Bad Alge! Help..

[saltnewbie101]

So it looks like the alge is building up pretty gnarly in my tank. In some places it almost looks like it's taking over. What can I do? Or is there nothing I can do about it? Pictures attached..

 

[brandon429]

The tank is fully eutrophic and must be cleaned manually, it's not fixed by things you add. Surgically fixing it is how. This article was written for your type of tank and each job has a fix example.

Old tank syndrome is vanquished in reefing now

the cause of old tank syndrome is compounding whole waste particles that blanket the interstitial sand grain zones and plug up the channels in live rocks- in some cases it's sheer overgrowth allowed from various invasions that plugs up the surface area on live rock combined with a thin veneer of...

www.reef2reef.com

The sand in the tank is a problem too, it's storing up waste

 

[Lemons]

Get a few turbos or some other snails, it'll be gone in a flash

 

[saltnewbie101]

I have some snails, they're not helping Jack to say the least. Have 2 cleaner shrimp and some hermits..

What does all this alge mean? Is there a way to counteract it? I don't really mind it on the rocks unless it's a problem, but being on the corals I kinda hate..

 

[brandon429]

did you read the thread posted= covers every cause and fix available with work examples, it's not possible to miss understanding what's happening in your tank after clicking it to read + the linked examples.

people recommend using animals when they're not held to account for the final outcome, but that above is final outcomes you can attain by 6 pm tonite.

 

[brandon429]

learning from observing the thread + its work details:

your lighting is too bright

current flow is too low combined with zero export on the system, allowing total blanketing of mass over 100% of rock surface area. export is lacking

we haven't seen a pic of the sand, but it won't be unlike the rocks, full of waste. if its a bare bottom tank, accumulations and overgrowth will be present vs open/breathing conditions

the use of anything added can't work, it's why you don't have any other threads posted for live-time fixes using additions.

your entire system needs to be ridded of pent up waste to fix the issue

your rocks haven't been able to express whole waste pellets, they're being backed up due to allowed takeover.

only surgical cleaning can fix your tank. anything you dose or add to kill the invasion simply kills the mass, locks it further into the crevices in the system, and dinos happens for the next 18 months. the thread has it covered + work examples.

 

[saltnewbie101]

Your proposing I have old tank syndrome? Not trying to be silly, just want to make sure I understand what is being said.

 

[saltnewbie101]

learning from observing the thread + its work details:

your lighting is too bright

current flow is too low combined with zero export on the system, allowing total blanketing of mass over 100% of rock surface area. export is lacking

we haven't seen a pic of the sand, but it won't be unlike the rocks, full of waste. if its a bare bottom tank, accumulations and overgrowth will be present vs open/breathing conditions

the use of anything added can't work, it's why you don't have any other threads posted for live-time fixes using additions.

your entire system needs to be ridded of pent up waste to fix the issue

your rocks haven't been able to express whole waste pellets, they're being backed up due to allowed takeover.

only surgical cleaning can fix your tank. anything you dose or add to kill the invasion simply kills the mass, locks it further into the crevices in the system, and dinos happens for the next 18 months. the thread has it covered + work examples.

My lighting is super bright. I had to crank it up to give the acopora the par it needed. Really didn't want to kill it. Maybe I should turn it down.

My par though is between 125 at the bottom of the tank and 375 at the top..

 

[Miami Reef]

I would add several urchins and maybe even a sea hare. Once the algae gets cleared, you can return the sea hare back to the LFS.

You can’t add too many herbivores. Once the problem algae gets controlled, you can return the extra herbivores, and keep some to maintain the tank.

New tanks go through algae; It’s normal.

 

[saltnewbie101]

Here are photos of the sand Brandon.. its pretty clean honestly, our diamond goby keeps is pretty

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

First, what have you done about it?
How old is the tank? What are the nitrate and phosphate levels? How many fish and how much do you feed? Do you do regular water changes? What kind of filtration do you have? Any powerheads in the tank?

 

[Miami Reef]

Here are photos of the sand Brandon.. its pretty clean honestly, our diamond goby keeps is pretty

Don’t pay attention to his advice. He just wants you to restart the tank. Without the proper herbivores, it will most likely have the same outcome.

He’ll probably also require you to lower your lighting drastically, which is pretty much a death sentence for your maxima clam.

 

[ScubaSkeets]

Get a few turbos or some other snails, it'll be gone in a flash

You're joking right? Or are just repeating the same ridiculous advice that you have read countless times on here just to get "those points"

"Get a few turbos or some other snails, it'll be gone in a flash"...gimme a break

 

[Dom]

I have this great additive... it works wonders.

 

[rennjidk]

You're not doing anything wrong. Your tank is 3 months old (old tank syndrome, lol) and is going to go through numerous different algae battles. You can effectively treat hair algae with fluconazole, though idk how that will affect your clam (if at all). If you want to go the mechanical removal route, you can do that too, but you're looking at hours of work. You do need a larger CuC, I like 2 turbos and an urchin for every 20g. Adding some utility fish like tangs would clean that up fairly quickly and keep it maintained for you.

 

[Dom]

This issue is easily resolved with a commitment to tank husbandry. And there is no magic elixir that will make the algae go away overnight.

I would suggest:

1. Prepare a 20% water change.
2. Using a toothbrush, go around the tank scrub, getting as much algae as you can free-floating.
3. Complete a water change, being sure to siphon off as much of the free-floating algae you can.
4. Add a quantity of turbo snails to go after what you miss.

The root cause of your problem is elevated nutrients ( in this case PO4 ). Faithful, weekly, 20% water changes will go a very long way in driving down your nutrients and by extension, reduce algae.

 

[jda]

You need consumers. Lots of them. Like maybe a hundred snails, some crabs, a few urchins and maybe even some siphoning. Some fish will eat this algae if you get lucky, but it is pretty infrequent, IMO.

Some people will tell you that excess nitrate and phosphate grow algae, but they don't need any of that at all. Algae can get all of the nitrogen and phosphorous that they need without any detectable nitrate and phosphate. I have nearly undetectable no3 and po4 and my tank would be over run with algae without my urchins.

You also might have to intervene. When snails are getting enough to eat, they just like to cruise around the glass. Sometimes you have to collect them and put them back on the rocks. Some urchins will stay on the glass too, but pencil and tuxedo urchins tend to stay on the rocks for me more than they glass. Lastly, keep the glass extra clean - without food there, they look elsewhere more often.

 

[jda]

BTW - everything that you do to interfere with the ecosystem developing will just set you back in at least like time and usually more. You are at a point where algae can grow, so now you have to get something to eat it. You don't want a tank where algae cannot grow because photosynthetic corals also cannot grow. it is time to take the next step.

Edit: if you tank parameters are good enough, sea hare chows down on algae. Sea Hare are sensitive inverts and a lot of new tanks are not stable enough for them to thrive.