Brown Algae

[dberrong]

I need some help. I've had my 90g tank for around 9 months. I have about 15 pounds of live rock and about 85 pounds of base rock. The tank floor is some sort of crushed up shells around 5 inches thick, but not live sand. I had a huge brown algae problem when I first started the tank and I cut back on the lights and it pretty much went away. I just upgraded my lights to power compacts 2x65w 10K and 2x65w blue. The algae has started again. I clean the glass at least every other day to get the brown stuff off the glass and what little rock that has coraline algae has turned brown too. I just added a brain coral, green star polyp, and 2 anemones. My fish are two blue damsels, Yellow tang, blue hippo tang, foxface, clown, and a hawk fish. I have two shrimp, 1 snail, and 1 spikey starfish. I do not have a skimmer, but it sounds like I need one from reading posts on here.
I want to run my lights because I want the purple algae to spead all of the rock, but all I'm getting is brown. I'm using purple up, but I'm not seeing any results. Does anyone have a clue how to stop the brown and accelerate the purple???? I'm new to the Forum and I look forward to learning lots from more experienced reefers.

[greg97527]

it sounds like diatoms, basically you are re-cycling, maybe...
also the crushed shells in place fo sand concerns me. if it is too large a substrate (sand) you can develop lots of problems, basically a ses pool. could you please post some pictures of your tank? how long are you running your lights? definately get a skimmer.

[dberrong]

Currently I'm running the lights around 10 to 11 hours. I don't have a timer, but I sense that I need one. I'll try to get some pix to post tomorrow. I'm still learning what all these things do. I'm not certain what the skimmer will do for my tank, but everyone says get one. I was told that the algae will grow and grow and then one day just go away. I'm not sure whether to trust that or what I should do. How do I get the good stuff to grow?
Can you tell me the benefits of a sump? what does that do? Sometimes I feel like my head is going to explode from all this new information.
thanks for helping me out.

[melev]

Here is what you need to know about sumps:
http://www.melevsreef.com/what_sump.html

A protein skimmer removes DOCs (dissolved organic compounds) from the water before they can break down.

You should use a gravel vac to siphon the detritus out of the crushed coral every couple of months. I had that substrate in my 29g, and it pulled out some foul stuff every time. I just siphoned what I could reach, and occasionally I would get very aggressive and move LR and corals to siphon out more areas of substrate normally not accessible.

A timer is key. They aren't expensive, and lock in a light schedule.

You can also run fresh carbon in a canister filter or Phosban Reactor to remove organics from the water, helping clarify the water significantly.

Try to feed only enough, but not too much. If you see food in the tank 5 mins after you dosed the tank, it is too much food. I feed heavily, but have the equipment to compensate for that habit.

[dberrong]

I think that a sump is over my head right now from reading your website. It was good information though. I think my best bet is to get my lights set to a timer. Any suggestions on the timing of the lights? I've read to run the 10K for 8 hours, the blue 10 hours (one hr. before and one after the 10K) and the moon lights to my liking. Does this sound like a good idea?
I will be getting a protein skimmer too. Ebay has some Jebo skimmers for around $60 that fit up to 180 gallons. Will this skimmer be sufficient for my needs?
Another question about algae. I have a conk shell that I got snorkeling in Mexico that is about 12" in length that was covered in the purple algae, but is now getting covered in a green algae that forms in circles with whiteish rings on the outside. Is this good or bad algae? I will get pix posted before the day is out.
Thanks for all the help.

[melev]

A protein skimmer is probably the most important part of your system. I recommend Aqua C, Euro-Reef or ASM skimmers. Since you don't have a sump, an Aqua C Remora Pro protein skimmer would be a good choice. I used one on my 29g for years, and the tank looked great. Here's an old picture of that tank, which has since been taken down. The Pro is rated for 125g.

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0504/29g_051804_900.jpg

To combat algae growth in your tank, you need a clean up crew. Snails, hermits, and an emerald crab are all good additions.

[dberrong]

I have added a pump just to increase the current flow in the tank. Is there such a thing as too much current? I'm reading that this water flow is helpful for the LR.
I'm looking into the protein skimmer. I'll be getting one at the end of the month.

[melev]

Some corals don't like too much flow, such as LPS (Frogspawn, Goniopora, Torch, Hammer). SPS love it, as long as they aren't being blasted so that tissue is peeling off the skeleton.

Pointing the nozzles in various directions can create random flow without harming livestock. It's almost an art getting it just right.

[dberrong]

I've tried to post some pictures, so I hope this works. I'm also going to put my tank in a gallery if I can figure out how to do it. One pic. is simply on my aquarium as a whole. One picture is of my Conk shell that you can see the purple algae that once covered it is now getting covered in the green algae. The last pic. is a side view where you can see the Brown film growing on the back glass. I've decided that I simply do not have enough LR to seed the base rock that fills my tank. I'm open for suggestions.

[dberrong]

Why can't I upload pix in the gallery? It says my image is too large even when I crop them down to three by five. How do I get the pix smaller to put in my gallery?

