I'm in Algae Purgatory, HELP!!!!

95harley

95harley

Active Member
So I tried converting my 240g FOWLR to a what I had planned on being a softie reef but the algae is really starting to PISS ME OFF.
I sold all my fish and let the tank sit empty for 30 days so if there was any fish diseases (ich) in there it would be long gone. After a GOOD cleaning and upgrading my skimmer pump and lights from PC's to T5's I added my eel and damsels back into the tank.
BOOM!!!! First week or so I had a Diatom explosion but the parameters of the tank never moved....no re-cycle.
As soon as it was gone I was COVERED in a thick slimy heavy coat of Greenish brown strandy alage. It's not hair algae, it's like a real thick heavy mat that creates bubbles of air and floats upwards like strands of rotting lettuce.
it has clogged my filters, and filled my skimmer several times over the last month but I can't seem to beat it.
I have added a dozen Turbo's and a dozen Astrea's and they made a dent but as soon as I went back to full lighting it all came back x2. I never had Cyno attack and it has been up for 1.5 months now and I have been fighting this stuff almost the full time.
Funny thing is my parameters are perfect.
1.024
77 F
0 Ammonia
0 Nitrites
0 Nitrates
0.25 Phos (maybe)
For now I have just shut the lights off for a few days to see if I can get ahead of it. It is so thick that my argonite substrate is covered with it and it is so heavy that a pyton at full power is not strong enough to lift it. But when you had pick it off it is mushy and falls apart in your hand.
Funny thing is this tank has been up and running as a FOWLR for 2-3 years and I NEVER had this problem.
I'm running 16 - 48" HO T5's which equate to about 5w per gallon. Is this the problem?
I had the blue's on 10am-11pm and the white's from noon-9pm.
Should I go WAY BACK on the lights?
HELP
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

With that much algae having a phosphate reading of .25 means your phosphates are allot higher than that. You are getting a false reading because the algae is feeding on the rest.
I use a product called Phosphate-E when I get phosphates, and algae goes off the roof. Turns out that frozen food not rinsed is the main cause. I now rinse my frozen foods and have had no more problems.
Without phosphates to feed on, and a good water change you should see the algae disappear. Unless you are using tap water…Use RO (reverse osmoses) water only.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Do you have a pic of this algae? I can not think of the name of the algae it sounds like...
grrrrrr BUT if it is what I am thinking....start scrubbing....
HENRYYYYYYY where are you?????
 
95harley

95harley

Active Member
Yep, I'm using RO/DI and only adding B-Ionic 1 & 2. Current only bioload is 13 damsels and the eel.
I have a lg bag of Chemi pure elite in the sump and running water through phosphate removal pads.
Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3263602

With that much algae having a phosphate reading of .25 means your phosphates are allot higher than that. You are getting a false reading because the algae is feeding on the rest.
I use a product called Phosphate-E when I get phosphates, and algae goes off the roof. Turns out that frozen food not rinsed is the main cause. I now rinse my frozen foods and have had no more problems.
Without phosphates to feed on, and a good water change you should see the algae disappear. Unless you are using tap water…Use RO (reverse osmoses) water only.
 
95harley

95harley

Active Member
I'll get some tonight.
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3263605
Do you have a pic of this algae? I can not think of the name of the algae it sounds like...
grrrrrr BUT if it is what I am thinking....start scrubbing....
HENRYYYYYYY where are you?????
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Just sounds like cyano.
You are thinking Dinoflagellates Lois. Doesn't sound like that to me they are brown, at least all that I have seen on them.
Hey harley, doing any water changes? If so on the next one use a siphon hose only. start the siphon and see if you can suck the stuff out with that. If it is so thick you may need to get a larger size hose than just like regular airline.
I agree with flower, if you are reading .25 phosphates you have much more than that. You need to get on a mission to get the stuff out of your tank, I mean physically get it out. Ir you are using anything but RODI or distilled it is probably coming from your water supply. I think the food you feed the eel is mostly fresh or a least frozen fish - clams - mussels - etc so chances are not coming from the food. Just IMO your basic cyano bloom, new lights could be helping to fuel it but are not the cause. (I mean you did put some badass lighting on there!!!) I would cut the blues back to about 9 hours and the whites to about 8 for a while. (you can even go another hour less on both without hurting anything in the tank at this point) but again you got to get it out of the tank and figure out where your phosphates are coming from.
Just my opinion.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
YUP...That's what I was thinking....only cause he asid it was heavy and hard to move.....cyano is usually light and blows off easily...right

Thanks for clearing my mind though...LOL...I hate when you can't think of a word :)
 
95harley

95harley

Active Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3263609
YUP...That's what I was thinking....only cause he asid it was heavy and hard to move.....cyano is usually light and blows off easily...right

Thanks for clearing my mind though...LOL...I hate when you can't think of a word :)
But it's not red, it's greenish and brownish and falls apart like slime not heavy mats like cyno.
I'm sure pics when I get home might help.
Funny thing is nothing else besides Chemi-Pure, Lights, and Skimmer pump have changed and this tank NEVER did anything like this before in the last 2-4 years.
 
95harley

95harley

Active Member
I have done 2 - 20% water changes trying to clean it and I would guess I add about 5g per week of FW RO/DI trying to fight with evaporation.
 
jchase1970

jchase1970

Member
get more snails and get some hermit crabs. I have 50 hermits in my 125g and I have tons of snails, I think 200 of Nassarius type. I had a large algae bloom when I started the tank cause I have alot of sunlight hitting the tank but with this CUC I have none now. seriously they nailed it.
 
blkhawk10

blkhawk10

Member
That's not hair algae? I have the same green stuff on a rock in my fuge that I got from a friend and his tank is infested with hair algae.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Google 'BRS High Capacity GFO'

The thing is, any type of granulated media needs to be used in a proper reactor (Two Little Fishes, Aqua C XP Plus). Simply placing a bag of phosphate remover in the sump, isn't going to cut it. I also don't believe 'phosphate pads' do much of anything except trap detritus.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
WOW nice pictures.
Either Bryopsis sp. or Derbesia sp. IMO. A real pain.
I would start a Kent Tech M dosing to elevate your magnesium to up in the 1600+ range and as it starts to die off make sure you (and it should be able to be ) siphon it out or remove it somehow.
I would guess that the nutrients already in the rock-work and the change in lighting has spurred on this outbreak.
I have also read that the Siganus unimaculatus/I] Foxface Rabbitfish with eat bryopsis, but do not have and first hand knowledge of this.
Also a phosphate reactor may help here. If this were my tank I would start off with the Kent Tech M treatment first. (Make sure it is this brand and not any other magnesium supplement)
 
95harley

95harley

Active Member
Originally Posted by AquaKnight
http:///forum/post/3263753
Google 'BRS High Capacity GFO'

The thing is, any type of granulated media needs to be used in a proper reactor (Two Little Fishes, Aqua C XP Plus). Simply placing a bag of phosphate remover in the sump, isn't going to cut it. I also don't believe 'phosphate pads' do much of anything except trap detritus.
Interesting as I have a MJ 1200 laying around. Strange it doesn't say what size tank it is rated for. Think one with just GFO can handle a 240g?
 
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