Algae is the only thing that Grows

[OnePuffMan]

I'm starting to get at my wit's end. The only thing in my tank that seems to grow is hair algae and I cannot figure out why.

The tank has been up for about 7 months now, last fish add was about 2 months ago. I have a RODI system I use for water. I do 10-12% water changes weekly. My parameters don't seem out of whack:
Phosphates: 0.1
Nitrates: 5
Ammonia: 0
Ph: 8.15
Temp: 78F

I have purchased 3 separate balls of chaeto and they all eventually die in a refugium running on an opposite light cycle with a GRO light (10 hours). The only thing that seems to grow in the fuge is a back sludge despite the extra powerhead in there to keep flow.

As far as the DT goes, I run the lights for 7 hours at 10%, as the fish use it for feeding triggers. I have 2 powerheads in addition to the return that is about 600-700 GPH. The hair algae grows like mad. I suck a whole bunch out every week and most of it is back during the next water change. I have not run my skimmer in at least a month (one is present).

I added 3 quarts of pods to the refugium and 3 quarts to the main tank (@Reef By Steele special - great customer service) and started dosing phyto. I cannot see any pods in either the DT or refugium, so I assume they've all died like anything non-fish despite having hotels and plenty of rock.

Does anyone have any ideas what is going on? I would prefer not to dose chemicals, but I'm getting sick of having a lousy-looking tank. If it is part of the ugly phase, so be it, but it'd be good to know either way.

 

[Contractor_Chris]

Following just as I'm new to this stuff and always trying to learn. I'm worried about that myself (cheto dying) If it does after a few attempts I think I'll try an algae scrubber.

 

[TokenReefer]

Do you have any coral or plan on having any (maybe I missed that in your op)? In my mind gha is the end boss of the uglies and won't just go away. Coral can compete with it on the same level for nutrients. You have to remove (or trim back) any that's growing now to make room in the pie for them...as you seem to be doing. Something will always fill the void after removal. If gha is dominant in your system, then it will... If that makes sense. Good luck!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

a tank pic will really help.

What type of lights are you using? 7 hours at 10% seems unusual... Are there corals in the tank?

What kind of clean up crew, and algae eating livestock do you have?

Why did you turn off your skimmer for a month? You should turn it back on

how many fish do you have and how much do you feed?

Pods won't solve hair algae problem, even if they are on steroids, they won't mow down your hair algae.

 

[OnePuffMan]

a tank pic will really help.

What type of lights are you using? 7 hours at 10% seems unusual... Are there corals in the tank?

What kind of clean up crew, and algae eating livestock do you have?

Why did you turn off your skimmer for a month? You should turn it back on

how many fish do you have and how much do you feed?

Pods won't solve hair algae problem, even if they are on steroids, they won't mow down your hair algae.

I am using Sky lights. I go 100% dark, but my feedings are timed to the lights. I do not have any corals but would like to. @TokenReefer I would like to have corals, but the mushrooms that I put in a month ago died in 3 days. It seems like anything that goes in my tank that is not a fish dies, so I am reluctant to spend money on corals if they're going to die.

I bought 5 turbos for algae and all of them died within a week after ignoring a vast majority of the algae on the rocks. Fish-wise, nothing touches the algae. I would consider crabs, but I have wrasses and a hawkfish, so I'm worried they won't last long.

The skimmer bottoms out my nitrates. If I turn it on, it will drop them to basically zero

I have 16 fish, mostly smaller - 1 Foxface, 2 clowns, 3 PJ cardinals, Canary Wrasse pair, Pink Spot Goby, Orange Diamond Goby, Crimson Hawkfish, Cleaner Wrasse, Katherine's Wrasse, Excusite Firefish and Midas Blenny. I feed pellets in the morning and a cube + half dime of a frozen flat at night. I have observed/adjusted the feeding so everything is eaten - I do not see anything missed. They all seem happy and hardy and the last add was probably October and done in small batches.

Picture below. It looks worse now, but this should give an idea.

 

[Evil1]

I think you are going through the uglies. Unfortunately this can occur from 6 months to 2 years and not much you can do about it. If all current aquatic life seems happy and parameters are good just let it work itself out. Keep the faith!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I am using Sky lights. I go 100% dark, but my feedings are timed to the lights. I do not have any corals but would like to. @TokenReefer I would like to have corals, but the mushrooms that I put in a month ago died in 3 days. It seems like anything that goes in my tank that is not a fish dies, so I am reluctant to spend money on corals if they're going to die.

I bought 5 turbos for algae and all of them died within a week after ignoring a vast majority of the algae on the rocks. Fish-wise, nothing touches the algae. I would consider crabs, but I have wrasses and a hawkfish, so I'm worried they won't last long.

