Something Is Not Right!

wilks18702

wilks18702

Member
I need some help please!!!!!
I am having a algae problem. I have a 10 G tank with 2 clown fish. Water quality as far as I can tell is good. All readings are exactly where they are supposed to be (PH, Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate) I had a bad algae bloom. Thick very green all over the bottom. Also, a thin film on the glass on all sides, but only on the bottom third of the glass. Also on the glass is spots was a brownish algae.
Yesterday, I vacuumed the bottom, removing all I could see. I also scrubbed the sides removing everything. I did a 50% water change, I know too much. I added a power head to aid with circulation.
This morning I tested the water again. Everything is still perfect, however, I am seeing signs of the algae coming back already.
WHAT CAN I DO? WANT AM I DOING WRONG?
Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Tom
 
fishmamma

fishmamma

Active Member
What type of water are you using? What are nitrate levels exactly?
What type of clean up crew do you have? It may be helpful to go to LFS, describe the algae and see if they can recommend a specific snail or something to help you battle it.
 
fishmamma

fishmamma

Active Member
Oops, forgot to ask how long you have been up and running.
Too many nutrients from somewhere....could be your water source.
 
sillynecco

sillynecco

Member
The same thing is happening to my tank right now.
from what i gathered on this website here could be the problems and the solutions
Salt levels.... could be too high
Lighting.... could be using too much lighting (in tems of time on)
Water Quality.... sigh, go out and buy a RODI unit and give your fish fresh water to start with
Salt..... brand of salt could be the problem, the stuff that you buy that just dissolves could be the problem. some people say us reef salt instead of the really fine poweder
hope this helps.... were in the same boat, let me know if you fix your problem, im in the process of correcting it too.
 
fishmamma

fishmamma

Active Member
You can buy RO and other filtered water at Walmart any many places have the filling stations of water for 25 cents a gallon. RO/DI units are expensive (for a good one) so for a 10 gallon tank maybe just buy filtered water.
What size is your tank sillynecco? I have a 16 and a 29 gallon and after doing some calculations I am better off buying 5 gallons a week than a RO unit. Kind of a pain haulling water though.
 
wilks18702

wilks18702

Member
Thanks for all your tips.
PH is 8.3
Ammonia is 0 PPM
Nitrite is 0 PPM
Nitrate is between 0 and 5.0
Phosphate is 0
Silicate is 0
Salt is 1.028
I am using a glass hydrometer.
I use real ocean water. I do not mix anything.
http://www.catalinawater.com/
I dont think its the water because I have been using it for a year with no problems, which is how long I have had the tank.
Any ideas?
Tom
 
mikeyjer

mikeyjer

Active Member
Originally Posted by wilks18702
I need some help please!!!!!
I am having a algae problem. I have a 10 G tank with 2 clown fish. Water quality as far as I can tell is good. All readings are exactly where they are supposed to be (PH, Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate) I had a bad algae bloom. Thick very green all over the bottom. Also, a thin film on the glass on all sides, but only on the bottom third of the glass. Also on the glass is spots was a brownish algae.
Yesterday, I vacuumed the bottom, removing all I could see. I also scrubbed the sides removing everything. I did a 50% water change, I know too much. I added a power head to aid with circulation.
This morning I tested the water again. Everything is still perfect, however, I am seeing signs of the algae coming back already.
WHAT CAN I DO? WANT AM I DOING WRONG?
Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Tom
It sounds like cyano....How old is the tank? How much are you feeding? Protein Skimmer? Live rock? What you mean by all the readings are where they're suppose to be, need exact readings. Or it can be diatoms, it happens in a newly cycled tank and it disappears in a few months. Also what kind of water are you using for water chage? :happyfish
 
mikeyjer

mikeyjer

Active Member
Originally Posted by wilks18702
Thanks for all your tips.
PH is 8.3
Ammonia is 0 PPM
Nitrite is 0 PPM
Nitrate is between 0 and 5.0
Phosphate is 0
Silicate is 0
Salt is 1.028
I am using a glass hydrometer.
I use real ocean water. I do not mix anything.
http://www.catalinawater.com/
I dont think its the water because I have been using it for a year with no problems, which is how long I have had the tank.
Any ideas?
Tom
You need to bring that salinity down a bit to around 1.025 You mean .5 on nitrate right?
 
