Water Param's good but still have algae problem. Please give me advice.

sloppyjoseph

sloppyjoseph

Member
Okay so i've learned so much from researching and hands on experience over the last few months it's crazy. I bought an established Aquapod 24 off of a friend a few months back and I've been stocking it ever since. It's pretty full now and i'm content if I could only keep all of this damn algae from growing.
The first day I got the tank it had a Cyano problem. I added some phos-lok and it cleared up. I've added hundereds of dollars worth of livestock and now it's coming back. Here's my current tank with inhabitants:
Aquapod 24
I run Filter Floss in the back (polyfil), Phoslok and Carbon
Switched the pump to a maxi-jet and have an extra powerhead in the main tank
PC lights that I just replaced
1 Clown
1 Six Line
1 Rainford Goby
1 Serpant Star
1 Cleaner Shrimp
3 Turbos
5 Hermits
2 small black snails
Cerith's and other random CUC members
Coral:
Chili
Candycane
Frog Spawn
Torch
Lots of Zoa's
Mushrooms
Duncans
Xenia
Favites
Okay here's my problem. I've been getting this weird looking brown/reddish algae that's growing in the front of my display on the sand bed. I siphon it off but it comes back within a couple of days. I have to clean the glass with my magfloat every couple of days because of the green algae film that gets built up. And just today I noticed about 6 or 7 little green bubble algae growing on my false back wall where the water is sucked through to hit the filter. I also noticed a few white spots on the very tips of my pulsing xenia, looked like ich but on the xenia. When I check my water nothing is out of the ordinary. I haven't taken any tests in a couple of weeks but it's always fine. I use instant ocean powder tests. My SG is 1.025 and temp is 75-79. I use DI water from the LFS along with premixed salt water they have. I feed brine and mysis shrimp every other day. Maybe a 1/8 of a cube. I spot feed corals "Wild Toe" and rotifers maybe twice a week at night with the pumps off. I add seachem calcium, alkalinity supps, and esential element supps. I use Vitachem also.
Two days ago I added the clown and cleaner shrimp to my tank after a very long aclimation period (5hrs). I noticed a little ich on the clown so I pulled my carbon and started dosing metronidazole powder in the food. The ich is almost gone and the clown is acting fine. At that time I also purchased some Aptasia-X and used it. I had one little aptasia that I wanted to get rid of beofre it spread. Today I noticed the bubble algae on the wall. I'm going to scrape it off when i get home and use my siphon incase I rutpture one.
I really need some ideas on how to control this algae. The algae on my sandbed doesn't look like the cyano that I saw when I fist got my tank. It's a little more brown than that. The green algae on the glass is making me mad, It comes back within days of cleaning and the bubble algae has me worried. Im at a loss because my water param's are okay. I also sometimes get a film on the top of my water. I know a protien skimmer would solve this but I dont know if there is one that fits under the hood on my aquapod that is worth a darn. Besides most people with AP's just change the water every week and dont have these problems. Im really getting discouraged here. Maybe I need to put the sponges back in and ditch the filter floss? I never had the film on top with the sponges. I LOVE my tank but all of these problems suck.I hate throwing money at it and not getting results. Im just a poor college kid for heaven's sake.
Here's an overall pic of my tank. I will take more pics of the offenders when I get home along with today's water tests. Guys please help me. .
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

A tank with no algae is not a healthy tank. The green algae as long as it isn’t hair algae is free fish food. The bubble algae comes on live rock..gently remove without bursting it. It really doesn’t sound like you actually have a problem.
Have you checked for phosphates? That would be the only reason to be concerned that algae could get out of hand. The red brown algae COULD be cyano if it comes up like a blanket..increase the water flow to that area after removing it.
 
sloppyjoseph

sloppyjoseph

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/381142/water-param-s-good-but-still-have-algae-problem-please-give-me-advice#post_3318573

A tank with no algae is not a healthy tank. The green algae as long as it isn’t hair algae is free fish food. The bubble algae comes on live rock..gently remove without bursting it. It really doesn’t sound like you actually have a problem.
Have you checked for phosphates? That would be the only reason to be concerned that algae could get out of hand. The red brown algae COULD be cyano if it comes up like a blanket..increase the water flow to that area after removing it.
The stuff on the glass isn't hair algae I dont think. It's just like a film that shows up. My snails go through it and you can see the trail. I don't really have any fish that eat it though. My goby and wrasse nip at it but they can't keep it clean. Yes I checked for phosphates and they are within spec. The thing is I haven't added any live rock to my system so I'm not sure where the bubble algae came from. I might have spilled a LITTLE water from aclimating my clown or shrimp. Maybe thats it?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by spanko http:///forum/thread/381142/water-param-s-good-but-still-have-algae-problem-please-give-me-advice#post_3318695
Why?
The green algae on the glass is normal and cleaning it off is a part of everyones tank maintenance. The bubble could have come in on the coral in your tank.

