How to eliminate nuicence algae in your tank

[Alex Cataldo]

1: Find the source. Normally heavily feeding tanks with no real filtration to remove it is bad, with old tank syndrome being a common occurrence if you don’t clean the sand
2: Sand: Honestly I could go without sand on any system, as I hate cleaning it. You can also provide much more flow this way which stirs up detritus in the water column so it can be removed by mechanical filtration. Keep in mind that if you do decide to take sand out of an established tank, you are messing with the bio filter which could spike things like ammonia, but not likly if you do it over time. But if you have sand, clean it. If you do not clean it it will quickly turn into a nutrient sync which can and will crash your tank given enough time.
3: Refugiums: This is a section of your filtration (sump) that you grow macroalgaes like chaeto. The goal here is to grow algae in the refugium rather that the display, but for it to do this it has to outcompete the display for nutrients. Chaetomorpha is in my opinion the best because it grows in easily manageable clumps that don’t grow on surfaces such as glass or rocks to be successful. If it gets into the display it can be removed easily. It also doesn’t go sexual, which means it usually won’t start growing in the display. Also, it grows very fast and is tolerant of all sorts of conditions of light and chemistry. Lighting a fuge can be quite simple. All you need is a cheap grow light from Amazon, or a bulb from a garden store. I have used both with success, but I like LEDs for their par and value. I would also say that it’s not necessary to spend more than 30$ on a LED from Amazon, unless your lighting something very large. Try also to choose a bulb that peaks in the red and blue spectrum, which visually looks purple, and this is what’s getting used by the algae. Remember that the fuge is trying to outcompete the display for nutrients, so choose a strong light. The stronger the light, the better the chaeto grows, and the faster you stop having algae.

Please comment any questions. And remember that algae will not go away overnight; and that if you follow the steps provided, you will have success if your paitient enough.

 

[Garf]

Herbivorous fish, snails, hermit crabs.

 

[Alex Cataldo]

Herbivorous fish, snails, hermit crabs.

These too will reduce algae but not the source. Basically if you incorporate the methods shown, these will eat it and it won’t come back

 

[Garf]

I have an issue with driving down “nutrients” to a level where they inhibit algal growth. Corals require it, we all require it, every living thing on earth requires it. When growing algae, say in a fuge with high light intensities at really low N&P they exude extra sugars (bacteria food) and low levels of Hydrogen peroxide (which lower light algae’s find intolerable because they haven’t produced anti oxidants). This may in fact feed undesirables, such as nitrogen fixers and dinos.

 

[Alex Cataldo]

I have an issue with driving down “nutrients” to a level where they inhibit algal growth. Corals require it, we all require it, every living thing on earth requires it. When growing algae, say in a fuge with high light intensities at really low N&P they exude extra sugars (bacteria food) and low levels of Hydrogen peroxide (which lower light algae’s find intolerable because they haven’t produced anti oxidants). This may in fact feed undesirables, such as nitrogen fixers and dinos.

ULN systems are a struggle but I would suggest lowering the photoperiod on the fuge. Refugiums can be a very effective removal of N&P. They can be so effective that in fact, they strip the water of N&P. However they are a very tunable filter, so adjust accordingly.

 

[Garf]

I’ve run a scrubber before and will again on my new tank but would not aim to limit display growth by chasing inaccurate test kit numbers, hence the clean up crew.