gexkko
Member
So I've been having a diatom/bubble algea problem as of late in my 29g(as many people do). I had the problem beat, then I added an Odysea 250w halide hood with 2x65w actincs. The addition of the halide lighting pretty much set forth a bloom, which I expected. I have a nitrate problem (I can't get it below 20ppm), even though I've got what is supposed to be a superb skimmer for my system (AquaC remora w/maxijet 1200), a 20g sump/fuge with cleaner clams and chaeto, and only three fish (clarkii, cb, bicolor pseudo) which get fed a small amount once per day.
Basically I've been fighting the nitrates for a while, and the algea was a new problem. I figured my tank would adapt, but in the mean time I would manually remove the algea to prevent it overgrowing my corals and wait for the tank to stabilize (while also seeking new solutions for my nitrate problem). Much to my chagrine, the slime started creeping up my finger leather and over my lone zoo hitchiker polyp.
I decided it was time to take chemical action while I worked to resolve the source through other means. I went down to my trusted lfs to talk to a guy who hasn't steered me wrong yet. Unfortunately, the only person available was the owner. I knew he was the owner, and having not worked with him before, I figured he would be fairly knowledgable, at least as knowledgable as the employee I really trusted.
As I was explaining my problem, he kinda stared into space. Then he went on this diatribe about how tanks need 2 1/2 weeks to balance things out, that what I'm seeing now is the result of 2 1/2 weeks ago. He just wasn't listening. I was trying to find the additive that removes slime algea whilst I worked to resolve the source through more conventional means.
Every time I tried to explain that, he went off on how tanks need 2 1/2 weeks to stabilize and how I shouldn't trust the adive of 17 people (I had mentioned hearing conflicting things from various sources, where he got 17 people I do not know). I told him I knew the source of the bloom: my nitrates and my recently added halides. The look he gave me when I told him I had the hood I previously described said "good luck, you are going to fry everythign you have." Excuse me if I have a desire to keep SPS at some point in my tanks life and absolutely love the look the halides give my tank, not to mention my current corals absolutely love it.
His response was "good luck." Then he went on another rant about how in his 36 years of experience he'd never seen a product that removed algea in freshwater and was pretty sure nothing existed in saltwater. It was when he started comparing his fw experience to my sw dilema that I decided to hunt down my trusty pal. Oh, I forgot to mention, he asked me why I wasn't doing 10% water changes daily, even though every other parameter (minus a small .25 spike in ammonia after a fish death which I think was collected using cyanide, but thats another story) has been superb. He seemed quite confused that I was hesitant to remove that much water for 20ppm nitrates every day, not to mention burn through the $55/bucket salt I use (btw, I do weekly 10-15% water changes).
My parameters (in case anyone asks)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: Between 20 and 40 (my test goes from 20 to 40)
Phosphate: 0
pH: 8.0
Ca: 440-480 (its still fluctuating as I adjust my kalk mixture)
dKH: 10
Anyway, the employee referred me to the product I wanted, but he also suggested a seachem product called purigen (which he said he uses in all his tanks). I decided to try that first before adding chemicals to kill the slime. In the mean time, I'm using a small pipet to blow the slime off my corals.
Sorry for the rant. I know it wasn't over anything huge, but it was absolutely frustrating to sit there and have the store owner talk down to me when he obviously didn't even understand what I was talking about. I went in looking for a suggestion to fix my overall problem as well as a suggestion to fix my immediate dilema, and couldn't get more than "you can't do anything."
Basically I've been fighting the nitrates for a while, and the algea was a new problem. I figured my tank would adapt, but in the mean time I would manually remove the algea to prevent it overgrowing my corals and wait for the tank to stabilize (while also seeking new solutions for my nitrate problem). Much to my chagrine, the slime started creeping up my finger leather and over my lone zoo hitchiker polyp.
I decided it was time to take chemical action while I worked to resolve the source through other means. I went down to my trusted lfs to talk to a guy who hasn't steered me wrong yet. Unfortunately, the only person available was the owner. I knew he was the owner, and having not worked with him before, I figured he would be fairly knowledgable, at least as knowledgable as the employee I really trusted.
As I was explaining my problem, he kinda stared into space. Then he went on this diatribe about how tanks need 2 1/2 weeks to balance things out, that what I'm seeing now is the result of 2 1/2 weeks ago. He just wasn't listening. I was trying to find the additive that removes slime algea whilst I worked to resolve the source through more conventional means.
Every time I tried to explain that, he went off on how tanks need 2 1/2 weeks to stabilize and how I shouldn't trust the adive of 17 people (I had mentioned hearing conflicting things from various sources, where he got 17 people I do not know). I told him I knew the source of the bloom: my nitrates and my recently added halides. The look he gave me when I told him I had the hood I previously described said "good luck, you are going to fry everythign you have." Excuse me if I have a desire to keep SPS at some point in my tanks life and absolutely love the look the halides give my tank, not to mention my current corals absolutely love it.
His response was "good luck." Then he went on another rant about how in his 36 years of experience he'd never seen a product that removed algea in freshwater and was pretty sure nothing existed in saltwater. It was when he started comparing his fw experience to my sw dilema that I decided to hunt down my trusty pal. Oh, I forgot to mention, he asked me why I wasn't doing 10% water changes daily, even though every other parameter (minus a small .25 spike in ammonia after a fish death which I think was collected using cyanide, but thats another story) has been superb. He seemed quite confused that I was hesitant to remove that much water for 20ppm nitrates every day, not to mention burn through the $55/bucket salt I use (btw, I do weekly 10-15% water changes).
My parameters (in case anyone asks)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: Between 20 and 40 (my test goes from 20 to 40)
Phosphate: 0
pH: 8.0
Ca: 440-480 (its still fluctuating as I adjust my kalk mixture)
dKH: 10
Anyway, the employee referred me to the product I wanted, but he also suggested a seachem product called purigen (which he said he uses in all his tanks). I decided to try that first before adding chemicals to kill the slime. In the mean time, I'm using a small pipet to blow the slime off my corals.
Sorry for the rant. I know it wasn't over anything huge, but it was absolutely frustrating to sit there and have the store owner talk down to me when he obviously didn't even understand what I was talking about. I went in looking for a suggestion to fix my overall problem as well as a suggestion to fix my immediate dilema, and couldn't get more than "you can't do anything."