Algae Help

[ETBReefer05]

Hey guys,
I think my tank has entered the "Algae" phase of my cycling and I'd like to get a quick ID on this algae, and any advice on Managing it (I know I can't completely get rid of it right away). So far I've been grabbing it by hand, but it grows back the next day.

Parameters:
Salinity:1.0245
Ammonia:0
Nitrites:0
Nitrate:<10

I haven't tested for any other chemicals, so perhaps my phosphate is high. I think I'll take a water sample to the LFS tomorrow.

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af44/Avatar587/Aquarium/IMG_6262.jpg

[XSiVE]

How long do you run your lights?

will help:

snails

get your alkalinity and calcium up to 8+ and 350+ respectively

time

[adalius]

Looks like dinos to me, because of the bubbles. Little too long/stringy for diatoms.

[EMUreef]

Looks like dinos to me, because of the bubbles. Little too long/stringy for diatoms.

the bubbles and stringiness are a dead give away to the Dino's so i agree with adalius.

Its a pain to get rid of so your in for one heck of a ride.

Usually its a sign of high phosophates, mine was due to metal poisining the tank.

Most people say that High PH will kill it, also try blacking out the tank for a couple days if you can, the coral should be able to handle it for a few days.

I would hit up RC and search for dino's and see what other people have done.

Its a very bad nucisance algae, mine was growing on everything, even coral. it was not good.

[ETBReefer05]

My lights are currently on a 10 hour cycle, I will try lights out for a few days as I don't have any high demand corals. My skimmer has been dead for the past week and I just bought a new one today, so maybe that will help too. Has anyone tried the sugar dosing method? Is it a high risk/reward thing?

[EMUreef]

My lights are currently on a 10 hour cycle, I will try lights out for a few days as I don't have any high demand corals. My skimmer has been dead for the past week and I just bought a new one today, so maybe that will help too. Has anyone tried the sugar dosing method? Is it a high risk/reward thing?

I dont think phosophates arn't a product of bad skimming or anything but i could be wrong, its from bad water. Either a bad cartridge in your RO/DI or using tap water.

[XSiVE]

I dont think phosophates arn't a product of bad skimming or anything but i could be wrong, its from bad water. Either a bad cartridge in your RO/DI or using tap water.

If the skimmer isnt on, it's not pulling dissolved organics out of the water, a skimmer can help lower phosphates/nitrates that are suspended in compounds large enough to be skimmed. If those compounds are not skimmed, they will can break down and release those phosphates and nitrates back into the water.

[EMUreef]

from what i understand about phosphates, skimmers don't remove phosphates thats why we have phosguard and GFO reactors, they specifically remove phosphates from the water.

his problem might be from his water that he uses, the fact that he has no skimmer might mean a little, i've seen some skimmerless systems run and not have Dino's.

[XSiVE]

from what i understand about phosphates, skimmers don't remove phosphates thats why we have phosguard and GFO reactors, they specifically remove phosphates from the water.

his problem might be from his water that he uses, the fact that he has no skimmer might mean a little, i've seen some skimmerless systems run and not have Dino's.

Oh I know a skimmer wont pull phosphates directly out of the water, but if they are in something can can be skimmed, and its not getting skimmed, that thing will break down and let them into the water.

I wasnt saying your idea about his water source was at all off, I was just giving my input on what else could be contributing to the issue :thumbsup:

[ETBReefer05]

My aquarium water is store bought RO/DI (either from the grocery store of LFS depending on which is handier). I don't know about the grocery store, but I trust the LFS since the employees use that water for their livestock as well. the only way I could have introduced bad water into the tank is A) Previous owner used tap water for freshwater tank and I didn't use a vinegar bath...just rinsed with more tap water :stupidme: then the residue introduced pollutants. B) I rinsed some of my equipment with tapwater when I got it out of the boxes brand new. :stupidme::stupidme:

[adalius]

If you wiped it down after rinsing there shouldn't be enough there to really cause a problem, if there was a little bit the dinos will eat it up and then die off. If they stick around, then there's something still contributing enough for them to survive, which could be coming from things like frozen foods, decaying food left in the tank, etc.

[EMUreef]

My aquarium water is store bought RO/DI (either from the grocery store of LFS depending on which is handier). I don't know about the grocery store, but I trust the LFS since the employees use that water for their livestock as well. the only way I could have introduced bad water into the tank is A) Previous owner used tap water for freshwater tank and I didn't use a vinegar bath...just rinsed with more tap water :stupidme: then the residue introduced pollutants. B) I rinsed some of my equipment with tapwater when I got it out of the boxes brand new. :stupidme::stupidme:

Xsive i know i was just giving more points too! i like to learn a lot and looked into it when you said that. It could be a reasonable explanation as well.

Rinsing your stuff in tap water i dont see causing it and issue, its such a little amount that i dont see it effecting your set up.

