Need Help getting angered!

[nolesfan06]

Well I had a algae bloom. woopdedoo. well i've managed for my cleanup crew to eat up most of it but they wont touch the stuff on the sand?!? is it a different kind that they dont like? how else can i get rid of the unsightly stuff?
O another question how often do i need to change the carbon filter pads in my HOB filter?

 

[nolesfan06]

Can anyone help me?

 

[pfitz44]

Whats your livestock and cleanup crew?? What size tank, and what kind and model of the HOB filter??

 

[happyhourh]

carbon-at least once a month
Sand algae-I would try and increase flow over the sand bed. My coral beauty picks at the algae on the sand. Nassarius snails burrow which keeps the sand stirred. What does the algae on your sand look like?

 

[birdy]

Can you just suck it up with a hose? Manually removing algae is actually the best thing you can do, exports the nutrients that the algae is using to grow.
Carbon is only really effective for about 72hrs after you put it in your filter, so you can remove it after that, unless you want the filter floss to remove debris from the tank, if you leave the cartridge in the filter you want to rinse it out in saltwater every week to get the junk out of it and replace it once a month.

 

[jdragunas]

i agree with happyhour. You need to increase the waterflow over your sand. What's happening is things are settling on your sand (leftover food, fish waste, etc.) and causing algae to grow on it. If you have a few powerheads flowing over your sand, those things will get pushed back up into the water column, and picked up by your filter or skimmer.
you should change your carbon at least once a month.

 

[nolesfan06]

well i have 40 gal cube tank. how many powerheads will i need and where in the tank should i place them? so nassariuos snails or whatever will help also? what about a large margarita snail? for filteration i got a protien skimmer and a emperor 330. is this adequate?

 

[jdragunas]

margarita snails require cold water, and will die in a tropical setting, so basically, NO. lol. Nassarius snails are great for stirring the sandbed. Your filtration should be ok. How much LR do you have?
As for powerheads, i would get 2, and put them on either side of the tank, facing the opposite side. Place them near the bottom of the tank, so they move the water closest to the sandbed. It might be difficult to find a good spot for them where they won't disturb the sandbed, but will still create a good flow across it.

 

[nolesfan06]

ok i think i'm gonna order 2 powerheads either 2nite or tomorrow. what is equivalent to the maxijet 600's here on saltwaterfish.com? cuz i wanna keep my business w/ them if i can?

 

[kdfrosty]

Also try reducing your photoperiod to about 8 hours, and gradually increasing it every other day or so.
Oh, I might also recommend a queen conch, depending on your type of algea.

 

[jdragunas]

what size is your tank? Don't queen conch's get pretty big? Or do they have dwarf ones?

 

[kdfrosty]

I have a Queen Conch in a 50g, and have had it in there for about 10 months now. I have seen about 1/2" growth at most. Total length is now about 2".

 

[redleg]

algea is caused by 1 phosphates 2light 3 no water movement . cure # more RO water changes if no better cut down on light and add power heads :happyfish