fishmamma

fishmamma

Active Member
Ok, so we know it isn't the water or nitrate levles or the lighting. Now you stumped me! :thinking: Have you seen this at all over the past year or did it randomly just start? Can you post a photo?
 
wilks18702

wilks18702

Member
No live rock, no skimmer. The first color on my Nitrate chart is 0 the next color is 5.0. it goes up by 5 up to 25 I think.
I have seen this before, however, it is getting much more aggressive.
I do not have picture currently, as soon as it gets a bit worse where it will show up good on camera, I will take one.
What does a skimmer do?
Tom
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
cyano is red, i though...
Well, first of all, what kind of test kits are you using? Check the expiration dates on them too. Algae blooms like this don't just happen without a cause. Algae cannot survive without food, and in this case, the algae is most likely surviving off of nitrates and phosphates, even though your test is reading "0"... this is why i ask you to check the expiration dates...
Your SG is high, so you need to bring that down, but slowly. Bring it down about 0.01 per week, to about 1.025. This is a much better range.
A skimmer removes particles from your tank. The skimmer creates bubbles, and the particles of "stuff" stick to those bubbles. The bubbles rise and fill a waste cup. A skimmer is a great thing to have, but the lack of one is not the reason for your algae outbreak.
What do you feed your fish, and how much do you feed them? you could be overfeeding, which is releasing the nutrients in your tank. Your levels are all reading right, because the algae is eating all of the nitrates and phosphates in the tank before you test it.
IMO, run a phosphate sponge. This will remove the phosphates before the algae can eat it, and may help your outbreak.
 
wilks18702

wilks18702

Member
I feed them very little once a day with flakes. Should I be feeding them something different, or less often? What is a phosphate sponge? My test kits are all under a year old, I know that has no bearing on the expiration date, but I assume they are all ok. When I attempt to clean the bottom, the algae break apart like seaweed leaf and float all over. I had something on one of my decorations at one point that resembled bubble algae. Should I be using a refractometer in place of the glass hydrometer?
The fish, however, appear to be doing very well.
Thanks,
Tom
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
ok, clowns will do so much better with a varied diet. Feeding them flakes will keep them alive, but they may lose color from lack of variety.
I feed my clown a frozen food called "marine cuisine", and i try to recommend this to everyone. It's a mixture of brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and krill, as well as some vitamins, and a "color-enhancing additive". My clown goes nuts over it! I also add in some bloodworms every once in a while (these are mosquito larvae), and i clip some sushi nori (dried seaweed) in the tank once a week. I haven't actually caught the clown eating it, but i'm sure he does.
This offers the varied diet the clown requires, and gets in the wild, and therefore, makes for a healthier an happier clown.
Now, a phosphate sponge is like activated carbon (well it looks like it, but it's white). You add it to the filter like you would carbon (in a mesh bag or in a filter media tray). The phosphate sponge does exactly what it sounds like... it soaks up all of the phosphate in the tank. I run a phos. sponge about once a month, and as a result, got my hair algae under control...
A refractometer is much more accurate than a hydrometer, but i still use a hyd. (lack of funds...). If you decide to continue to use the hydrometer, make sure you rinse it out before and after each use with freshwater. Also, soaking it in white vinegar every once in a while helps to remove any built-up salt in the hydrometer which keeps the readings more accurate.
I'm glad the fish are doing fine! That's the whole reason you're in the hobby, right?
 
wilks18702

wilks18702

Member
Yes, thats right!!!
Is this sponge something you keep in your filter and replace one a month, or something that you only put in the filter for a short time once a month?
Tom
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
The phosphate sponge can only be in your tank for 8-12 hours, as after that it will begin to break down and release phosphates back into your system. I only leave mine in for about 7 hours, just to play it safe.
You should be able to buy it at your LFS. Make sure you read the directions on it thoroughly before using it!
Glad to help!!!
 
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