spanko
Active Member
Here is an interesting take on the control of algae in out tanks. It seem like there are always questions about Diatoms, Cyano and hair algae that are asked by newcomers that have not seen the answers to these questions before. This is an attempt to put some answers in one place. The author is not listed in the article but it is posted on a Yahoo site about reef tanks.
Quote:
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Reeftank Algae Control
One of the most nagging problems that a reef aquarist can encounter is undesirable algae. The three major problem algae are brown diatom algae, red slime algae and green hair algae. In response to the question I'm most often asked, "How do you control the algae in your tank?" the following are suggestions from my own personal experiences on algae control.
Brown diatom algae is usually the first problem algae that a new reef aquarist encounters. A bloom of brown algae often occurs soon after one introduces new live rock to a reeftank. This bloom occurs because of the curing of the live rock introduces of silicates and nutrients. A brown film soon coats everything inside the tank. Control of brown diatom algae is relatively easy. The first thing to do is to purchase Trochus or Astraea snails that eagerly consume the brown diatom film. I personally prefer Trochus snails because they seem more robust than the Astraea strain. I've had good results purchasing Trochus snails from IPSF. There are other snails that will clean the glass such as Nerite and Strombus snails, but Trochus and Astraea snails are the brown diatom cleaner workhorses. The second thing to do is to perform regular water changes to remove any excess nutrients and silicates from the water. The third thing to do is to have an effective protein skimmer to help with the nutrient removal. The fourth thing to do is to cut down light intensity or duration. The final thing to do is to have some type of chemical filtration such as carbon or ChemiPure help with the nutrient removal. I would rank the methods above from most important to least important.
Red slime algae (cyanobacteria) usually breaks out on top of the substrate. There are two main means of control for this algae. One is increased water flow in order to decrease the stagnant areas immediately above the substrate. Two is excess nutrient control as detailed below.
Green hair algae is the real scourge of a reeftank. This algae loves the high light and current conditions of a thriving reeftank. Green hair algae can take advantage of any excess nutrients faster than most corals. Scrubbing of the hair algae is only a temporary measure. By following the steps below, I've been able to control hair algae outbreaks for over a year:
1.Make sure your protein skimmer is working correctly. A protein skimmer works 24 hours a day to remove excess waste and nutrients from a tank. If the venturi is clogged on a venturi skimmer or there is another problem with other skimmer designs, waste will not be exported from your tank and algae will take advantage of the waste. On my 20-gallon reeftank, the venturi on my CPR BakPak 2 consistently clogged so I added a limewood airstone to it in order to make sure that a large amount of air bubbles were always working to export waste.
2.Make sure your protein skimmer is large enough. There has been debate about overskimming a tank and whether one should skim a tank at all. But when a tank is new or when there are algae problems, "size" always helps. For my 50-gallon setup with a 29-gallon refugium, I purchased a CPR SR4 for the sump that is substantially larger than the CPR SR2 (basically an in sump BakPak 2). The SR4 consistently extracts gunk out of the tanks. Both hard and soft corals thrive in the 50-gallon tank and sponges grow in the tank and the sump so I don't think the SR4 overskims the tank. Some sponges and fanworms have disappeared, but I feel the SR4 helps me maintain the coral, fish and crustaceans that I'm most interested in. From what I've read, I think overskimming problems occur most often with downdraft skimmers. I've been very happy with the venturi style skimmers from CPR, but I've read good things about the needle wheel skimmers, and I may try them in a future tank. I think if a tank has been stable for over six months, the bioload is low, water changes are consistent, and there are other means of nutrient export via macroalgae and chemical means, one can experiment with decreasing or stopping skimmer use
3.Decrease lighting. I cut lighting down to five hours a day (two 55 watt Power Compact lights - 1 6700k and 1 7100 K) from eight hours a day when I had a green hair algae problem in my 20-gallon tank. Another way to decrease lighting is to put a filter or grate between the light and the tank. I've read some people even cut out all lighting for a while until they have problem algae under control."
Cont'd
Quote:
"
Reeftank Algae Control
One of the most nagging problems that a reef aquarist can encounter is undesirable algae. The three major problem algae are brown diatom algae, red slime algae and green hair algae. In response to the question I'm most often asked, "How do you control the algae in your tank?" the following are suggestions from my own personal experiences on algae control.
Brown diatom algae is usually the first problem algae that a new reef aquarist encounters. A bloom of brown algae often occurs soon after one introduces new live rock to a reeftank. This bloom occurs because of the curing of the live rock introduces of silicates and nutrients. A brown film soon coats everything inside the tank. Control of brown diatom algae is relatively easy. The first thing to do is to purchase Trochus or Astraea snails that eagerly consume the brown diatom film. I personally prefer Trochus snails because they seem more robust than the Astraea strain. I've had good results purchasing Trochus snails from IPSF. There are other snails that will clean the glass such as Nerite and Strombus snails, but Trochus and Astraea snails are the brown diatom cleaner workhorses. The second thing to do is to perform regular water changes to remove any excess nutrients and silicates from the water. The third thing to do is to have an effective protein skimmer to help with the nutrient removal. The fourth thing to do is to cut down light intensity or duration. The final thing to do is to have some type of chemical filtration such as carbon or ChemiPure help with the nutrient removal. I would rank the methods above from most important to least important.
Red slime algae (cyanobacteria) usually breaks out on top of the substrate. There are two main means of control for this algae. One is increased water flow in order to decrease the stagnant areas immediately above the substrate. Two is excess nutrient control as detailed below.
Green hair algae is the real scourge of a reeftank. This algae loves the high light and current conditions of a thriving reeftank. Green hair algae can take advantage of any excess nutrients faster than most corals. Scrubbing of the hair algae is only a temporary measure. By following the steps below, I've been able to control hair algae outbreaks for over a year:
1.Make sure your protein skimmer is working correctly. A protein skimmer works 24 hours a day to remove excess waste and nutrients from a tank. If the venturi is clogged on a venturi skimmer or there is another problem with other skimmer designs, waste will not be exported from your tank and algae will take advantage of the waste. On my 20-gallon reeftank, the venturi on my CPR BakPak 2 consistently clogged so I added a limewood airstone to it in order to make sure that a large amount of air bubbles were always working to export waste.
2.Make sure your protein skimmer is large enough. There has been debate about overskimming a tank and whether one should skim a tank at all. But when a tank is new or when there are algae problems, "size" always helps. For my 50-gallon setup with a 29-gallon refugium, I purchased a CPR SR4 for the sump that is substantially larger than the CPR SR2 (basically an in sump BakPak 2). The SR4 consistently extracts gunk out of the tanks. Both hard and soft corals thrive in the 50-gallon tank and sponges grow in the tank and the sump so I don't think the SR4 overskims the tank. Some sponges and fanworms have disappeared, but I feel the SR4 helps me maintain the coral, fish and crustaceans that I'm most interested in. From what I've read, I think overskimming problems occur most often with downdraft skimmers. I've been very happy with the venturi style skimmers from CPR, but I've read good things about the needle wheel skimmers, and I may try them in a future tank. I think if a tank has been stable for over six months, the bioload is low, water changes are consistent, and there are other means of nutrient export via macroalgae and chemical means, one can experiment with decreasing or stopping skimmer use
3.Decrease lighting. I cut lighting down to five hours a day (two 55 watt Power Compact lights - 1 6700k and 1 7100 K) from eight hours a day when I had a green hair algae problem in my 20-gallon tank. Another way to decrease lighting is to put a filter or grate between the light and the tank. I've read some people even cut out all lighting for a while until they have problem algae under control."
Cont'd