gmford1979
Member
alright, so here are the pics after my busy work this weekend. tell me what y'all think with the before pic from above and the after !
lighting causing algae??
- Thread starter gmford1979
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gmford1979
Member
sorry, the pics aren't any better, i had to use the camera on my cell phone
geoj
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by novahobbies http:///forum/thread/383073/lighting-causing-algae#post_3350860
If you have the ability to remove the rock and scrub it, then you definitely should. Anything to get the algae down to manageable levels will only help your cause. Why don't you do that with the next water change if you have the afternoon to kill? Save the water change water you pull out during your next WC. Put half the water in two tubs. Pull your rock out, and with a new clean nylon brush, scrub the rock in the first tub, then rinse it in the "clean" water tub, then return it to your tank. If all you have is cyano and hair algae, you'll be amazed at how clean it looks. If you have red turf algae (was the bane of my 110g tank....) then it's not quite as effective. Better than a poke in the eye, tho.
In my personal opinion I think you'll be better off doing 15 gallons weekly for 4 weeks. Here's why:
First, I wholeheartedly applaud your desire to bring the tank back to fighting trim. Doing so many water changes, though, is going to wear you out and wear down your resolve. It's a daunting task to tote all that water around every few days. By spreading it out a little, it lessens the "chore" quality of it. It becomes part of your weekend routine this way. For me, it's a late night Saturday thing. Dinner's done, dishes are in the washer, wife is watching her tivo.....time to clean the tank. It's just habit.
Second, I worry a little that so much constant drain-refill-drain fluctuation might stress some of your coral. I see you have some beautiful pieces that come up close to the top of the tank, so they're going to be exposed to air during the WC. Doing WC more than once a week for a couple weeks running may stress them out more than you really want.
Again, that's just my personal advice,for what it's worth. Your mileage may vary.
I look forward to seeing a pic of the new tank!! I'm sure the new lighting looks a little crisper, too. I'm sorry to say that I don't think the new lights will help "kill" the algae -- the point of the new lights is to stop the overgrowth that the red-shifted bulbs were encouraging. So in that respect, yes, they will help...but they won't go so far as to KILL existing algae.
Good to hear about your mom. Always very stressful when a loved one goes under the knife, for any reason. I can barely begin to imagine what that must have been like.... heck, I was worried when my wife had her APPENDIX out.
+1
Originally Posted by novahobbies http:///forum/thread/383073/lighting-causing-algae#post_3350860
If you have the ability to remove the rock and scrub it, then you definitely should. Anything to get the algae down to manageable levels will only help your cause. Why don't you do that with the next water change if you have the afternoon to kill? Save the water change water you pull out during your next WC. Put half the water in two tubs. Pull your rock out, and with a new clean nylon brush, scrub the rock in the first tub, then rinse it in the "clean" water tub, then return it to your tank. If all you have is cyano and hair algae, you'll be amazed at how clean it looks. If you have red turf algae (was the bane of my 110g tank....) then it's not quite as effective. Better than a poke in the eye, tho.
In my personal opinion I think you'll be better off doing 15 gallons weekly for 4 weeks. Here's why:
First, I wholeheartedly applaud your desire to bring the tank back to fighting trim. Doing so many water changes, though, is going to wear you out and wear down your resolve. It's a daunting task to tote all that water around every few days. By spreading it out a little, it lessens the "chore" quality of it. It becomes part of your weekend routine this way. For me, it's a late night Saturday thing. Dinner's done, dishes are in the washer, wife is watching her tivo.....time to clean the tank. It's just habit.
Second, I worry a little that so much constant drain-refill-drain fluctuation might stress some of your coral. I see you have some beautiful pieces that come up close to the top of the tank, so they're going to be exposed to air during the WC. Doing WC more than once a week for a couple weeks running may stress them out more than you really want.
Again, that's just my personal advice,for what it's worth. Your mileage may vary.
I look forward to seeing a pic of the new tank!! I'm sure the new lighting looks a little crisper, too. I'm sorry to say that I don't think the new lights will help "kill" the algae -- the point of the new lights is to stop the overgrowth that the red-shifted bulbs were encouraging. So in that respect, yes, they will help...but they won't go so far as to KILL existing algae.