Do you have any metal of any sort in your actual water volume that could be rusting?

My cause of my dino's was rusting magnet and the bloom was intense, took the magnet out, blacked out the tank and got a phosphate obsorbing pad that helped a bit.

Interesting fact that you may or may not know----

When algae has bubbles in it like yours that means its a photosynthetic, its releasing oxygen.

[ETBReefer05]

Xsive i know i was just giving more points too! i like to learn a lot and looked into it when you said that. It could be a reasonable explanation as well.

Rinsing your stuff in tap water i dont see causing it and issue, its such a little amount that i dont see it effecting your set up.

Do you have any metal of any sort in your actual water volume that could be rusting?

My cause of my dino's was rusting magnet and the bloom was intense, took the magnet out, blacked out the tank and got a phosphate obsorbing pad that helped a bit.

Interesting fact that you may or may not know----

When algae has bubbles in it like yours that means its a photosynthetic, its releasing oxygen.
Well, its definitely food from overfeeding. I have two fish for now and on several occasions, my Coral Beauty just simply wouldn't eat the pellet food I fed and so none of it got eaten, and I've also squeezed too much Arcti-pods in no occasion. I'm still new gimme a break haha. I really don't know what do about removing uneaten foods, but I know there HAS to be a way or else we'd all have massive blooms. As for metal, my magfloat is pretty much 3 weeks old so I don't think that could be the problem and there are no other known metals in my tank.

For now I'm just gonna get my skimmer running, scrub the algae off the rocks and go lights out for the weekend.

[cg5071]

I have the same stuff. Be carefull "scrubbing" rocks as now i have a really thick mat of it from that, I believe. I found it is better to let it get longer and pull it by hand. It really is a pain. Things that helped are less feeding, lower light, and chemi-clean. Also now my older tank has a higher alk It also doesnt grow as well as in my newer one with alk of 9 compaired to 11, only on the glass and non rock stuff.

I was hoping to battle it but it is winning,lol so I am cutting back my light a couple of hours.

[ETBReefer05]

Well, after a 3 day blackout, all of the Dino is either gone or not showing bubbles from Photosynthesis. Ran lights 4 hours today and there is a patch on my sand bed that showed some life. Going to buy more CUC tonight to counteract the issue.

[rmalone]

Cuc wont eat the dinos in my experience. Your on the right track, now you need to starve it out. No excess feeding of fish, get that skimmer operational, and start running some gfo to eliminate excess phosphates.

IF AND ONLY IF you have a good skimmer you could also start dosing bacteria and vodka or sugar or vinegar or a combination. DO NOT do this without a whole lot of reading and keep in mind that "more is better" does not apply to this technique of nutrient management. Personally I dont think its that risky but it does require some knowledge and a step by step approach. You cant just pour a bit in and hope for the best. But it does work.

[adalius]

Cuc wont eat the dinos in my experience.

Just to chime in on that, most dinos are actually poisonous to a lot of our common CUC members. They know enough to avoid it, but that's *why* they avoid it.

However adding more CUC isn't a horrible idea as they will continue to do their job eating other things before they break down into nutrients that the dinos could use as fuel. There is a diminishing return on adding CUCs though.

[ETBReefer05]

Basically, the CUC was more for the root of the problem, which was the excess nutrients from the fish food I overfed. Right now I have 6 Ceriths, 1 Turbo, 2 astreas, and 1 hermit, so I kind of feel like I am on the low side of needed CUC numbers. Any thoughts on adding more CUC are appreciated.

[EMUreef]

Basically, the CUC was more for the root of the problem, which was the excess nutrients from the fish food I overfed. Right now I have 6 Ceriths, 1 Turbo, 2 astreas, and 1 hermit, so I kind of feel like I am on the low side of needed CUC numbers. Any thoughts on adding more CUC are appreciated.

well you know my thoughts, Nass snails i would tell you to prefer over anything else, or just get some blue legged hermits, anything that eats the excess food.

Basically all you got right now eating excess food is 1 hermit crab lol, the snails might but hermits are always scavenging

[AZDesertRat]

Ask your LFS to pull out the ol' TDS meter and test the water in front of you before buying your next batch. never assume anything. If it is RO/DI and shows any signs of TDS then you may consider buying a RO/DI unit. The grocery does not usually have RO/DI so distilled would be the next best choice, lots of times bottled RO is higher in TDS since it does not include deionization and some are even remineralized afte treatment to make it taste better. Again without a TDS meter you just don't know.

[Poseidon]

Good call on the TDS meter, we have 2 installed on the system here at the shop. 1 is a dual meter that shows me TDS before the filter and after the RO unit, the other is after the DI.

Today the water going in is about 120-122, before the DI 0, after the DI, still 0. ;)

As a former hobbyist Reef Paradise is ran just a tad different then a "typical" LFS..... :D :D