Algae in a new tank question

Freshermenreefer

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Okay hello I'm still new to the Hobby and I had a question about algae growing in a new tank so I just set up a new tank 20 gallons and this time I kind of planned everything out but I live on the south side of Chicago and it's not very many options for pet stores maybe like 2 and only one of them really have salt water so I started this tank with all dry Rock I started tanks before with live rock and eventually still running to algae issues so this time with the dry Rock in a 20 gallon I got a algae that I never had before in any of my other tanks and I never had bubble algae ever but the algae that I have in this tank is bryopsis I believe it to be I just watched a bunch of videos and a lot of videos talks about the reason why why people get algae but I feel like is it different for every tank which I never hear people talk about I never had bubble algae ever but yet I see a lot of tanks that do so what I'm trying to ask is the algae outbreak in a tank does it have something more to do with the tank rather than all tanks get algae because the tank is nothing but a big ecosystem so what im asking is the way some one go about setting up a reef tank impacts what type of algae grow overall because this tank i have now only have bryopsis algae in it and i believe it have more to do with the way i set the ecosystem up like everything i did from day one to now that entire process because this my first time ever having this type of algae so i believe as well the type of algae that grown in your tank have something to do with the way the ecosystem was set up
 

Jedi1199

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First off, welcome to the Dark Side...
Welcome.jpg


Now, on to your post... All tanks get algae to some degree or another. Light has a lot to do with this as algae is photosensitive and uses light to provide food for itself as all plants do. There are other factors that come into play, but IMO they are less the culprit than the light.

Dealing with algae issues varies greatly from tank to tank. I have 3 tanks running currently and only 1 has a serious algae issue. My 55 had it for a month or 2 and it cleared up and looks beautiful now. My 180 is pretty young, and is under lighted. So far no algae there. My 32g is absolutely infested with algae and despite my best efforts to get it under control, is still looking pretty poorly. The fish and corals are doing well so even though it is unsightly, I don't worry much about it... eventually I will get a handle on it and it will be a non-issue.

I refuse to add chemicals to my tanks, especially something as small as the 32, so I just clean off what I can, and keep the lights off as much as I believe the corals can handle.
 

MaxTremors

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All tanks have algae to some extent. What types and how bad it is depends on a variety of factors.

First is lighting, algae, cyano bacteria, diatoms, and dinoflagellates all need light for photosynthesis.

Second is nutrients (mainly nitrate and phosphate), all tanks have some nutrients, they are needed for corals, but the idea is to have other organisms (whether they be bacteria, corals, phytoplankton, coralline algae, macro algae, etc.) out compete the undesirable algae for nutrients and real estate, some undesirable ‘algae’ like dinoflagellates (which aren’t actually algae) thrive in tanks with low nutrients where there aren’t enough nutrients to support other algae or organisms to outcompete them (essentially they can thrive on less nutrients than other algae, when there are more nutrients those other algae out compete them).

Third is your CuC and other tank inhabitants. On a real reef, algae and algae like organisms would completely out compete every other organism for nutrients and real estate, but on a real reef there are countless higher lifeforms that eat those algae. Snails, microfauna, fish, urchins, sea stars, crabs, etc. all act as lawn mowers to keep the reef clean and keep algae in balance (there has to be some algae to have a balanced ecosystem). So in your tank, you need to have find the right balance of CuC to the algae your tank produces. In the old days, people would recommend one snail and one hermit crab per gallon, which is a little overboard IMO, I’d start with one per every 3 gallons and then get more if need be. If you have room (a 32g is not large enough) a can’t recommend tangs enough, they graze on algae all day long. You can also get urchins, sea hares, conchs, and other more unique algae eaters, but they can be more expensive and less hardy than snails and hermits (you want a variety of snails and usually just one species of hermits).

And lastly, what determines the types of algae you get in your tank depends on the first and second factors, but also on what kind of algae is introduced to the tank (whether live algae or algae spores). Any fish, coral, rock, water, invert, basically anything that came from another tank or the ocean can introduce strains of algae to your tank. Even dry rock can have algae spores on it (I live around 2k miles from the ocean and have had algae show up in vats of fresh salt water that got just a little bit of light. I had a debate about spores of marine species of algae being airborne recently where someone told me what I experienced was impossible, and so I did some research, and it turns out it’s been studied, sea birds get algae spores on their feathers and then fly up into the air where they dry off and the spores are then entered into the trade winds and can travel thousands of miles, which is how you can end up with marine algae in a vat of salt water that’s had nothing introduced to it 2k miles from the ocean.). So anyway, the type of algae you have depends on what was introduced.

And so to answer your question, the way you set up of cycle your tank really doesn’t affect what types of algae you’ll have, its a variety of factors, but whether you go with live or dry rock doesn’t really matter (although live rock is often already colonized by other organisms so, algae can have a harder time taking root compared to dry rock which is open to whatever can colonize it fastest).
 
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Freshermenreefer

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First off, welcome to the Dark Side...
Welcome.jpg


Now, on to your post... All tanks get algae to some degree or another. Light has a lot to do with this as algae is photosensitive and uses light to provide food for itself as all plants do. There are other factors that come into play, but IMO they are less the culprit than the light.

