Algae Removal for Noobs

[nostalgiaforinfinity]

Hi
We are new. 4 month old Red Sea 200 w/ 42g display:

2-conch
2- pajama cardinals
1-Christmas wrasse

Parameters are textbook currently.

Light is Red Sea 90, on 7hrs. 35% white, 35% blue
No direct sun on tank.

Temp is 79.6 right now.

I heard about an ugly phase. Not sure if this has to do with water maturity. Do we just scrub the stuff off the live rock or is there a phase when it will stop?
We don’t mind the elbow grease. Just wasn’t sure if we were waiting something out.


We really don’t know much about how long to leave lights on. What’s the 411?
Pics show what it looks like.
We use a magnet for glass but there’s some real tough green and brown that needs scraper.

If it makes a difference, we want our fish to be used to a light cycle that will be an amenable to coral later. We also like the white light look.

 

[mues]

I would just leave it or get some CUC to eat it. All part of the journey. If it gets too bad, a turkey baster will take a lot of it off.

 

[crazyfishmom]

Hi
We are new. 4 month old Red Sea 200 w/ 42g display:

2-conch
2- pajama cardinals
1-Christmas wrasse

Parameters are textbook currently.

Light is Red Sea 90, on 7hrs. 35% white, 35% blue
No direct sun on tank.

Temp is 79.6 right now.

I heard about an ugly phase. Not sure if this has to do with water maturity. Do we just scrub the stuff off the live rock or is there a phase when it will stop?
We don’t mind the elbow grease. Just wasn’t sure if we were waiting something out.


We really don’t know much about how long to leave lights on. What’s the 411?
Pics show what it looks like.
We use a magnet for glass but there’s some real tough green and brown that needs scraper.

If it makes a difference, we want our fish to be used to a light cycle that will be an amenable to coral later. We also like the white light look.

I know you mentioned that parameters are textbook but it really helps to have you list those.

This amount of algae is no big deal and part of the maturation process but good to have all parameters listed to see whether there’s anything that can be done there to help.

 

[nostalgiaforinfinity]

I know you mentioned that parameters are textbook but it really helps to have you list those.

This amount of algae is no big deal and part of the maturation process but good to have all parameters listed to see whether there’s anything that can be done there to help.

Got it.
Nitrate: 1-10
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
We don't have tests for other parameters.

For CUC, we added 6oz bottle copepods (Tigriopus) yesterday and 2 Emerald crabs.
We will scrub this weekend with water change.

Just added a Midas Blenny too.

Will a mature // established tank stop the large nuisance blooms?
And what are the milestones to indicate "Mature" // "Established".
This is an elusive term for Teen Son (Reef Master) and me (sidekick/funding/transportation).

Thanks.

 

[crazyfishmom]

Got it.
Nitrate: 1-10
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
We don't have tests for other parameters.

For CUC, we added 6oz bottle copepods (Tigriopus) yesterday and 2 Emerald crabs.
We will scrub this weekend with water change.

Just added a Midas Blenny too.

Will a mature // established tank stop the large nuisance blooms?
And what are the milestones to indicate "Mature" // "Established".
This is an elusive term for Teen Son (Reef Master) and me (sidekick/funding/transportation).

Thanks.

A lot of tanks struggle with algae blooms early on. It is usually an indication that something is a bit off with water parameters.

For example, I would be willing to bet that more likely than not your phosphate levels are a bit high and would consider having a local shop test your water to see where those are. It is very common. Nutrients like phosphate and nítrate play a major role in algae outbreaks and outgrowth.

In a mature tank, these tend to be more in balance and the bacterial populations in the tank are well established and processing these like there’s no tomorrow allowing for ecosystem sustainability within our tanks. Clean up crews help a lot to keep everything in check but it’s really the microbiome of the tank (which takes a few months to a year) to really establish that determine where everything lands.

If you’re patient. Algae removal and maintenance and regular water changes will help everything balance out over time and then you’ll hit a sweet spot where nutrient import and export are balanced. This takes a while. If you’re not as patient, nutrient control in the form of more mechanical or biological filtration help a lot but you’ll need to really know what your parameters look like to even start to attempt this because you can crash your tank if you’re too aggressive with managing using additives.

