Algae

Richie49

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I have lots of red slime and green hair algae covering the rocks and glass, I did a water change and added some chemical to remove the algae and it still won't go away, what should I do?
 

brandon429

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these steps:

post pics and we point out where the waste is causing that, lighting conditions, stocking contributions etc

pics help us see if you have a nutrient problem, better than test kits actually because we see both the reserves and contributors not just an appox param reading off api which may not even be right, need pics.

you have dosed the water with an action and it didn't work, we do the opposite and it will. we clean out all waste stores, hand clean the rock, good to go.

the alt option is do more guesswork to the water to avoid extra work, see what sticks.
 

brandon429

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this thread is about identifying sandbeds as the major cause of the invasion you are listing, and how to fix it really well in one two hour session.
http://reef2reef.com/threads/the-of...ead-aka-one-against-many.230281/#post-2681445

the pics show us the maturation level of your tank, sometimes these early growths are indicated depending on maturity level, and sometimes they aren't normal and can be rectified simply by removing all stored waste from the tank, all at once.

pics tell us more about your algae problems than any test kit ever will.

*the only time you take an action on the water in the name of invasion control is when the whole tank has been reset clean. to have a tank in the invaded condition, and then act on the water without addressing all the stores inside the tank, is to get a repeat next week. I think that's what you've described.

we provide outcome pic proof in that thread for multiple tanks.
 
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Richie49

Richie49

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It's all over the rocks and glass. I have LED and T5 lighting, and recently changed both bulbs.

1465510158569.jpg
 

brandon429

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brandon429

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I truly know of no better way and I'm certain it works :)

It's test rock based only. You get a single rock among your huge pile to comply by doing different things to a few of them outside of the tank. We don't experiment on the full ecosystem.

Whichever mode (rasped, liquid spot treats only, any other model needed) has the least growback is the one you apply to the whole tank, this means your correction method is modeled by the tank itself before you waste a weekend of work

The sandbed is not an arbitrary decision, if it has clouds of waste then you should clean it and start fresh wholly

Is ok to put that part off till later, but failing a drop test (covered in the sandbed rinse thread) is what decides when you should export a sandbed back to clean.

My own sandbed will pass a drop test right now, that's how it runs, assessing the lower quarter of your reef tank matters in true algae control threads, it's all about how you do the work to prevent a cycle during parting.

If your bed isn't bad then just do the rocks. Don't forget that peroxide we are dumping none in your tank yet it's the most important tool you have for this reset. Your long term preventatives after restoration are your choice. I guarantee the algae method posted works.
 

Dom

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My experience with algae is this: If you're growing it, you must be feeding it.

Test for Nitrates and Phosphates as they are food sources for plants (algae is a plant). Also, I think ammonia is a food source too.
 
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Richie49

Richie49

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Should i take out all rocks and clean the sand and scrape the rocks clean or no?
 

Deberber

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GFO basically just takes phosphates out. And I don't have any experience with those but I'd imagine GFO is less expensive.
 

Dom

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Should i take out all rocks and clean the sand and scrape the rocks clean or no?

It depends on how patient you can be. If you remove the food sources, the algae will eventually die off. If you clean it up, you may get some new growth if the food sources haven't been eliminated. I'd suggest eliminating the food sources, then if you can't wait for a die-off, clean up what you can see. The rest will die off... IF you remove the food sources.
 

Dom

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Should i get a phos ban reactor instead?

Rich: Keep it simple. Keep a bag of chemi-pure elite in an area of your sump where there is a lot of water flow. I find its great for keeping things like phosphates and nitrates down. If that doesn't work, THE maybe try something more sophisticated.

I've never been able to completely eliminate the food sources, but another thing that helps is by promoting algae growth in an area other than the display tank. I keep a light on around the clock in an area of my sump to grow algae, leaving no food for anything to grow in the tank.
 

Dom

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Can you please post a picture of your sump?

Also, please post the date and results of your latest nitrate, ammonia and phosphate results.
 
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Richie49

Richie49

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I don't have a sump but I will do lots of water changes
 

Dom

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Should i just use the chemi pure product?

I really think it will help your situation. That looks to be a 55 gallon tank; am I right? That is a lot of tank . Without a sump, I have to say I feel that the reason you have algae is due inadequate filtration.

Based on the picture, and nothing else, you have a lot going on in that tank.

Can you provide me with a detailed inventory of your setup?

  1. How many gallons?
  2. Without a sump, do you have a hang on or canister filter?
  3. How long has the tank been running?
  4. What fish do you have in the tank?
 

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