If algae can't grow something is wrong. So I was saying th exact same thing you are...it's a part of keeping a fish tank in life. OP didn't have a bubble algae outbreak either, just gently (don't burst it open) pick up the offending bulb and dispose of it.
The tiny bit of red on the edge of he tank was hard to see, but if it comes up like a blanket it's cyano and if that is the only spot...direct more water flow to it. I told OP that I didn't think he/she had a problem.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
I can't grow algae in my tank, other than coralline and the green haze that grows on the glass. My tank looks healthy to me.
 
mrdc

mrdc

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by spanko http:///forum/thread/381142/water-param-s-good-but-still-have-algae-problem-please-give-me-advice#post_3318703
I can't grow algae in my tank, other than coralline and the green haze that grows on the glass. My tank looks healthy to me.
Me too but that film of alage on the glass is a pain too and mine seems to come back every other day! Now I do get a lot of hair algae in my overflow box but when it gets to be too much, I take my big turbo and place him in there. He literally mows down the algae is less than a week.
 
sloppyjoseph

sloppyjoseph

Member
Wow I didn't know coraline was algae. I've got that growing too but it's cool so I dont complain about it.
Last night I popped the bubble algae off of my back wall and siphoned it out the best I could. I also cleaned my sand bed, put my sponge filters back in, and moved my extra power head to see if it was a flow problem. Hopefully all is good when I get home today.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

Quote:
Originally Posted by SloppyJoseph http:///forum/thread/381142/water-param-s-good-but-still-have-algae-problem-please-give-me-advice#post_3318820
Wow I didn't know coraline was algae. I've got that growing too but it's cool so I dont complain about it.
Last night I popped the bubble algae off of my back wall and siphoned it out the best I could. I also cleaned my sand bed, put my sponge filters back in, and moved my extra power head to see if it was a flow problem. Hopefully all is good when I get home today.

It's been called Coraline Algae since I don't remember when I first got in the hobby...
Cyano comes up like a blanket...That red that gets on the very edge by the sand isn't always cyano, coraline can be red too, I have a ton of red coraline....if it's slimy it's bad if its crusty and hard it's not.
Just to be sure I looked it up..seems I have been spelling it wrong...
Coralline algae are red algae in the Family Corallinaceae of the order Corallinales. They are characterized by a thallus that is hard because of calcareous deposits contained within the cell walls. The colors of these algae are most typically pink, or some other shade of red, but some species can be purple, yellow, blue, white or gray-green.
Unattached specimens (maerl, rhodoliths) may form relatively smooth compact balls to warty or fruticose thalli. Many are typically encrusting and rock-like, found in marine waters all over the world
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/381142/water-param-s-good-but-still-have-algae-problem-please-give-me-advice#post_3318818

Oh come on guys..Coraline IS algae. Once the coraline grows it inhibits the other algae and takes over because it is so thick and tough it beats out the other algae..Spanko you know that.
Coralline algae will not out-compete macros for nutrients as the corallines are calcareous and rely on calcium and alkalinity for growth with very little uptake of phosphates. There are many algal fields growing in the wild on top of coralline encrusted rock.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by spanko http:///forum/thread/381142/water-param-s-good-but-still-have-algae-problem-please-give-me-advice#post_3318952
Coralline algae will not out-compete macros for nutrients as the corallines are calcareous and rely on calcium and alkalinity for growth with very little uptake of phosphates. There are many algal fields growing in the wild on top of coralline encrusted rock.

Well am not an expert, but once I get coralline no other algae seems to grow in that spot so I assumed it took over. My bad...but it is an algae.. LOL at least I got that much right..The only tanks I know with absolutely no algae are either new, or treated for algae so it won't grow. When you have a fish tank, algae s just a part of life.
 
mony97

mony97

Member
mrdc

mrdc

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/381142/water-param-s-good-but-still-have-algae-problem-please-give-me-advice#post_3318953

Well am not an expert, but once I get coralline no other algae seems to grow in that spot so I assumed it took over. My bad...but it is an algae.. LOL at least I got that much right..The only tanks I know with absolutely no algae are either new, or treated for algae so it won't grow. When you have a fish tank, algae s just a part of life.
You and spanko are both right. Coralline doesn't feed like nuissance algae (like feeding on nutrients) but rather is an encusting algae (needs calcium and alk). It is an algae though. My thoughts are that it is an encrusting algae and basically chokes out other algae. Corraline can be a nuissance when it chokes out powerheads and when it comes to to scraping off the sides and front glass but I would rather deal with corraline than other algaes. My 2 cents ..
 
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