Dealing with algae issues varies greatly from tank to tank. I have 3 tanks running currently and only 1 has a serious algae issue. My 55 had it for a month or 2 and it cleared up and looks beautiful now. My 180 is pretty young, and is under lighted. So far no algae there. My 32g is absolutely infested with algae and despite my best efforts to get it under control, is still looking pretty poorly. The fish and corals are doing well so even though it is unsightly, I don't worry much about it... eventually I will get a handle on it and it will be a non-issue.

I refuse to add chemicals to my tanks, especially something as small as the 32, so I just clean off what I can, and keep the lights off as much as I believe the corals can handle.
Well how would i no that as a new reefer i mean dont you need to no my light set up and the time i run my lights for
 
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Freshermenreefer

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okay the question of trying to ask is based off how often you feed a tank the process of when did you add the fish to the tank how long i run my lights and a type of lights that I have I still believe based off the type of Lights you have and a way your tank is set up determine what type of algae start to grow for example my thank have had a bryopsis outbreak why was the bubble algae why wasn't it hair algae why was it the specific type of algae started to grow it could have been any other algae swamp saying is it something in my tank that specifically cost this algae outbreak to blow up other than another species of algae because it could have been bubble algae but I'm not having that problem or hair algae xcetera idk make it some type of science behind it I might have to do a test
 
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Freshermenreefer

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All tanks have algae to some extent. What types and how bad it is depends on a variety of factors.

First is lighting, algae, cyano bacteria, diatoms, and dinoflagellates all need light for photosynthesis.

Second is nutrients (mainly nitrate and phosphate), all tanks have some nutrients, they are needed for corals, but the idea is to have other organisms (whether they be bacteria, corals, phytoplankton, coralline algae, macro algae, etc.) out compete the undesirable algae for nutrients and real estate, some undesirable ‘algae’ like dinoflagellates (which aren’t actually algae) thrive in tanks with low nutrients where there aren’t enough nutrients to support other algae or organisms to outcompete them (essentially they can thrive on less nutrients than other algae, when there are more nutrients those other algae out compete them).

Third is your CuC and other tank inhabitants. On a real reef, algae and algae like organisms would completely out compete every other organism for nutrients and real estate, but on a real reef there are countless higher lifeforms that eat those algae. Snails, microfauna, fish, urchins, sea stars, crabs, etc. all act as lawn mowers to keep the reef clean and keep algae in balance (there has to be some algae to have a balanced ecosystem). So in your tank, you need to have find the right balance of CuC to the algae your tank produces. In the old days, people would recommend one snail and one hermit crab per gallon, which is a little overboard IMO, I’d start with one per every 3 gallons and then get more if need be. If you have room (a 32g is not large enough) a can’t recommend tangs enough, they graze on algae all day long. You can also get urchins, sea hares, conchs, and other more unique algae eaters, but they can be more expensive and less hardy than snails and hermits (you want a variety of snails and usually just one species of hermits).

And lastly, what determines the types of algae you get in your tank depends on the first and second factors, but also on what kind of algae is introduced to the tank (whether live algae or algae spores). Any fish, coral, rock, water, invert, basically anything that came from another tank or the ocean can introduce strains of algae to your tank. Even dry rock can have algae spores on it (I live around 2k miles from the ocean and have had algae show up in vats of fresh salt water that got just a little bit of light. I had a debate about spores of marine species of algae being airborne recently where someone told me what I experienced was impossible, and so I did some research, and it turns out it’s been studied, sea birds get algae spores on their feathers and then fly up into the air where they dry off and the spores are then entered into the trade winds and can travel thousands of miles, which is how you can end up with marine algae in a vat of salt water that’s had nothing introduced to it 2k miles from the ocean.). So anyway, the type of algae you have depends on what was introduced.

And so to answer your question, the way you set up of cycle your tank really doesn’t affect what types of algae you’ll have, its a variety of factors, but whether you go with live or dry rock doesn’t really matter (although live rock is often already colonized by other organisms so, algae can have a harder time taking root compared to dry rock which is open to whatever can colonize it fastest).
Okay but i still believe it may have something to do with it but u have a good point
 

MaxTremors

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okay the question of trying to ask is based off how often you feed a tank the process of when did you add the fish to the tank how long i run my lights and a type of lights that I have I still believe based off the type of Lights you have and a way your tank is set up determine what type of algae start to grow for example my thank have had a bryopsis outbreak why was the bubble algae why wasn't it hair algae why was it the specific type of algae started to grow it could have been any other algae swamp saying is it something in my tank that specifically cost this algae outbreak to blow up other than another species of algae because it could have been bubble algae but I'm not having that problem or hair algae xcetera idk make it some type of science behind it I might have to do a test
The type of algae that is dominant in your tank is dependent on what varieties of algae were introduced, what algae your water conditions favored or what algae your water was best suited to, what algae was able to take hold fasted or was able to overtake/outgrow other algae. No one can tell you if you set up a tank a certain way, you’ll get X algae, there are just too many variables. We know what type of conditions some algae prefer or are more likely to proliferate in, but there’s no guarantee that in those conditions that algae will dominate, again, there are too many variables that we can’t control for to say what kind of algae you’ll get if you set your tank up a certain way. The reason you got bryopsis in this tank and GHA or Valonia in another is that those species were introduced to your tank at a time when conditions were favorable and they were able to out compete other algae (whether because of conditions, open real estate, algae eaters that focused on/specialized on eating other algae, lighting, or likely a combination of these factors).
 

davidcalgary29

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I started three builds in January, and one of them -- due to old T5s/bad ballasts -- really ended up with a bad algae (GHA and byropsis) problem until I started dosing with phyto. Vibrant really didn't do anything in comparison.
 

