel, tomato clown, long spine sea urchin, and a yellow watch man goby and a few frags. Oh yeah, I am using the Nova Extreme light fixture, 4x54 Watts. 2-10,000K daylights and 2-Acinitc Lights. I leave them on for no longer than 9 hours a day. I am losing my mind!! Everytime I get it off the glass the next day it is back. What do I do?

 

[socal57che]

Originally Posted by jw0934
http:///forum/post/2745886
Ok I have had my tank set up for about a year and now all of the sudden I just got a huge outbreak of green algae. It is on my glass. My parameters are all normal except nitrates. A little high. Temp is 78 degrees F and salt level is .022. I have done two water changes so far and changed the filters twice. I have 6 turbo snails that arent doing a thing to this algae. My tank includes a fox face, snowflake eel, yellow tail damsel, tomato clown, long spine sea urchin, and a yellow watch man goby and a few frags. Oh yeah, I am using the Nova Extreme light fixture, 4x54 Watts. 2-10,000K daylights and 2-Acinitc Lights. I leave them on for no longer than 9 hours a day. I am losing my mind!! Everytime I get it off the glass the next day it is back. What do I do?
Never seen a turbo eat green hair. I assume this is a green hair outbreak.
Algae needs food to survive.
Have you measured dissolved solids?
What do you feed and how often?
Have you measured phosphates?
If you have not replaced your bulbs, they are due.
Skimmer?

 

[socal57che]

I just read your skimmer thread.
Your skimmer does not remove nitrates. It removes particulates/dissolved solids that cause high nitrates.
I would flush the rock well with a turkey baster hitting any areas of low flow thoroughly, then do another water change while the gunk is suspended in the water. It looks like you may have food/waste building up.
What is your turnover rate?

 

[jw0934]

i feed every day but not more than they can eat. The fixture it self though is only about 5 weeks old. The bulbs that are in it are brand new. I have a korela 4 power head as well. Anything else to do for green hair?

 

[dfreeman64]

Another item, did you recently change bulbs ? If its just green film algea, new bulbs could cause the outbreak.
Dewayne

 

[mr_x]

the new light most likely triggered the outbreak, but the true source of the issue is excess waste, like stated above.
btw- you should slowly raise your salinity to 0.25-.026, which is what it is out at the reef where we collect these creatures.

 

[socal57che]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2745975
the new light most likely triggered the outbreak, but the true source of the issue is excess waste, like stated above.

Yup. The food source was there, and the new lamps made it take off.

 

[saltn00b]

check your PO4

 

[fattony]

checking your phosphate level will likely tell you nothing. phosphate test kits only read soluable free floating phosphates. Since you have algae in your tank you already have a phosphate issue, and you will likely read 0 on your test due to the phosphate being bound in the algae. Is the algae on the rocks or on the sandbed. if it's on the rock then you really need to cook the rock to purge it of bound phosphate. do a search on google for "cooking live rock" and you will come up with directions on how to do it, there is even a thread on here how to do it

 

[jw0934]

its not on the sand. there are a few pieces of rock that it is on. =/