The skimmer bottoms out my nitrates. If I turn it on, it will drop them to basically zero

I have 16 fish, mostly smaller - 1 Foxface, 2 clowns, 3 PJ cardinals, Canary Wrasse pair, Pink Spot Goby, Orange Diamond Goby, Crimson Hawkfish, Cleaner Wrasse, Katherine's Wrasse, Excusite Firefish and Midas Blenny. I feed pellets in the morning and a cube + half dime of a frozen flat at night. I have observed/adjusted the feeding so everything is eaten - I do not see anything missed. They all seem happy and hardy and the last add was probably October and done in small batches.

Picture below. It looks worse now, but this should give an idea.

The pic doesn't look bad actually, it takes a tank 1-2 years to balance out properly.

I would turn the skimmer on, if anything, at least to provide oxygen, since algae depletes oxygen. You can set it to dry skim, but if you have algae, then nitrate is not zero, the algae is consuming the nitrate. So turn the skimmer on would be beneficial to the tank.

Do you use rodi or tap water? If snails and corals die so quickly, to me, it is a sign of poor water quality. When is the last time you did water change? Do you dose anything in the tank?

I don't think you should be discouraged by your current algae, we all go through it the first year, it really takes more time for the tank to balance out. I would be more concerned with why inverts and corals die in a few days, thats a huge red flag.

 

[Daftendire]

The only thing that stands out to me is the lack of diverse clean up crew in the tank, unless i missed that part. The lighting at 10% seems very low, but makes sense if your trying to limit energy to the algae. It sounds like normal uglies to me.

I bought 5 turbos for algae and all of them died within a week after ignoring a vast majority of the algae on the rocks. Fish-wise, nothing touches the algae. I would consider crabs, but I have wrasses and a hawkfish, so I'm worried they won't last long.

If you dont have a clean up crew present. I would buy a undersized package from reef cleaners of whatever flavor you like. If that's not enough, slowly add more CUC like urchins until you find a balance.

I would also turn the skimmer back on and feed slightly more.

Edit: I have had a batch of trochus snails die within a week of purchase. If everything else is alive and eating well, I would say you got a batch of snails that were already on their way out.

 

[OnePuffMan]

The pic doesn't look bad actually, it takes a tank 1-2 years to balance out properly.

I would turn the skimmer on, if anything, at least to provide oxygen, since algae depletes oxygen. You can set it to dry skim, but if you have algae, then nitrate is not zero, the algae is consuming the nitrate. So turn the skimmer on would be beneficial to the tank.

Do you use rodi or tap water? If snails and corals die so quickly, to me, it is a sign of poor water quality. When is the last time you did water change? Do you dose anything in the tank?

I don't think you should be discouraged by your current algae, we all go through it the first year, it really takes more time for the tank to balance out. I would be more concerned with why inverts and corals die in a few days, thats a huge red flag.

Thanks.

I use RODI and do weekly 10% water changes. I do not dose anything.

While the algae sucks, the stuff dying is what confuses me, especially since the parameters look good.

Everyone else, thanks for the advice and comments!

 

[Dburr1014]

The skimmer bottoms out my nitrates. If I turn it on, it will drop them to basically zero

Welcome to my world, I've tested zero since April. My coral eats it all up. I wouldn't worry about this at all.
I also agree, turn that skimmer back on.

I would like to have corals, but the mushrooms that I put in a month ago died in 3 days. It seems like anything that goes in my tank that is not a fish dies, so I am reluctant to spend money on corals if they're going to die.

I bought 5 turbos for algae and all of them died within a week after ignoring a vast majority of the algae on the rocks. Fish-wise, nothing touches the algae. I would consider crabs, but I have wrasses and a hawkfish, so I'm worried they won't last long.

How are you acclimating corals and snails? What is your process?

Where did you get your rocks from? Were they dry or wet?

 

[Pod_01]

Just an opinion but if you do not put things into the tank algae will take over. The tank is like a farmers field, all nice and ready, fish provide the fertilizer, light is important for corals.
When farmer doesn’t put enough seeds the field will be taken over by weeds. In a reef tank algae will take over unless you have coral mass to outcompete it.

You do need to add coral mass and few frags might not be enough. Also in the first few years you might have to use corals that grow fast to get coral mass, later on when tank is stable you can replace them with what you want.

I would consigning large colonies from local reefers that are getting out of the hobby. Alternatively get fast growing types like GSP (will become pest but better to look at than GHA)

, fast and easy to grow zoas, Duncan corals are nice, devils hand coral. Also you could consider easy to grow birds nest or the easier montiporas.

Some chalices grow like weed.

In general I would go by price, cheaper means it is resilient and grows well under most conditions. Expensive means you do require experience and even experienced reefers have hard time keeping them alive and well.

Good luck,

 

[OnePuffMan]

How are you acclimating corals and snails? What is your process?

Where did you get your rocks from? Were they dry or wet?

I float to temperature match, then add tank water a few cups at a time. Both stores use the same salt and salinity as me.

I bought pref-fab and coated rocks for my DT, but purchased a few small live rocks from a few LFS for diversity in the fuge. Those were added 3 weeks ago.

