Phosphate/Algae Control

[aquafox]

I am having algae problems again. I really need someone to help me figure out how to control or get rid of the phosphates in my water. I have tried everything!! My reading are all amazing...8.2 PH, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates....I am getting a 1.0 reading (if I remember correctly) on phosphates...I want this number at 0 because I know this is why I am starting to see green algae again. I do not use tap water, I use strictly distilled water. I use instant ocean salt mix....I put in a calcium additive every other day and have about 7 plants...shaving brush and blade plants...the algae is even taking over my shaving brush!! That was one of the first things it grew on! I am sick of battling the phosphates....someone please help. I saw some stuff mentioned in other posts about Kalk drips and phosphate sponges....can someone tell me what these things are or if there is something else out there that will help? This is in my 46 gallon tank with two anemones, a few small corals and three domino damsel fish, a cinnamon clown and a psychedelic mandarin goby. I have a massive clean up crew and they were controlling it for a while but now they are unable to keep it at bay...I have red leg hermits, blue leg hermits, turbo snails, narcissus snails, emeral crabs, a couple of brittle stars, and two coral banded shrimp....we are talking in the neighborhood of about 75 clean up critters in all....any safe suggestions will be much appreciated!! Thanks! Oh - also, my lights are a 10K and actinic....about 6 mos old...I am about to replace with same. Salinity runs about 1.025 and temp about 79 degrees farenheit...Help!

 

[beaslbob]

basically your shaving brushes are not able to keep up with the bioload. So do whatever you can to get plant life established that can.

 

[birdy]

My first suggestion would be to test your distilled water, be sure that it is a pure source, if that test okay, then you may want to run a phosphate sponge, I have heard good things from marc weiss phosphate and sliciate sponge and it doesn't contain aluminum like Kent's does. As you are running the sponge, remove as much of your algea by hand as possible. You didn't say what type of algae it is, I am assuming it is hair.
This is what I did and recommend doing to battle algae:
Ridding your tank of algae:
The following procedures will work for many types of algae
But I had particulary good success getting rid of hair algae
Doing the following things:
1. The first step is to test your water with the following tests:
PH (this should be 8.2-8.4)
Alk (this should be around 9-10 dkh)
Ammonia ( should be 0)
Nitrite ( should be 0)
Nitrate (ideally 0, but under 10 is okay)
Phosphate (should be 0)
Calcium (should be around 400-450)
Additional testing could involve silicates
2. The second step is to test your top off water it should have 0
TDS.
3. The third step is to be sure you have a good skimmer
4. Be sure you have bulbs in the Kelvin rating of 10k and an actinic bulb
And the bulbs should be changed every 6mo to 12mo depending on type of bulb.
5. Reduce lighting, if you do not have corals then you can turn your lights off until the algae is dead, then you can scrub rocks clean . If you have corals then you will have to use other means.
6. Do weekly 10% water changes pulling out as much algea as possible
7. Run a phosphate sponge- you may have 0 phosphates on a test kit, but this may only mean that
Your algae is consuming all the algae.
8. Set up a refugium with macro algae (THIS MAY BE THE BEST SOLUTION)
9. Drip Kalk it will help precipitate phosphates from the system it will also keep pH, alk, and Ca in the proper level and promote Coralline growth which will keep the bad algae from attaching to the rocks.

 

[aquafox]

OKay...a couple of questions....where can I get a phosphate sponge and the Kalk Drip? I looked here on SWF.com and did not see the sponge....saw something that might be the Kalk drip but I need confirmation. I do have a skimmer so I am good there...I will test my distilled water tonight....I am thinking now that you may be right as that is the only place this phosphate load could be coming from! And what plants are out there that may be able to better handle the phosphate load? I had some nice halimeda for a while and the algae got it...now my shaving brush and blade plants are being taken over....the algae is the green kind of furry looking algae....I assume that is what you call hair algae...right now it is mostly on my base rock pieces with a little tiny growth on my live rock pieces and my plants...it is just starting to creep on the glass...so it's not completely out of control yet...but it has been before and I know how quickly it can take over....thanks for the help and for answering my questions... )

 

[birdy]

Well I cannot post links to other stores, but most of the larger mail order stores carry Marc Weiss products, As far as dripping kalk, it can be a bit complicated, but if you ever want to have corals then it is a good idea to know how to do it. Kip has an article about it, type in Dripping Kalkwasser 101, in the search feature and it will bring it up.
as far as plants, look for caluerpa or macro algaes, leafy plants like that, Halimedia delpletes the tank of calcium and I don't know how those other plants do on nutrient export, I don't like plants in a display tank normally, I prefer a refugium. Plants in a display can grow rampant or be eaten up by fish, either way it can be trouble, you can also pack a lot more plants in a refugium than you would want in your display.
If you cannot find any of these things email me bugsnbirdsNOSPAM@everestkc.net
take out the no spam

 

[aquafox]

Thanks for the info. Sounds like the refugium may be the way to go. Any thoughts on what size would be best for my 46 gallon tank? And should I do a hang on or something else? I am not running a sump right now on this tank...I have a Bio-wheel 330 filter and a sea clone protein skimmer along with the usual heater and couple powerheads....What is the best way to get started with a refugium? Thanks again for all the help...this site and everyone on it have been wonderful!

 

[beaslbob]

bigger the better.
Have seen recommendations of 20-40% is display volumn.

 

[aquafox]

So sounds like I could set up a 10 gallon tank as my refugium maybe? Just need what...a siphon and return as well as some substrate, live rock and plants....does that sound about right?

 

[birdy]

I had sucess with a 6gal fuge on my 46bowfront, but yes bigger is better a 10gal would be fantastic, you can set them up two ways, the first would be under the tank, you would need a HOB overflow that would feed the refugium, in the fuge would be a 2-3" sandbed a little bit of LR and plenty of macro algae, you also need a light over the fuge, power compacts with a 6500k bulb work great. You would also need a pump to send the water back to the tank.
The other way is an above tank fuge, in this one, you pump the water up to the tank, and if you have an acrylic tank you can just drill a hole in the side of it and it plumb it to gravity feed back to the tank. If it is a glass tank you will need an overflow to feed the water back to the tank.
do a search on refugiums and you should pull up pictures and diagrams.

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by AquaFox
So sounds like I could set up a 10 gallon tank as my refugium maybe? Just need what...a siphon and return as well as some substrate, live rock and plants....does that sound about right?
yep. no need for live rock, but add the sand and plants.
Also try to set it up a little higher than the tank. then drill a hole and use a bulkhead to drain back into the display. Avoid at all costs vast height difference and syphons.
It would make an excellent display right besides your current tank.
You also might check the DIY sections lotsa lotsa refug/sumps type projects.