LFS Advice ??

[dalerich]

I took a trip to a LSF over the week-end. I talked to the salt water expert. I currently have a brown algae problem in my 4 month old tank. I relize from the searched pages on brown algae that it's normal for a new tank, I leave my lights on to long, I over feed my fish, I didn't use RO water during setup and I also don't have a complete clean up crew. I was going to purchase a fighting Conch because of the love to eat diatoms. The LSF expert suggested that my biological filter was not good enough.
I have a 55 gallon tank with an Aqua Clear 500 and a protein skimmer. Is it true that my biological filter is not good enough?
He recommend that I buy a back-pack filter. I don't want to buy anything without posting a message here first. Please let me what you think.

 

[dmc888]

Well i know they are sensitive about high nitrates.
If you have stable levels and your nitrate is low i don't see why not.
I noticed alot of people like their bakpack filter.
I love my 125g wetdry on my 55 with 10g fuge.
Here is a description of the fighting conch.
The Tongan Fighting Conch is a hardy member of the Strombidae family. Despite their name, they are peaceful toward other tank mates. They are excellent sand sifters, and are very beneficial in the reef aquarium. As they burrow and dig through the aquarium substrate they clean and aerate the bottom. Tongan Fighting Conches require a deep sand bed and do well in all sizes of reef aquaria with supplemental feeding.
The Fighting Conch is an omnivore and will also consume detritus. Supply pieces of fresh fish and dried seaweed, as well as high quality frozen foods, to supplement what they will feed on from the bottom of the tank. They are sensitive to high levels of nitrate and will not tolerate copper-based medications.

 

[snipe]

My fighting conch has never touched my sand. Well he crawled on it but he has never dug in it.

 

[sly]

It depends on what you plan on keeping in your tank as to wether your filter is good enough. For fish only systems, you probably have the bare minimum of what will work. For reef systems, you need to upgrade. What kind of skimmer do you have?
I noticed that your filter is rated at 500 gph max. This is not enough turnover for good filtration. I don't remember the exact specs, but many people use about a 15-20x turnover ratio for their tanks. So on a 55 gal tank, you want to have a filter that can handle 15-20x your tank volume per hour, or 825-1100 gph.
Also, do you have any powerheads? You want at least 1 or 2 to mix the water in your tank. These create currents within your tank that help to evenly distribute oxygen throughout your tank and also help at maintaining an even temperature. If you have sand substrate, you want them high in the tank and have the pointed down so that they lightly blow down onto the sand so that it doesn't get kicked up. If you have crushed coral, you want your powerheads low so that it can keep it free of debris.
Do you have any living rock? This really helps in filtration also. Get at least a pound per gallon.
If you used unfiltered water to fill your tank, then you need to empty it out and refill it with either RO,DI or distilled water. This should be the first thing you do because until you remove the source of your polution, your filter will never clean it enough to clear up the algae. Do a water change with good water and always be sure to top off your tank with filtered water also.
It may be good to add some carbon to your tank after you do your water change so that it will absorb any excess waste that was put in by the bad water. Be sure to rinse it out completely before you put it in your tank or it will cloud your tank. Also you might want to add a phosphate remover. These will both be temporary. They are only there to clean out the remainder of the pollutants that the water change did not fix. Leave the carbon and the phosphate remover in there for about a month and then throw it away.
Also, take a soft brush (like a tooth brush) and clean off all your rocks, etc. to remove all the algae you can. Then clean off your glass. Do this before you do your water change so that you will remove the algae with the water change.

 

[snipe]

Scrubbing the aglea will cause more to grow wont it?

 

[sly]

Not if you scrub it and then immediately do a water change. When you scrub it, it floats around in the tank. Then you do the water change and it gets removed in the process.

 

[ophiura]

Originally posted by dalerich
I have a 55 gallon tank with an Aqua Clear 500 and a protein skimmer. Is it true that my biological filter is not good enough?
As mentioned in the above post...
This comes down to how much LR and substrate you have. It is unlikely that your biological filter is insufficient. If it was, you would have ammonia and nitrite issues. Do you? What are your specific water parameters?
However, if that is the only circulation on the tank, it is insufficient. However, you do not need the Bakpack for that, you need additional powerheads.

