2 weeks ago I got some reef chili and fed my corals. I also since then added some reef snow about 4 days later. I went away on vacation came back after 2 days and when I got back I had a rusty / brownish color algae on my sand along with algae on the glass that looks like it captured bubbles. Not able to do much with the tank before work i had full intension to do a water change when I got home from work. When I came home I had to deal with a dead filter instead. Thanks Florida storms. We had a power outage and I think that the bio wheel never was able to fill back up with water and killed the pump. So rather than doing a water change I went and added a backup filter for the night. Next morning I went and got an aqua clear. Now I have a brand new filter. Finally Did A Water change and did a 3 day light out. I now have turned back on the lights and after 3 days the algae is back.
Algae in reef tank
- Thread starter Marine430
- Start date
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Algae survives, primarily, off of three (sometimes four) main sources of nutrients/energy:
1) Light
2) Phosphates
3) Silicates
4) Nitrates
Did the reef chili or reef snow spike your nitrates possibly? You've already tried cutting the lights, but as soon as light returns, so does the algae, so there is a source of nutrition it is getting elsewhere in high enough quantities.
How's your ammonia? Perhaps you're experiencing a "recycle", which can be followed by algal blooms once the ammonia coverts fully over to nitrate?
Doing the light-out might be good enough to kill the algae, but it's death releases the locked up phosphates and silicates back into the water, so without any filtration that can absorb the excess and/or a water change after the lights out period, the new algae could simply be feeding on the recently dead algae's food?
If you don't have corals that will suffer from another light-out, I'd try this again, followed immediately by 30-50% water change, combine with Seachem Phosguard (to remove phosphates and silicates) and Purigen (to remove excess nitrates).
Test phosphates and nitrates before and after.
1) Light
2) Phosphates
3) Silicates
4) Nitrates
Did the reef chili or reef snow spike your nitrates possibly? You've already tried cutting the lights, but as soon as light returns, so does the algae, so there is a source of nutrition it is getting elsewhere in high enough quantities.
How's your ammonia? Perhaps you're experiencing a "recycle", which can be followed by algal blooms once the ammonia coverts fully over to nitrate?
Doing the light-out might be good enough to kill the algae, but it's death releases the locked up phosphates and silicates back into the water, so without any filtration that can absorb the excess and/or a water change after the lights out period, the new algae could simply be feeding on the recently dead algae's food?
If you don't have corals that will suffer from another light-out, I'd try this again, followed immediately by 30-50% water change, combine with Seachem Phosguard (to remove phosphates and silicates) and Purigen (to remove excess nitrates).
Test phosphates and nitrates before and after.
I've never used chemi pure, but it serves basically the same purpose as Seachem Phosguard, so you should be good there, provided it isn't saturated and needs to be changed?
I use Purigen to guard against Nitrate/Nitrite spikes, which can cause algal blooms.
I should have asked, how long has your tank been set up? Do you have live rock and did you add it "live" or dead? Sometimes dead materials in dead "live" rock can cause algal blooms as well, as the chemicals release into the tank. Unless, of course, the rock has been cured or the tank has been running for 3-6 months or longer.
It's possible that new dry rock could be causing it. It's also possible that the sand is leeching silicates, depending on the quality of it and where you bought it from, etc.
Algae can be a really annoying and notoriously difficult thing to troubleshoot in a tank, given the amount of variables that can lead to it's growth.
I like the old adage, "Start with the easiest things to fix and go from there."
Start with checking your parameters, especially phosphates and nitrates. If those are low, hit the no-light treatment for 72 hours again and follow with water change, and when you do this water change, take a brand new toothbrush fresh from a package and scrub your rocks/glass. While the algae is floating around, suck it up with your siphon as you do your water change.
Monitor phosphates and nitrates throughout this process.
Since the algae bloom is hitting after a few changes (new rocks and sand), and immediately after adding new foods to the tank, it's possible they somehow are triggering it.
Basically, you want to make a list of all possible causes and eliminate them one at a time, starting with the easiest.
PSLReefer
Active Member
The new rock and sand certainly played a factor. I added 50lbs if dry rock to an established 150g and did get a "mini"cycle of sorts, consisting if an algae bloom, however did go away after the new rock became established.
When adding new rock and sand it's best to do it verrry slow.
Starting my check list
1. New tank ( 20 gal upgrade to 40. New sand and dry rock )
2. New bulbs ( stronger light )
3. To much reef food (marine snow, reef chili not absorbed by the coral )
4. Failed filter (new filter now)
5. High phosphate
6. High nitrate
7. Not enough flow
8. Tap water
9. Fish food
10. Unknown
1. New tank ( 20 gal upgrade to 40. New sand and dry rock )
2. New bulbs ( stronger light )
3. To much reef food (marine snow, reef chili not absorbed by the coral )
4. Failed filter (new filter now)
5. High phosphate
6. High nitrate
7. Not enough flow
8. Tap water
9. Fish food
10. Unknown
The phosphate would be my main target if I were you. Phosphate should be .1 and below.
The extra coral food might have done it, but it would have to be poor quality to have phosphates in the food at that kind of level.
I'm suspect that the new rocks are curing and releasing the phosphates. But it's strange it happened immediately after you added the new food, too...
Starting my check list
1. New tank ( 20 gal upgrade to 40. New sand and dry rock )??
2. New bulbs ( stronger light )= 4 new ati bulbs
3. To much reef food (marine snow, reef chili not absorbed by the coral )???
4. Failed filter (new filter now)= emperor 400 upgrade to aqua clear 70
5. High phosphate = .25-.50
6. High nitrate= 0
7. Not enough flow = 2 Hydor Koralia Nano 240 and aqua clear 70 300 gph
8. Tap water = never
9. Fish food = hikari pellets
10. Unknown? ?
1. New tank ( 20 gal upgrade to 40. New sand and dry rock )??
2. New bulbs ( stronger light )= 4 new ati bulbs
3. To much reef food (marine snow, reef chili not absorbed by the coral )???
4. Failed filter (new filter now)= emperor 400 upgrade to aqua clear 70
5. High phosphate = .25-.50
6. High nitrate= 0
7. Not enough flow = 2 Hydor Koralia Nano 240 and aqua clear 70 300 gph
8. Tap water = never
9. Fish food = hikari pellets
10. Unknown? ?
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