Jedi1199

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Well how would i no that as a new reefer i mean dont you need to no my light set up and the time i run my lights for
If I am decrypting your language correctly.. No, I do not need to know your light setup, your lighting schedule or any of your water parameters. The fact you algal bloom at all tells me really all I need to know. Based on that, I gave you my own firsthand experience with the exact same problem you are having. If you choose to not believe me, that is on you, NOT my advice.

How would you "no" that? (for crying out loud use proper language skills) It is called research! This forum is absolutely FILLED with all of the information a new reefer can ever possibly need to know. There are countless threads, links, and video links that deal specifically with algal outbreaks, just like yours, and how to deal with them... It is up to YOU as the reefkeeper to read and learn as much as possible.

This is NOT a hobby for instant gratification. I could tell you dose this and chemical that, but I won't now and never will advise that to you or anybody else.

There are natural predators for almost every living organism on this planet. First, you need to determine what exact algae you have in your tank. and then decide what predatory species to introduce to your tank to combat it.

Finally, punctuation. It makes a sentence. Period.
 
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Freshermenreefer

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I started three builds in January, and one of them -- due to old T5s/bad ballasts -- really ended up with a bad algae (GHA and byropsis) problem until I started dosing with phyto. Vibrant really didn't do anything in comparison.
Thank u for saying that thats all i was trying to say i feel like sometime the way you setup the tank effect the way it come out
 
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Freshermenreefer

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If I am decrypting your language correctly.. No, I do not need to know your light setup, your lighting schedule or any of your water parameters. The fact you algal bloom at all tells me really all I need to know. Based on that, I gave you my own firsthand experience with the exact same problem you are having. If you choose to not believe me, that is on you, NOT my advice.

How would you "no" that? (for crying out loud use proper language skills) It is called research! This forum is absolutely FILLED with all of the information a new reefer can ever possibly need to know. There are countless threads, links, and video links that deal specifically with algal outbreaks, just like yours, and how to deal with them... It is up to YOU as the reefkeeper to read and learn as much as possible.

This is NOT a hobby for instant gratification. I could tell you dose this and chemical that, but I won't now and never will advise that to you or anybody else.

There are natural predators for almost every living organism on this planet. First, you need to determine what exact algae you have in your tank. and then decide what predatory species to introduce to your tank to combat it.

Finally, punctuation. It makes a sentence. Period.
I do and have did my resume its not like i dont believe u because that would be dumb because you have your own tank setup i believe so u no what u talking about sir
 
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Freshermenreefer

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okay so i have a question i need help with this tank yes i believe i did somethings wrong like i added coral to the tank like a week or month after the tank cycle and then I added fish after that so yes i was moving to fast but im understand that im ready to make it better any suggestions i got a lot of algae on my rock to point it do make me want to give up on the tank and start over and yes i had a idea on what i want it for the tank but i dont have a lot of options in my area so where do i go from here. Its a 20 gallon i have 4 fish and pistol shrimp and a peppermint shrimp and like 12 coral i want to remove the algae off the rock manually by taking it out the tank and scrubbing it but what do i use or how do i do it and overall any suggestions to keep nitrates low do I need to remove some fish
 

davidcalgary29

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Three months of dosing phyto. I did change out the T5s, but two of the ballasts are still bad. I'm running the tank on four lamps instead of six.

B241BAD6-6F07-41B2-B1B2-DF4F184B409B.jpeg AD740709-C184-4A8F-B672-4820B6970B45.jpeg
 
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Freshermenreefer

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Three months of dosing phyto. I did change out the T5s, but two of the ballasts are still bad. I'm running the tank on four lamps instead of six.

B241BAD6-6F07-41B2-B1B2-DF4F184B409B.jpeg AD740709-C184-4A8F-B672-4820B6970B45.jpeg
Do eat algae Phytoplankton i didnt no that i will there that to but wow big difference i hope i can more it out this thing and not give up and just take the tank down did u ever feel like just taking the tank down at one point
 

davidcalgary29

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Do eat algae Phytoplankton i didnt no that i will there that to but wow big difference i hope i can more it out this thing and not give up and just take the tank down did u ever feel like just taking the tank down at one point
No, but I pretended that I was recreating exotic landscapes in the Time of the Pandemic and was going to instagram everything for the travel-starved masses. I called my algaescape "The Mountains of Guilin". Before the coral and macro started to grow in, the cleared expanse was "Bald Knob, Arkansas".
 

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