 

[clarkiiclo]

I would suggest a bigger filtration system. I think the 500 isa bit small. Do you run carbon?

 

[ophiura]

What kind of skimmer do you have, by the way? More than a few people run tanks with a skimmer and powerheads and not much more.

 

[dalerich]

I noticed that your filter is rated at 500 gph max. This is not enough turnover for good filtration. I don't remember the exact specs, but many people use about a 15-20x turnover ratio for their tanks. So on a 55 gal tank, you want to have a filter that can handle 15-20x your tank volume per hour, or 825-1100 gph.
You know what?? Your right. I removed an under gravel filter and crushed coral in Jan 2005. This was 200 gallons per hour of filtering it was bad filtering but water movement non the less.
My water parameters are Ammonia and nitrite are at zero, nitrate is 20 which slowly rises before the water change brings it back down.
The tank is a reef tank. Live rock is only about 30 pounds and yes I do have a power head to help move the water. I scrub the brown algae ever night. I should not scrub the algae?
I have used RO water since the cycle ended.
The brown algae went away for about 2 weeks but my lighting upgrade from 30 watts to 250 watts started up again. I tried to only add hour or so a week to work up to it. I think I will add another Aqua clear 500 this should push my filtering up.

 

[ophiura]

Personally I would still consider more water movement in the form of powerheads...I don't think something like another aquaclear is going to do much. Actually many people with hang ons like that just end up using them without the filter pads for water movement and running carbon. IMO, there is little indication of a issue with biological filtration - rather it is a circulation issue. JMO

 

[dalerich]

sorry
Seaclone Protein Skimmer 100.
Yes I use carbon in my filters.

 

[sly]

I have a simple 10 gal tank as well as my 72 gal. I have 2 UGF hang ons on the back of it. I took out the filter pads and just put in 2 foam blocks for the water to flow through. This helps to filter the water and also provides a surface for aerobic bacteria to grow which removes ammonia and nitrite. It works pretty good for that tank. My ammonia and nitrites are always at 0 and my nitrate steadily climbs over time because I dont' have anything in there to remove it. When my nitrate climbs over 15ppm, I do a water change.
Your skimmer is borderline not big enough btw...

 

[sly]

Originally posted by dalerich
I should not scrub the algae? '''
The brown algae went away for about 2 weeks but my lighting upgrade from 30 watts to 250 watts started up again. I tried to only add hour or so a week to work up to it.
I would recommend not scrubbing your algae for awhile. Let it grow so that it can absorb whatever is feeding it. Let IT clean your tank. Then after a few weeks, you can scrub the algae and do a water change to remove it from your system.
If you just scrub your algae, you will only spread it around if you do not do a water change to remove it. Let it grow for awhile and then when your system stabilizes, you can remove it for good.

 

[dalerich]

IMO, there is little indication of a issue with biological filtration - rather it is a circulation issue
I had two power heads but took one out because it looks like crap hanging in the corner these power look very pretty sitting on the filter tubes of an under gravel filter. I don't have the support hardware to properly attach it the side of the tank.
I have power heads on the shopping list.

 

[snipe]

Not part of the post
Nice to see you again ClarkiiClo Havent seen you in awhile

.
As for the post you cant go wrong with powerheads I have 4 in my tank and have no dead spots.

 

[dalerich]

Got a aqua clear 70(same as 802) power head at 400 GPH friday. I also changed the carbon in the filter. Now the fish swim side ways but it seemed to clear the tank of brown algae. The front glass would have to be scrubbed everyday. I have not had to scrub the front glass since I installed the new power head. So I think flow might be the answer to my problems Thanks for everyones help. I get will the hang of all this in a few years.....

 

[snipe]

I havent heard of diatoms being removed by more filtration. Was it diatoms or some other kinda algea?