One Ugly Tank

[cubano]

My tank needs help! I have a 120G, fish only with about 60lbs of live rock and a deep sand bed. The tank has been set up for about three years. For some reason, it has gone back to when I first started. The sand gets a brown film of algea and my rocks get covered with hair algea. At one time, I could not keep up with the coraline algea now most of it is dead. I changed the lights about two months ago with the same as what I had before, two 96W 50/50 smart bulbs. Can someone help?
Tank 120G
1 juvenile Imperator
1 small blue tang
1 med yellow tang
1 coral beauty
1 yellow headed goby
2 percula clowns

 

[joker_ca]

how often do u do water changes, and what are you nitrate, and phosphate levels?

 

[cubano]

I changed the water 20-25% about once a month. Nitrates are at very low levels but do not know the phosphate.

 

[duke13]

You may want to consider changing 10% of your water every 2 weeks.
Are you using tap water or RO water?
You may want to consider getting a Phosphate test kit.
What do you have for a cleaner crew? Emerald Crabs could help with your algae. Also, pick up a Fighting Conch for every 30-40 gal you have. King Hermit crabs and Cerith Snails also do well at eating the algae on the sand.

 

[cubano]

Thanks Duke.
I wil try the 10% change from now on. I do not have much of a cleaning crew. There are a few blue hermits left and one turbo but most of my crew are long gone.
I will make sure to get some.

 

[lion_crazz]

And if the added clean-up crew can't keep up with the algae, run some RowaPhos just to make sure that you don't have phosphates in the tank. If you have a lot of algae, a phosphate test kit will not be accurate because the algae is absorbing the phosphates.