Fighting the uglies

Kingkold020

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I think I’ve finally hit my ugly phase with my tank. I’ve started to see a huge slink in what looks like green hair algae and brown hair algae with some bryopsis mixed in. I feel like what kick started this were some pretty nasty frags I though I had cleaned well but I guess not.

Parameters have been really consistent so I’m not too sure if that’s the problem the algae is definenently sucking up all the phosphate and nitrate that goes into the tank.

I currently have 1 trochus snail, 2 nassarius snail, 4 astrea snails, a bunch of random stomatella hitchhikers, and 2 hermit crabs. Just any recommendations and tips would be greatly appreciated. I’ve started using some hydrogen peroxide on my corals but how do I get it off the rocks?

money other problem I had was some random coral die off. I tested and didn’t see a spike in any of my parameters everything has been pretty consistent for the week it occurred. I lost. 1 hammer head and 1 montipora that started to bleach.

Salinity: 1.025
Mg: 1440
Calcium: 470
Phosphate: 0
Nitrate: 0
Alk: 9.3
pH: 8
 

lapin

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I think I’ve finally hit my ugly phase with my tank. I’ve started to see a huge slink in what looks like green hair algae and brown hair algae with some bryopsis mixed in. I feel like what kick started this were some pretty nasty frags I though I had cleaned well but I guess not.

Parameters have been really consistent so I’m not too sure if that’s the problem the algae is definenently sucking up all the phosphate and nitrate that goes into the tank.

I currently have 1 trochus snail, 2 nassarius snail, 4 astrea snails, a bunch of random stomatella hitchhikers, and 2 hermit crabs. Just any recommendations and tips would be greatly appreciated. I’ve started using some hydrogen peroxide on my corals but how do I get it off the rocks?

money other problem I had was some random coral die off. I tested and didn’t see a spike in any of my parameters everything has been pretty consistent for the week it occurred. I lost. 1 hammer head and 1 montipora that started to bleach.

Salinity: 1.025
Mg: 1440
Calcium: 470

Phosphate: 0
Nitrate: 0
not good

Alk: 9.3
pH: 8
@brandon429
any advice on cleaning rocks?
 

ReefGeezer

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Per your build thread, it looks like your tank is about 4-5 months old & started with dry rock and a little bit of sand. Looks like maybe 40 breeder?

That's a young tank by reefing standards. My tank is only a couple months older than yours. It was started with dry rock, a little live rock, & sand. Let's use it as an example of what you might do and expect.

I still get some algae, mostly greenish hazy algae on the glass and a brown dusting on the rocks. I also get spots of hair algae and Red Cyano that come and go. I expected that with 8 decent sized fish in the immature tank, so I'm not panicking. I am trying to let it run its course with just enough intervention to keep the algae from getting out of hand. Brushing the algae off with brushes that include a tooth brush and bottle brush, doing regular water changes, employing a small Urchin and a Sea Hare, and limiting light in the yellow and red part of the spectrum. I also use a 10ml maintenance dose Vibrant every 2 weeks. it was way worse two months ago, I think I'm nearing the end of the "uglies". It sounds like maybe you are just now starting. Don't panic.
 

ReefGeezer

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Thank you for the help. Also my bad for not listing the gallons. I have a 20 long.
You are welcome. In that small tank, if you really need to, you can take a rock out and scrub the algae off. It is a temporary fix though nd will delay the end of the ugly phase. Sometimes though, it is necessary.
 

Jekyl

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Remove what you can by hand during every water change. Fingers, toothbrush and your gravel vaccum.
 

ying yang

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Im early in also like 4 months,im at the brown/ red diatoms stage all over,some bright green algae that some reason thought could be coraline lol but wasn't lol,few little tuffs of green algae,started off with all dry rock/ sand but wish i started off with all live rock or least big chunk off it so got more diversity.
Im just adding cuc as and when required and my cuc until few weeks ago was 3 red legged hermits so they was struggling but just added 2 tuxedo urchins,6 nas snails,6 trouchous,2 big conchs 6 mini hermits various colours and 2 cleaners just for show but if they clean dead skin or even parasites off fish then bonus.but just stocking new fish every 2- 3 weeks ( peacefulliest first) and if cuc cant keep up with the algae then i just buy few more and i clean front glass and one side glass when needed,back glass and side is food for cuc imo,and aslong as my water looking good and testing ok and algae doesnt smother/ hinder corals when i add more in future ( only 2 frags at momemt) then i just leave tank to do its thing.and just get used to how much to feed tank and how often so no food wasted and left to rot away and dont want to get to stage where cuc im feeding and they dont clean up as best as tjey could ha ha ( but i do hand feed hermits/ crabs with long coral feeder occasionally just for fun off it but try keep my hands out tank as much as possible)
So if tank gets unbearable for you with algae or whatever there good threads about full rip rocks/ sand bed clean or can just pull rocks out and scrub now and then or attach toothbrush to your hose when doing a wc and scrub rocks and siphon out as doing or just siphon back into a filter sock or possibly even pair of tights over a bucket and put water back in and all algae/ detritus stuck in whatever you used to trap it,so basically all depends how you want tank to look like and whats acceptable for you.
My mrs would have me cleaning glass every 2 hours if had her way but doesnt really bother me tbh so i just go with the flow and just look in amazement of all the critters in my tank which gives me enjoyment ^_^
 

revenant

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I have had a lot of success with daily doses of Mircobacter7 then vacuuming the rocks weekly plus peeling the crud off my sand bed into little piles (it peels off in small layers nicely) with a plastic fork rubber-banded to a multi-tool wand and then vacuum the piles out with the weekly water change too..
 

PeterZammetti

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I think I’ve finally hit my ugly phase with my tank. I’ve started to see a huge slink in what looks like green hair algae and brown hair algae with some bryopsis mixed in. I feel like what kick started this were some pretty nasty frags I though I had cleaned well but I guess not.

Parameters have been really consistent so I’m not too sure if that’s the problem the algae is definenently sucking up all the phosphate and nitrate that goes into the tank.

I currently have 1 trochus snail, 2 nassarius snail, 4 astrea snails, a bunch of random stomatella hitchhikers, and 2 hermit crabs. Just any recommendations and tips would be greatly appreciated. I’ve started using some hydrogen peroxide on my corals but how do I get it off the rocks?

money other problem I had was some random coral die off. I tested and didn’t see a spike in any of my parameters everything has been pretty consistent for the week it occurred. I lost. 1 hammer head and 1 montipora that started to bleach.

Salinity: 1.025
Mg: 1440
Calcium: 470
Phosphate: 0
Nitrate: 0
Alk: 9.3
pH: 8
Don't Fight it...Embrace it!
 
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