I hope this helps a tiny bit. I would really consider getting your water tested by a local shop. I am sure you’ll find a lot of very good information from that test alone that will make it so we can be more helpful.

 

[nostalgiaforinfinity]

Awesome. Thanks. We love a trip to the LFS.

 

[19Mateo83]

Add about 15-20 dwarf blue leg hermits, 2-4 Mexican turbos, 10-15 asteria snails. That will get you a decent clean up crew that will put a dent in whatever you leave after scrubbing.

 

[Manpeckz]

Anywhere from 10-14 hours with a ramp up and down. Different strokes. Always adjust lighting slowly if anything about it is increasing... intensity, hours of light.

But always make sure they turn off or go to 0 intensity so that your animals have a chance to relax for the evening

 

[nostalgiaforinfinity]

Add about 15-20 dwarf blue leg hermits, 2-4 Mexican turbos, 10-15 asteria snails. That will get you a decent clean up crew that will put a dent in whatever you leave after scrubbing.

Good to know. Thanks.

 

[nostalgiaforinfinity]

Anywhere from 10-14 hours with a ramp up and down. Different strokes. Always adjust lighting slowly if anything about it is increasing... intensity, hours of light.

But always make sure they turn off or go to 0 intensity so that your animals have a chance to relax for the evening

Interesting. We've heard 7 hours from LFS. We've reduced White to 25%.
We have scheduled Lights Out after moon phase.

 

[Manpeckz]

Because the tank has no corals(yet!), the lighting schedule and intensity could certainly be reduced to combat algae as well. Not sounding like a terrible option at this point!

Common practice is to fight it while it’s small but I also always have boatloads of algae in my tank. I don’t find algae to be a bad thing. Just when it’s in the wrong places

 

[lil sumpin]

There’s some different indicators for tank maturation. When you begin to see pods running amuck, coralline algae beginning to take hold and filter feeders like spirorbid worms or sponges taking up real estate, you can consider your tank maturing. Maintaining good water quality and a husbandry routine is a good way to ensure that the beneficial stuff has a chance to flourish. The algae will phase out on its own but you can certainly boost your CUC population in order to accelerate some removal.

 

[Manpeckz]

Team Astrea

 

[esquare]

I am dealing with algae issues now as well so I feel your pain. My issues with nutrients are they are undetectable (0 po4 and 0 NO3) which just means the algae is sucking it all up as I feed heavily. Knowing your po4 (phosphate) level can be helpful as you need some for coral growth but don't want to much. I have heard many different ranges for po4 but you're probably safe between .03 and .1 ppm. I have been in the hobby a long time but am not a biologist or chemist. The thought process on nutrient level seems to change but this is the range I settled on after reading people I respect and trust.

The approach I settled on after research is manual removal with a brush and siphon hose (if you don't get it out of the tank it will just breakdown back into po4 and n03 and keep the cycle going) and a good cleanup crew. I plan on adding a bristletooth tang (your tank is probably too small for one) to eat the algae but that will be the last fish so I have to wait. Possibly a Algae Blenny would be helpful for current and future algae management.

 

[Mwatts12]

Wow with all the responses. A clean up crew will help but it’s not a must. I do not have a clean up crew in my tank.

Lights are perfect at 7 hrs a day. Slowly ramp up to maybe 9-10 hrs over time if you want.

I would not blast with 10+ hours of light right away.

I agree with turkey basting and maybe some scrubbing with a strong tooth brush.

And all else fails. Be patient and wait.

 

[Outlaw Corals]

Got it.
Nitrate: 1-10
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
We don't have tests for other parameters.

For CUC, we added 6oz bottle copepods (Tigriopus) yesterday and 2 Emerald crabs.
We will scrub this weekend with water change.

Just added a Midas Blenny too.

Will a mature // established tank stop the large nuisance blooms?
And what are the milestones to indicate "Mature" // "Established".
This is an elusive term for Teen Son (Reef Master) and me (sidekick/funding/transportation).

Thanks.

You should have all the test kits and test once a week, without knowing where your parameters are at, is like reefing blind

 

[Naekuh]

Team Astrea

And team Trochus! and lets make it a threesome with team Cerith.

Although u seriously have to question how a snail made it past evolution without the ability to flip itself right.

Im also on team urchins wearing cute hats.... because if you don't give them a hat, they will wear a frag plug and take it along for its journey.