How do I get rid of this algae

[Jayreef23]

Phosphate 0.09
Nitrate 5
Calcium 480
Alkalinity 8
Mag 1320

So the tank is 20 gallons and about 5 months old. I’m waiting for the parameters to stabilize so I can add more SPS. I have a few tester corals.

The parameters have been fluctuating over the last few days.

This algae has been taking over the last month and I’m not sure what to do. My nitrates and phosphate were 0, so I add nitrate and phosphate.

 

[CHSUB]

My nitrates and phosphate were 0, so I add nitrate and phosphate.

This is what happens when you feed algae…it grows. Stop adding n p, feed fish lightly, manually remove algae, clean detritus with WC. This is all that is needed when starting a reef tank.

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

What do you have for cleanup crew?

 

[Jayreef23]

What do you have for cleanup crew?

I just bought like 7 blue legs and a few nasarius snails but that’s about it

 

[Jayreef23]

This is what happens when you feed algae…it grows. Stop adding n p, feed fish lightly, manually remove algae, clean detritus with WC. This is all that is needed when starting a reef tank.

Ok got it. I feed heavy and nitrate and phosphate still 0.

I have 4 fish two clowns, damsel, and a wrasse and a cleaner shrimp.

 

[painter1982]

I have to dose to keep nutrients up too. When I didn’t ,I got dinos. I added trochus snails. They keep the algae to a minimum.

 

[CHSUB]

Ok got it. I feed heavy and nitrate and phosphate still 0.

Hobby test kit do not have the resolution required to diagnose low nutrients, they are only to confirm high levels. You see where adding nutrients and sub par maintenance got you….a mess! Now clean the tank with WC and maintenance, remove all of the algae on the glass and pumps. As noted boost your CUC but they can’t clean that mess, that has to be you….

 

[mcarroll]

The parameters have been fluctuating over the last few days.

Which parameters were you referring to here? And how/why were they fluctuating?

This algae has been taking over the last month and I’m not sure what to do. My nitrates and phosphate were 0, so I add nitrate and phosphate.

You have the right idea sort of, but the cart is before the horse so to speak. :)

I just bought like 7 blue legs and a few nasarius snails but that’s about it

Hermits and Nassarius are more scaveners than herbivores. You need a solid team of herbivore snails (eg Turbo, Trochus, Astrea, et al.) to keep open spaces clear.

At this point the algae has already grown out so the CUC won't be able to eat it.

Once algae is big enough for you to notice, it has grown too large for them and become your job as the #1 member of your tank's CUC. (In the wild you'd have a much wider array of CUC to enlist, like parrotfish, etc.....your tank just has you in that role.)

The CUC will keep areas that you make clean, but even that depends on their numbers being able to outpace algae's spread rate – they have to cover every square centimeter of surface area with a mouth that's about the size of the tip of a pin! So it takes a whole team of them...and that's the balancing act with CUC....we don't want too many, and can't have too few.

If you are unsure how to proceed with manually removing all that algae, do it just like melev in this vid:

 

[jdpeters]

You will have to do a lot of manual removal also. Get a bucket and clamp a filter sock into it, and start removing the algae. Reconstitute the water back into the aquarium.
Did you use dry rock? My recent build is 9 months old and I started it with dry rock bare bottom. Hardest start to a tank I’ve ever had.
Also how old is the aquarium? It might just be too new

 

[Jayreef23]

Which parameters were you referring to here? And how/why were they fluctuating?


You have the right idea sort of, but the cart is before the horse so to speak. :)


Hermits and Nassarius are more scaveners than herbivores. You need a solid team of herbivore snails (eg Turbo, Trochus, Astrea, et al.) to keep open spaces clear.

At this point the algae has already grown out so the CUC won't be able to eat it.

Once algae is big enough for you to notice, it has grown too large for them and become your job as the #1 member of your tank's CUC. (In the wild you'd have a much wider array of CUC to enlist, like parrotfish, etc.....your tank just has you in that role.)

The CUC will keep areas that you make clean, but even that depends on their numbers being able to outpace algae's spread rate – they have to cover every square centimeter of surface area with a mouth that's about the size of the tip of a pin! So it takes a whole team of them...and that's the balancing act with CUC....we don't want too many, and can't have too few.

If you are unsure how to proceed with manually removing all that algae, do it just like melev in this vid:
phophate was 0.24 but I added 6 drops of PhosRX and it brought it down to 0.09

 

[Jayreef23]

Which parameters were you referring to here? And how/why were they fluctuating?


You have the right idea sort of, but the cart is before the horse so to speak. :)


Hermits and Nassarius are more scaveners than herbivores. You need a solid team of herbivore snails (eg Turbo, Trochus, Astrea, et al.) to keep open spaces clear.

At this point the algae has already grown out so the CUC won't be able to eat it.

Once algae is big enough for you to notice, it has grown too large for them and become your job as the #1 member of your tank's CUC. (In the wild you'd have a much wider array of CUC to enlist, like parrotfish, etc.....your tank just has you in that role.)

The CUC will keep areas that you make clean, but even that depends on their numbers being able to outpace algae's spread rate – they have to cover every square centimeter of surface area with a mouth that's about the size of the tip of a pin! So it takes a whole team of them...and that's the balancing act with CUC....we don't want too many, and can't have too few.

If you are unsure how to proceed with manually removing all that algae, do it just like melev in this vid:

The parameter I was referring to was Phosphate it was 0.24 yesterday and dropped to 0.09 today. I used PhosRx I think it’s called to bring it down.

 

[mcarroll]

Gotcha.

Agreed with this for your path forward:

Stop adding n p, feed fish lightly, manually remove algae, clean detritus with WC.

No more messing with nutrients until at least 95% of the visible algae is gone.

Once you get the upper hand, then see what's really happening with NO3 and PO4.