0 nitrate, high(ish) phosphate, GHA, CUC problems

[strich]

Oh interesting re your sump - It must've been the newer model as my one doesn't have the cup compartment - It just goes into a larger open compartment.

 

[lmfbs]

Oh interesting re your sump - It must've been the newer model as my one doesn't have the cup compartment - It just goes into a larger open compartment.

I really like the sump setup, actually. I've previously had a filter roller in there and it worked great until the optical sensor died :( Need to get a new one at some point

 

[strich]

I really like the sump setup, actually. I've previously had a filter roller in there and it worked great until the optical sensor died :( Need to get a new one at some point

Yeah I'm in 2 minds about it - I like what you've got. But on the other hand I really love the larger compartment I have. I've been able to make good use of it often already. The filter socks I think I'm generally never going to use as I hate the maintenance, so I don't miss not having the sock holders.

 

[Dan_P]

Some pics of the tank just now - lights have just turned on

Excuse the parts where the sand has moved, the fairy wrasse does that every day.

You might have more going on than a green hair algae growth. The overall brown appearance of the rocks and some wispy white growth (possibly bacteria) looks like what happens when I purposely nitrogen starve a brightly lit aquarium. The poor coralline growth is noteworthy for an aquarium of this age.

I am sorry that I don’t have suggestions how to fix your aquarium (I usually empty my experimental aquaria when they reach this stage). I think getting the periphyton (growth on the surfaces) looking like a typical reef aquarium may take awhile and there will likely be no one magic bullet like buy more snails or just dose X that fixes it.

 

[lmfbs]

You might have more going on than a green hair algae growth. The overall brown appearance of the rocks and some wispy white growth (possibly bacteria) looks like what happens when I purposely nitrogen starve a brightly lit aquarium. The poor coralline growth is noteworthy for an aquarium of this age.

I am sorry that I don’t have suggestions how to fix your aquarium (I usually empty my experimental aquaria when they reach this stage). I think getting the periphyton (growth on the surfaces) looking like a typical reef aquarium may take awhile and there will likely be no one magic bullet like buy more snails or just dose X that fixes it.

I can see what you mean about it looking like white wispy growth, but certainly isn't there in person. The tank grows coralline very well (in the glass, powerheads, sump, everywhere, it's just that where the algae has taken hold, it can't grow there and some has died off. If I could get rid of the algae consistently for a few weeks, I've got no doubt that it will come back quickly once I do.