Feeding and Algae

[Anthony Malagisi]

So I'm wondering how much do you guys feed your fish and how often do you feed

I have been battling cyano bacteria and now hair alage for some time now, I'm not sure if I'm over feeding or what the issue could be

When I test my water the levels are all good

Salinity is 1.025
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0
Phosphate 0

My tank is a 72 gallon bow front with a 20 gallon sump

The fish in my tank are a maroon clown, naso tang, flame halkfish, 2 blue chromis, 2 yellow tail damsels 3 blue damsels, 1 yellow damsel and 1 orange spotted goby

I have a wet/dry filter and a canister filter I just took all the media out of the canister because it was on the old side and pretty nasty but other then that I'm lost.

Everything seems to be good some one please help its driving me crazy

Thanks

 

[P-Dub]

So I'm wondering how much do you guys feed your fish and how often do you feed

I have been battling cyano bacteria and now hair alage for some time now, I'm not sure if I'm over feeding or what the issue could be

When I test my water the levels are all good

Salinity is 1.025
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0
Phosphate 0

My tank is a 72 gallon bow front with a 20 gallon sump

The fish in my tank are a maroon clown, naso tang, flame halkfish, 2 blue chromis, 2 yellow tail damsels 3 blue damsels, 1 yellow damsel and 1 orange spotted goby

I have a wet/dry filter and a canister filter I just took all the media out of the canister because it was on the old side and pretty nasty but other then that I'm lost.

Everything seems to be good some one please help its driving me crazy

Thanks

How long has the canister filter been gone?

 

[Anthony Malagisi]

How long has the canister filter been gone?

I just emptied it Monday night now it's just running with no media just to help move some water around

I plan to get some chemi pure blue and phosphate pad to put in there soon

 

[P-Dub]

I just emptied it Monday night now it's just running with no media just to help move some water around

I plan to get some chemi pure blue and phosphate pad to put in there soon

That would be my first culprit, the canister filter. Next, What sized protein skimmer are you using? How much flow is in the tank? How old is the tank? How long has the substrate been in there? Are you regularly cleaning/vacuuming the sand? What is your water change regiment? The first step of removing the canister filter media is a good one...So, see how things progress with that gone and step up some water changes, make sure your RO/DI water is reading at or close to zero, and increase the flow.

 

[NS Mike D]

My experience is that the API NO3 & PO4 tests are not sufficiently sensitive for reef tanks. What test kit are you using. Secondly, cyano can survive in ultra low nutrient environments especially if PO4 is present but not NO3- it's capable of grabbing N from other sources. I wouldn't chase zero nutrients but rather target coral friendly NO3 & PO4 numbers (I use Red Sea's posted targets), keep water parameters as stable as possible and create an environment that give your corals the best chance to out compete the nuisance stuff. Meanwhile, keep up the water changes and suck up as much of the stuff with those water changes for the long haul battle. (and as posted, increase flow where it's building up - cynao is ever present in the water column, we do not know what triggers it to gel together and form mats, but water flow helps keep it in suspension)

 

[Anthony Malagisi]

That would be my first culprit, the canister filter. Next, What sized protein skimmer are you using? How much flow is in the tank? How old is the tank? How long has the substrate been in there? Are you regularly cleaning/vacuuming the sand? What is your water change regiment? The first step of removing the canister filter media is a good one...So, see how things progress with that gone and step up some water changes, make sure your RO/DI water is reading at or close to zero, and increase the flow.

Yeah canister filter is what my LFS recommend too, as for the protein skimmer it's rated for a 100 gallon tank, for water flow I have 2 600gph pumps and 1 800 gph pump and the my 1200 gallon return pump and the 450gph canister return. The tank is about 5 or 6 months old and same for the substrate I do a water change weekly about 15 gallons normally and vacuum the sand as well

I will be getting a new filters for my rodi unit soon I just got a tds meter and it's reading about 20ppm I think I'm not sure how the dang meter is read

This is the meter I got

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/dual-inline-tds-meter-dm-1-hm-digital.html

It says 2 on the screen but idk if thats 2 x10

 

[Anthony Malagisi]

My experience is that the API NO3 & PO4 tests are not sufficiently sensitive for reef tanks. What test kit are you using. Secondly, cyano can survive in ultra low nutrient environments especially if PO4 is present but not NO3- it's capable of grabbing N from other sources. I wouldn't chase zero nutrients but rather target coral friendly NO3 & PO4 numbers (I use Red Sea's posted targets), keep water parameters as stable as possible and create an environment that give your corals the best chance to out compete the nuisance stuff. Meanwhile, keep up the water changes and suck up as much of the stuff with those water changes for the long haul battle. (and as posted, increase flow where it's building up - cynao is ever present in the water column, we do not know what triggers it to gel together and form mats, but water flow helps keep it in suspension)

I am using the api test kits as well,, I'm going to bring a sample to my LFS soon and get it tested maybe there are nitrates and phosphates my test isn't showing

 

[ca1ore]

OK, but plenty of refers run their tanks with measurable nitrates and phosphates, and don't have an algae problem. Some even dose NO3. Once algae gets a foot hold it can be difficult to get rid of it. I think the role of a canister filter as 'nitrate factory' is over exaggerated. In the short term, you probably need to bolster your export mechanisms - perhaps use some GFO or chaeto. Do you run a refugium? How about herbivores/CUC? Naso is not a particularly good tang for that.