 

[Reef By Steele]

I float to temperature match, then add tank water a few cups at a time. Both stores use the same salt and salinity as me.

I bought pref-fab and coated rocks for my DT, but purchased a few small live rocks from a few LFS for diversity in the fuge. Those were added 3 weeks ago.

I assume the tank was new, and the RODI as well. If not you should test your RODI to see how pure it is. Test the tank for copper especially if it isn’t new. Copper is just a thought as it will kill pretty much all the invertebrates.

If both of those are good, then scratch my head. Generally snails dying in a new tank is due to starvation which would not be the case for your situation. Also is it possible the wrasses are taking out your snails? I have a predator tank that I cannot keep CUC in as everyone eats them. That doesn’t explain the corals dying, but I have bought corals and added to the tank that other corals were thriving in, just to have them waste away.

 

[Dburr1014]

I float to temperature match, then add tank water a few cups at a time. Both stores use the same salt and salinity as me.

I bought pref-fab and coated rocks for my DT, but purchased a few small live rocks from a few LFS for diversity in the fuge. Those were added 3 weeks ago.

What is the sg? I haven't seen you mention it yet.

 

[OnePuffMan]

What is the sg? I haven't seen you mention it yet.

35 ppt

 

[OnePuffMan]

I assume the tank was new, and the RODI as well. If not you should test your RODI to see how pure it is. Test the tank for copper especially if it isn’t new. Copper is just a thought as it will kill pretty much all the invertebrates.

If both of those are good, then scratch my head. Generally snails dying in a new tank is due to starvation which would not be the case for your situation. Also is it possible the wrasses are taking out your snails? I have a predator tank that I cannot keep CUC in as everyone eats them. That doesn’t explain the corals dying, but I have bought corals and added to the tank that other corals were thriving in, just to have them waste away.

RODI is testing OK as far as I can test it. I am ordering a new membrane just in case. No copper, either

I think the wrasses are the issue for the inverts. Thinking about it, the Trochus were fine until they showed up and there is actually a baby in the fuge. My Narcissus snails (nocturnal) and fighting conch (huge) are still doing OK as well as the urchin, so it may be that the wrasses started to hunt. The last I tried corals was 3 months ago, as I did not want to keep flushing cash down the toilet.

 

[Reef By Steele]

RODI is testing OK as far as I can test it. I am ordering a new membrane just in case. No copper, either

I think the wrasses are the issue for the inverts. Thinking about it, the Trochus were fine until they showed up and there is actually a baby in the fuge. My Narcissus snails (nocturnal) and fighting conch (huge) are still doing OK as well as the urchin, so it may be that the wrasses started to hunt. The last I tried corals was 3 months ago, as I did not want to keep flushing cash down the toilet.

Might try reefcleaners.org for dwarf cerith. Small enough that the wrasses may decide they are not worth it. Plus fairly reasonable to buy lots.

 

[Fritz05]

I agree with Mr. Mojo that the tank does not look that bad algae-wise. Also a non-chemical option is always preferable. But if nothing else works, or you deal with Bryopsis algae ( looks like fern, not like hair), fluconazole is an option. It does not address the underlying issue, but allows for a reset, as it will kill the algae. They will likely come back, if the issue is not fixed, though.

It can be difficult finding the right clean up crew. For example my tuxedo urchins only eat coralline algae, and do not touch any other type. They scrape the coralline from the rock, allowing hair algae to grow there… so they actually made things worse! But I still love them.

 

[RIC13]

What is your tank size?
What is your specific gravity?

I keep all sorts of coral in multiple tanks. Here’s what I would do in your situation.

1) Clean the glass
2) Perform a 20% water change; keep the water in buckets for the next step.
3) Remove the rock (if possible) and, using a toothbrush, scrub the algae off in the containers of water from step 2. If you cannot remove the rocks, scrub them with the toothbrush while in the tank and perform the water change afterward.
4) It appears you have cyano. Add more flow by either adding more power heads or by upgrading the ones you have. I always oversize my power heads and run them at lower speeds.
5) Algae need light and phosphate to grow. Turn lights off for 3 days and add a media bag to the return of your sump with 50% of the recommended dose of GFO. GFO can strip you system of phosphate very quickly. Remove GFO if phosphate readings fall below .03. If they rise, then your rock may be leaching phosphates so add it back and repeat the drill. Always go slow and test daily, sometimes x2 daily, until you understand the impact of you last action. NOTE: Your phosphate is higher than the current reading bc the algae is consuming it. Sources of phosphate can be both your rock and your pellet foods. Rock can leach phosphates for a period of time until the system stabilizes.
6) Add Microbacter 7 per the instructions to diversify the bacteria in your tank. A healthy, diversified bacterial colony will be essential to keeping corals healthy when you do add them.
7) Perform 20% water changes weekly for one month and manually remove the algae as directed to keep it short so your clean up crew can eat it.

 

[Jjay]

I’ve had pretty decent luck with dosing live phyto as well, I can tell when I miss a dose or 2..