Good to hear about your mom. Always very stressful when a loved one goes under the knife, for any reason. I can barely begin to imagine what that must have been like.... heck, I was worried when my wife had her APPENDIX out.
+1
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoJ http:///forum/thread/383073/lighting-causing-algae/20#post_3351228
Don't get bummed out if the slime comes back some. It will take a little time for the RO water changes to put a hurting on the slime.
I agree 100%. The likelihood of the algae (esp the cyanobacteria, or red slime algae...) coming back is very strong. Don't get discouraged when it does. Like Geo said, it will probably take about a month to really get it under control. Just make sure to siphon out as much as you can during your weekly water changes.
Originally Posted by GeoJ http:///forum/thread/383073/lighting-causing-algae/20#post_3351228
Don't get bummed out if the slime comes back some. It will take a little time for the RO water changes to put a hurting on the slime.
I agree 100%. The likelihood of the algae (esp the cyanobacteria, or red slime algae...) coming back is very strong. Don't get discouraged when it does. Like Geo said, it will probably take about a month to really get it under control. Just make sure to siphon out as much as you can during your weekly water changes.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmford1979 http:///forum/thread/383073/lighting-causing-algae/20#post_3350967
sorry, the pics aren't any better, i had to use the camera on my cell phone
WOW!!! What a difference!! I see the algae you were talking about; that should definitely be a 10 minute job during your next WC. But seriously....that tank looks 1000 times better. Bet you're happy to actually see inside it finally, eh? Good Job!
Originally Posted by gmford1979 http:///forum/thread/383073/lighting-causing-algae/20#post_3350967
sorry, the pics aren't any better, i had to use the camera on my cell phone
WOW!!! What a difference!! I see the algae you were talking about; that should definitely be a 10 minute job during your next WC. But seriously....that tank looks 1000 times better. Bet you're happy to actually see inside it finally, eh? Good Job!
gmford1979
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by novahobbies http:///forum/thread/383073/lighting-causing-algae/20#post_3351862
Quote:
WOW!!! What a difference!! I see the algae you were talking about; that should definitely be a 10 minute job during your next WC. But seriously....that tank looks 1000 times better. Bet you're happy to actually see inside it finally, eh? Good Job!
Thanks! i had almost forgotten what my fish and corals looked like. i'm just glad that everything was still alive in there, and still alive after all that cleaning and water changing.
How long do you guys think i should wait before adding some more corals or a fish or two??
Originally Posted by novahobbies http:///forum/thread/383073/lighting-causing-algae/20#post_3351862
Quote:
WOW!!! What a difference!! I see the algae you were talking about; that should definitely be a 10 minute job during your next WC. But seriously....that tank looks 1000 times better. Bet you're happy to actually see inside it finally, eh? Good Job!
Thanks! i had almost forgotten what my fish and corals looked like. i'm just glad that everything was still alive in there, and still alive after all that cleaning and water changing.
How long do you guys think i should wait before adding some more corals or a fish or two??
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
Hmmm, I don't know. I'd hold off a bit if it was my tank. Your chemistry is going to be in flux for a little bit while you're getting the algae under control. I'd just let things balance out for a month or so, then consider some new additions.
If you want to add a new fish, you could possibly get one sooner and keep it in quarantine for a month. By the time the fish is out of QT, your tank will probably be ready to accept the load. What did you have in mind?
If you want to add a new fish, you could possibly get one sooner and keep it in quarantine for a month. By the time the fish is out of QT, your tank will probably be ready to accept the load. What did you have in mind?
gmford1979
Member
not really sure. right now all that is in there are 2 clowns and a blue damsel. the damsel was a surprise about a year ago. i went out of town and had my dad coming over to feed and clean the glass. i came home and he had taken it upon himself to add the "pretty" blue fish. ha. but actually, it hasn't shown any aggression. but i was thinking a six line wrasse or an antheia or two. really want to work on my coral collection and get some frags. my local LFS has a great selection of frags, and of bigger corals. and most are reasonable priced.