Major Algae Problem (not new setup)

[janice]

I've been looking on other posts for algae posts but most are related to new setups. I've had my tank for about two years. I've always had an algae problem somewhat but in the past six months, it's been unbearable. The only thing keeping me from ditching the whole thing is the money I have invested. I've tried everything the LPS suggested and nothing has worked. It's mostly red and green algae on the glass - it builds up within two days so that the entire glass is covered.
The one thing I haven't tried is to darken the room - there is a south facing window that lets quite a bit of sun into the room, although not directly on the tank.
Question: If I try this, what's the best way to cover up the window (no shades as of yet) - black sheet, what??? Also, how long before I should see results? Will the algae that is there go away or will new algae stop growing? Do you think I'm on the right track or is there something easier I could try? Will tap water cause this???

 

[lcc]

the light is one source and phosfates(sp) could be another. Also, over feeding.
What are the numbers on your water test?

 

[old salt]

Get RO water (reverse osmosis filtered) from your LFS (i pay .39 per gal). Use for water changes and top off. You can also get a phosphate sponge to put in your filter... that should help....

 

[tanker newbie]

algae can have multipal causes
1st off lighting, too much or too long can cause algae blooms
2nd off silicates and phosphates , algea feeds off of nitrates phosphates and silicates you might want to try a phosphate spong and ro/di water
what are your nitrate levels as said above nitrates can contrubte to algae , more water changes or more % of water being changed might help as well

 

[janice]

ok, I knew you'd ask my nitrate, nitrite levels but didn't get to it yesterday, I will get a good test tonight of my water and report back. It's always been good but it's been awhile since I've tested it.
I am on well water, but we've got a wicked iron filter that seems to get the water pretty clean. I saw a post on well water though so I'm compelled to try something different. Will it be a shock to switch to bottled RO next time I change the water? I usually change about 20% every other week (it's 55g)
Food... Yes, I may be guilty of overfeeding but I think Mr crab takes care of cleaning that up. My poor Koran Angel has pits on it's face. Previously I posted about this and someone said to feel it greens and algae - that made my algae problem worse so I had to go back to brine shrimp :^(
Lightening... LFS suggested this so I changed my bulbs, no improvement
Phosphate sponge... LFS suggested something in my filter that I've had in there, not sure if it's a phosphate sponge or not, but it hasn't made a difference.
Last night I put a sheet over the window in that room and put some black thick paper over the side of the tank that gets the most sun (it had the background paper before but another thought I had was that it was losing it's ...sunlight-blocking power)

 

[old salt]

A 20% water change with RO water shouldn't be a problem...

 

[bobj]

I had a significant algae problem. I used a phosphate filter and RO water for changes. Phosphate levels came down to almost 0 , but the algae continued at a terrible rate.
My tank is now algae free because I put shades on the windows nearest the tank. They did not provide direct sunlight but sunlight nontheless.

 

[janice]

ok Old Salt... a 8 gallon RO water change DID have bad affects! See my post about "PLEASE HELP ASAP". My fish are now laying on the bottom breathing hard. Just finished a water change from the tap - seems to be helping. Not sure what else to do. I'm not getting any suggestions here and my LFS is not open yet. I think they're coming back to life.. they're moving their fins more. Wonder if I should feed My crab to keep him away from the fish...

 

[old salt]

I can't imagine RO water causing a problem for your fish... unless the water was too warm or cold, PH was far different, specific gravity was changed... What are all your readings right now? Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, PH, Specific Gravity... and what was your PH and SG before you did water change?

 

[janice]

Here's the current readings:
Nitrite: .25, Nitrate: ~40, Ammonia: 0, PH: 84
Salinity was good at all times.
Temp before RO change was 78
Temp after RO change was 77 (the water felt cold)
Temp when I got up: 78
Temp after emergency tap change: 79 (I tried to warm it up)
I didn't take the Ammonia or PH reading before my last water change with tap water in an effort to quickly save my fish.
The guy at LFS said it was because I used bottled RO water from the grocery store. He said it must have had pollutants in it. Whatever it is only affect the fish, not inverts so it must be a gill thing.
When I left for work after taking the morning off, everyone was swimming around but still breathing hard. My Koran Angel is the worst off, he got off the ground and is hanging out in the rocks but still not moving a lot. He's pretty big (7-8 inches) so I expect its roughest on him. Plus I think Mr crab was getting to him. When I get home I'm going to change the water again I think. And the LFS said to change the carbon in the filter for an extra boost too. The protein skimmer isn't pulling anything out either btw.

 

[janice]

oh yeah, the readings before I did the RO change were pretty much the same:
Ammonia: 0, PH: 82, Nitrite: .2, Nitrate: ~35

 

[old salt]

I get my RO water from my LFS & never used it from a bottle but I've never heard or read of it being a problem... Try posting a message directly to Trey... he may be able to diagnose for you... he really knows what he's doing.... GL

 

[porkypuffer]

ONE CONCERN IS THE NITRITES, THE AMMONIA AND NITRITES SHOULD STAY AT 0 IN A MATURE TANK. HAVE YOU ADDED A FISH LATELY?

 

[janice]

Nope, haven't added a new fish in ages (translated to months). Nitrite, Nitrates are a bit high but supposedly normal... maybe that's because the RO water is killing the algae????

 

[tangs_in_pacifica]

OK, grasping at straws here... any chance of electrical problems? Do you have a grounding probe? What happens, when you turn all power off for just a bit? I know, it's ridiculous, perhaps idiotic, but I personally can't think of anything else. Maybe you shut off pumps, during the water change and turned them back on again... this could have been the straw that broke that old Rio's back??? I've heard of major stray voltage causing problems, but I don't know about respitory??? Trey???
Phew, it's a good thing I don't have to give fish advice for a living.
[ June 04, 2001: Message edited by: tangs_in_pacifica ]

 

[old salt]

One other thing... When did you mix the batch of RO water with salt? did you airate it for a day or so I hope?

 

[janice]

ok, electrical problems... mm unlikely but I'm up for anything.
Aerate the water... ok, that's a new one to me. I don't usually do that. Is that because it was in a bottle and sealed airtight that I should have let it sit for awhile? Definitely could be a problem if that's the case... I didn't let it sit more than a few minutes - just enough to dissolve the salt. This is what I usually do. wrong?

 

[old salt]

My understanding is that RO water doesn't have oxygen in it (probably cause it's bottled?)... All the books I have read say that freshly mixed saltwater should stand for a day or so and should have a powerhead or an airstone in it.. helps mix salt thoughorly and airates the water... You really need to get one of the sharks, preferably Trey to look at your problem... start a new thread and put his name on it...

 

[tangs_in_pacifica]

Yeah, start a new thread with Attn: Sharks!!! Need help! or something like that...

 

[janice]

Thanks Old Salt - the aeration thing sounds pretty good to me. I have heard that you're supposed to let the water sit for a day, but then someone told me that was just with the old salt mixes and nowadays you don't need to do this. I bet it's different when it comes from a bottle and it is sealed tight. hmmm.
I'll get the hang of this posting thing eventually! I'm going home now, I really hope everyone is still alive (although if Mr Crab passed away I might forgo the funeral for him). Wish me luck!