FOWLR nutrient export and algae control?

[Texastravis]

My sister has a large 300 gallon FOWLR tank. She has had FOWLRs for over the years and although the fish usually seem happy and healthy, the tank looks like crap all the time. I have seen some pictures online of some beautiful FOWLR hobby tanks, or fish only tanks with fake corals (rainforest cafe comes to mind), etc. How is this achieved with heavy fish density and heavy feedings?

-Are there chemicals that can be somewhat freely dosed to combat nutrients that otherwise could not be dosed in sensitive reef tanks? Such as Lanthanum Chloride?

-Are folks running their lights at low intensity or a different spectrum that do not allow for algae growth?

-Are people actually removing and bleaching fake corals regularly or do they keep them clean in the tank somehow? Some coral inserts are permanently placed so not sure how they keep them looking good.

For Christmas, I am going to do some needed tank maintenance for my sister. I am probably going to do a 50-75% water change and clean out the sump. I tested her Nitrate and it topped out on the card at 100 ppm. The phosphate also topped out on my Hanna Checker at 2.50 ppm so there is no telling what these levels are haha.

Her water also looks very "dingy" since no carbon or anything.

 

[Miami Reef]

I think this a such an easy issue to have, especially since you laid out all the tests.

Here’s your steps (in my opinion)

Run activated carbon
Large water changes
Only feed what fish need to eat
Run filter socks (protein skimmers can help too)
A UV sterilizer is a must for a FOWLR (IMO)
Reduce light to low intensity (about 5-6 hours a day max).
1ml per 10 gallons of tank water of h202 before lights come on to break down organics/algae and to increase water clarity.

I feel doing the above will guarantee an extremely clean tank.

 

[Phlynamjax]

I have 140g fish only with 23 fishes. I run filter socks that I change weekly, oversized protein skimmer, turf scrubber, and gfo/carbon reactor. I do 20g water change weekly. I feed dried food very heavily and frozen once a week. My nitrate is around 25. I have zero clean up crew. I do get some algae at the end of the week that I clean it up during my water change. I also run my lights at max setting since I like bright tank (AI hydra). The key is you will have to increase your filter capacity or feed less frozen food.

 

[slojim]

Most of my SW experience is FOWLR. And most of that was long ago, so yeah, water changes and routine rock removal and scrubbing, and occasional bleaching of stuff.
On my current system, I have an ATS, and I think it is mostly the ats that is making tank maintenance easier. It did go through some ugly phases anway along the way.
Even if you can't have a traditional clean-up crew, you typically can have something that will eat algae and stand its ground against other FOWLR residents.
I'd be very careful about a large holiday water change on a tank you don't live with. People do it successfully all the time, but it is also an opportunity to magnify a small mistake and create a big swing. And if you are going to go to her house for a day and split, there's no opportunity to closely observe for a day. For example, I've learned to keep my hands the heck off my tank for at least 2 days before I leave town. Do it, it's a great gift, just be cautious.

 

[thedraque]

I think this a such an easy issue to have, especially since you laid out all the tests.

Here’s your steps (in my opinion)

Run activated carbon
Large water changes
Only feed what fish need to eat
Run filter socks (protein skimmers can help too)
A UV sterilizer is a must for a FOWLR (IMO)
Reduce light to low intensity (about 5-6 hours a day max).
1ml per 10 gallons of tank water of h202 before lights come on to break down organics/algae and to increase water clarity.

I feel doing the above will guarantee an extremely clean tank.

Can UV be used with a brand new tank? Any UV brand recommendations? How many watts for a 250g system? And is hydrogen peroxide safe long term? Like could you set it up on a dosing pump and use it daily or like 3 days a week or something?

 

[thedraque]

I think this a such an easy issue to have, especially since you laid out all the tests.

Here’s your steps (in my opinion)

Run activated carbon
Large water changes
Only feed what fish need to eat
Run filter socks (protein skimmers can help too)
A UV sterilizer is a must for a FOWLR (IMO)
Reduce light to low intensity (about 5-6 hours a day max).
1ml per 10 gallons of tank water of h202 before lights come on to break down organics/algae and to increase water clarity.

I feel doing the above will guarantee an extremely clean tank.

Can UV be used with a brand new tank? Any UV brand recommendations? How many watts for a 250g system? And is hydrogen peroxide safe long term? Like could you set it up on a dosing pump and use it daily or like 3 days a week or something?

 

[Waters]

Algae in FOWLR tanks can be controlled easily with light control (no need to worry about light loving livestock....it can be shut off for days at a time or just reduced) and nutrient reduction.

 

[Miami Reef]

Can UV be used with a brand new tank? Any UV brand recommendations? How many watts for a 250g system? And is hydrogen peroxide safe long term? Like could you set it up on a dosing pump and use it daily or like 3 days a week or something?

Yes, UV can be used at any stage of a tank’s life (Some liquid additives need the UV the be temporarily off when dosing i.e bottler bacteria).

Aqua ultraviolet and Pentair are one of the highest quality UV available to reefers, but there are also others.

The manufacturer of the UV determines the size wattage for the tank’s gallons.

There are many members who use h202 for their tanks (to manage fish diseases/treat algaes). I personally wouldn’t use h202 longer than 6 months because hydrogen peroxide can irritate the gills of fish and may damage living cells. Also, long term effects aren’t determined from h202 dosing yet.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

My sister has a large 300 gallon FOWLR tank. She has had FOWLRs for over the years and although the fish usually seem happy and healthy, the tank looks like crap all the time. I have seen some pictures online of some beautiful FOWLR hobby tanks, or fish only tanks with fake corals (rainforest cafe comes to mind), etc. How is this achieved with heavy fish density and heavy feedings?

-Are there chemicals that can be somewhat freely dosed to combat nutrients that otherwise could not be dosed in sensitive reef tanks? Such as Lanthanum Chloride?

-Are folks running their lights at low intensity or a different spectrum that do not allow for algae growth?

-Are people actually removing and bleaching fake corals regularly or do they keep them clean in the tank somehow? Some coral inserts are permanently placed so not sure how they keep them looking good.

For Christmas, I am going to do some needed tank maintenance for my sister. I am probably going to do a 50-75% water change and clean out the sump. I tested her Nitrate and it topped out on the card at 100 ppm. The phosphate also topped out on my Hanna Checker at 2.50 ppm so there is no telling what these levels are haha.

Her water also looks very "dingy" since no carbon or anything.

If I had a brother, I'd want him to be like you - what a very thoughtful gift!!