 

[Anthony Malagisi]

OK, but plenty of refers run their tanks with measurable nitrates and phosphates, and don't have an algae problem. Some even dose NO3. Once algae gets a foot hold it can be difficult to get rid of it. I think the role of a canister filter as 'nitrate factory' is over exaggerated. In the short term, you probably need to bolster your export mechanisms - perhaps use some GFO or chaeto. Do you run a refugium? How about herbivores/CUC? Naso is not a particularly good tang for that.

Hmm ok is there any easy way to get rid if the alage that's already growing. I do not run a refugium I've debated on switching to one but I haven't decided to yet, I do have a mixed verity of snails and hermit crabs but I don't think I have enough to keep up

Where could I put GFO and chaeto i thought that stuff went into refugiums

 

[ca1ore]

Mechanical removal of the algae, or get more things to (hopefully) eat it. GFO would go in a canister of some kind. Chaeto could as well, though normally that would be in a refugium.

 

[Anthony Malagisi]

Mechanical removal of the algae, or get more things to (hopefully) eat it. GFO would go in a canister of some kind. Chaeto could as well, though normally that would be in a refugium.

I do have a media reactor it's empty right now, I also have Kent marine phosphate sponge and Kent nitrate remover should I run that in the media reactor and put the cheato in my sump

 

[NS Mike D]

I am using the api test kits as well,, I'm going to bring a sample to my LFS soon and get it tested maybe there are nitrates and phosphates my test isn't showing

ok, I used to use the API and got zero readings. There are several better test kits out there. I was battling cyano while API were reading no NO3 and no PO4. I picked up the Red Sea kits and whattayaknow, I had nitrates and more importantly high phosphates.

Unless you change your mechanical filtration like twice a week, the bacteria in the them will convert ammonia into nitrates too fast for the other micro life that would otherwise use up nitrogen and nitrites. This is why the are called "nitrate factories".

I only use gfo is my nitrates are low and not my phosphates otherwise I prefer to keep them in balance so that they are both consumed by the corals' zooxanthellae and macro algae

 

[Anthony Malagisi]

ok, I used to use the API and got zero readings. There are several better test kits out there. I was battling cyano while API were reading no NO3 and no PO4. I picked up the Red Sea kits and whattayaknow, I had nitrates and more importantly high phosphates.

Unless you change your mechanical filtration like twice a week, the bacteria in the them will convert ammonia into nitrates too fast for the other micro life that would otherwise use up nitrogen and nitrites. This is why the are called "nitrate factories".

I only use gfo is my nitrates are low and not my phosphates otherwise I prefer to keep them in balance so that they are both consumed by the corals' zooxanthellae and macro algae

Ok good to no ill have to get a better test kit

Would it be wise to convert my wet/dry sump system into a refugium sump type system

 

[NS Mike D]

Ok good to no ill have to get a better test kit

Would it be wise to convert my wet/dry sump system into a refugium sump type system

do some googling of the Berlin System, most reefers use some sort of version of this. Basically you use live rock and a protein skimmer to filter the tank. A refugium chamber to grow macro algae like cheato compliments what the protein skimmer doesn't remove. Algae Turf Scrubbers and cheato reactors are a low space alternative to cheato in teh fuge, but a fuge also host pods and other creatures for the tank.

you could convert the current sump. but a better solution may be to sell that sump and get a three (or more) chamber sump for a reef tank.

wait for some more posts before deciding as I am clearly a fan of setting up different reef zones outside the display tank, so I am biased.

 

[P-Dub]

Ok good to no ill have to get a better test kit

Would it be wise to convert my wet/dry sump system into a refugium sump type system

I have to say that one of the best additions that I made, many many years ago when my tank was up and running, (reboot of that tank here, https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/reboot-standard-125-nothing-special-here.355477/#post-4431352) was the addition of a fuge. It just has so many added benefits over the long haul and lends itself to tank stability when properly implemented and run. So, I would definitely add a refugium, imho. Keep doing what you are doing, more flow in the form of wave making and keep up the husbandry and allow for things to correct. You have a canister filter that also can be used to run gfo or carbon as well. Often, it seems, problems arise quickly but the solutions take time to be realized.

 

[vetteguy53081]

canister is no good other than polishing water.
Are you using tap water? If so, always a culprit and also is your tank at or near a window?? If so, there is one major issue there too. Algae requires light )direct or indirect) for survival and growth and window/natural sunlight will support it.