[eldiente]

I would say the green algae on the conk shell is normal, It appears that it is also a type of corraline algae. Some grow better with certain type of lights and also due to the water perameters, Ca and Alk. More live rock would be good but don't add it all at once as it can spike your ammonia in the tank. It would take quite a while for the base rock to be covered with purple coraline algae with what you have there. A skimmer should help with the brown algae as will regular small water changes until you get the skimmer and more live rock. I wouldn't add more fish till you get the skimmer. Good luck with the tank. Also siphon the crushed coral as melev said. I have a 40 G with crushed coral and I pull the nastiest looking stuff out of it.

[Sweetpea]

I have an Aqua C Remora skimmer on my 20g and have been pleased with the performance, but I felt it was a little pricey. I have a Coralife Super Skimmer on my 90g and (again) have been pleased with the performance, and the price was extremely reasonable.

I don't know about anyone else, but with every tank I have set up I have had two diatom blooms (brown algae). There was always one within a couple of months of start-up, and then there has been another quite a while later. I never did anything other than scrape off the glass, and it always cleared up on its own over a few weeks. For example, My 90g is a year old this month. There was a diatom bloom in January, and then another one back in October. I hadn't made any changes to the tank - no new livestock, lights are on timers, etc. My feeding of the tank has changed, but I am feeding a bit less than I used to.

I always use a cube of mysis and a cube of some other frozen food (alternating for variety) that I split between the three tanks that have fish in them. This mix is enough for two feedings for all of the tanks. I used to feed every other day, but now I am only feeding every third or sometimes fourth day.

I wish I could help you with the coralline. From what I've seen over the past 2 1/2 years, some people have it with no trouble and others struggle to get it. I have always had it in my tanks without any effort; it was even growing in my QT tank on the PVC (no rock in it at all). I'll see if I can find some specific information on what exactly is needed for coralline to flourish, but perhaps someone else here can give you an answer sooner.

[melev]

If you maintain Alk, Cal, and Mg at normal levels, coralline will grow.

To ward off the green algae, you need more snails. The recommendation is 1 per gallon, but even just 20 hungry snails right now will help immensely.

Live rock that is purchased locally should be smelled for freshness. It it looks clean, smells somewhat salty and has no bad odor to it, submerge it in a bucket of water and bring it home. It will not cause an ammonia spike as long as it remains wet. Your tank needs more LR. Baserock is just a decoration at this point, and does little to nothing for your tank's filtration. Someone mentioned you don't have a protein skimmer, so what filtration do you actually have on the tank currently? (No DSB, not enough LR, and no skimmer)

[dberrong]

I have two Millinium 3000 filters that hang on the back. I also have a UV sterilizer that I purchased to try to stop an ick problem that seemed to have worked for several months now. I didn't realize that I needed that many snails. I had purchased two at the LFS and one of those died within a week. I only have one for the 90g right now. I'll be adding about 50lbs of LR and a Protien Skimmer by Christmas. I think this will solve my problems. I've been told by others that the diatoms use up everything they need to survive and they simply go away after a little while. I'll just keep scraping the glass and give it another month.

[melev]

You definitely need more snails. Unfortunately many sold in the hobby are not long-lived, and I think that is on purpose so that we keep buying them. Odds are they live in cooler waters and our tanks are warm. The snails metabolism runs at a higher rate, reducing their livespan. Just a guess on my part.

I buy 50 to 100 snails at a time for my tank, maybe twice a year. Buying them online in a group buy with others is the best way to get a bargain. Recently I bought 50 with overnight shipping and it cost me $38. The order was double that (price and volume), but two of us split the expense and that was my share. Had I bought snails at my LFS, I would have gotten 10 for that price.

[dberrong]

Where do you buy them online? I haven't checked ebay, but my LFS is charging $3 a piece for some fairly large Turbo's. As far as my algae issue, I've cut my light time down to around 8 to 9 hours and I now only have some build up on the glass every 3 days or so. I'm not seeing it on my crushed coral or rock at this point.

[melev]

We bought 100 Astrea snails from etropicals.com, shipped to Ft Worth Tx overnight for $76 total. Divided between two tanks, we each got 50 snails for $38.

[dberrong]

Their prices seem to be a bit higher now, but I think I have found some good snails on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=200182368768&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=010
Can someone tell me if these snails are good for a clean up crew?
Also, I've been using purple up in my tank for around 3 weeks and just two days ago I started seeing some purple popping up on my baserock. It seems to be getting more and more each day since then. I feel like my tank is on the verge of turning the corner and really exploding in coraline algae. I think it is due reducing my light time and reducing feeding so the brown algae has disappeared every where but on the glass on occasion. Thanks for all the advice and education on this thread.

[melev]

That shoulds very promising. Purple Up will definitely fuel coralline growth as long as you have some in the tank in the first place.

I can't remember if those are the good snails or not. I remember hearing about some sold on Ebay that are really either: 1) a cold water snail and thus not suitable for our tanks, or 2) they might be predatory as in carnivorous to some of our livestock. These particular snails tend to live in the sand, which won't help keep the glass and rockwork clean.

[melev]

Did a little double checking, and it appears they are better suited for colder tanks. Since our water is warmer, they don't live long. You can read comments in this thread:

http://www.dfwmas.org/Forums/viewtopic.php?p=335988#335988

[dberrong]

Thanks. If they seem to good to be true.....they probably aren't any good! :) Thanks for the help.