How to get rid of this algae?

[dustin.emmanuel]

I've been dealing with algae for a while now. My tank is 120 gallon and I have a 40 gallon sump. I run octo 202-s protein skimmer, and I have chaeto farm too. Tank been running for 7 months ish, and coralline algae and spirorbid worms is growing.

My cuc is 1 pink tip urchin, 1 tiger conch, 1 turbo snails, and a few hermit crabs. I used to have 7 snails but 6 died for some reasons. The urchin is working overtime, he is very great but the algae would just comeback after he finish one spot.

I tried testing using salifert PO4 and NO3, but they always give Phosphate to be clear with no color indications. NO3 to be <5 ppm.

One thing I'm lacking is doing maintenance of 15% waterchange every week or every 2 weeks. Plus feed too much food.


How should I take care of this? Add more cuc? Or just do better on the one I lack



I have a photos of it, and ignore the fish its the only pic I can show currently.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

As you mention it is in isolated spots, and seeing the pics it seems to be on the lower rocks and the sand, I am thinking it might be low flow spots where detritus builds up and algae follows. How is the flow along the bottom of the tank?

 

[dustin.emmanuel]

As you mention it is in isolated spots, and seeing the pics it seems to be on the lower rocks and the sand, I am thinking it might be low flow spots where detritus builds up and algae follows. How is the flow along the bottom of the tank?

It is pretty low, I'm still trying to add another wavemaker but have no idea which is a good one to blow slowly and not causing chaos on the corals and fish. Algae also grows on the rocks too

 

[Nerdist Aquarist]

Pin cushion Urchins are incredibly effective at managing algae, especially the really long hair algae that herbivorous fish seem to ignore.

 

[martin.a]

This dude you need. I am a new devotee. Got four of them only yesterday and already I need more algae, diatoms or whatever and asap or they starve. It's fascinating watching them 'work'.

 

[Tickolas]

This dude you need. I am a new devotee. Got four of them only yesterday and already I need more algae, diatoms or whatever and asap or they starve. It's fascinating watching them 'work'.

Heh, cool looking fellow. What is it though, a conch?

 

[martin.a]

Heh, cool looking fellow. What is it though, a conch?

Yes, this is strombus AKA fighting conch. They are phenomenal in keeping top side of sand bed and low lying rocks growth free. They feed with long prehensile proboscis allowing them to reach into nooks and crevices.
Of course, I can not guarantee that they will like your algae.

 

[dustin.emmanuel]

Yes, this is strombus AKA fighting conch. They are phenomenal in keeping top side of sand bed and low lying rocks growth free. They feed with long prehensile proboscis allowing them to reach into nooks and crevices.
Of course, I can not guarantee that they will like your algae.

I have a tiger conch in there, but he barely do much. Not that I know of at least

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

For a 120 DT you need way more CUC, imo. I second the pincushion urchin. I'd add two to your system. May want a half-dozen Pithos crabs or Emerald crabs. Look into a Lawnmower Blenny if you have no compatibility issues with existing livestock and you have some bio load space for it.

 

[dustin.emmanuel]

For a 120 DT you need way more CUC, imo. I second the pincushion urchin. I'd add two to your system. May want a half-dozen Pithos crabs or Emerald crabs. Look into a Lawnmower Blenny if you have no compatibility issues with existing livestock and you have some bio load space for it.

I just purchased 10 astrea, 10 cerith, 5 turbo from dr reef. It should arrived next week. They might give me some extra snails too. I still feel this is not enough for the tank. Hopefully it can help a little bit

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

I'm still trying to add another wavemaker but have no idea which is a good one to blow slowly and not causing chaos on the corals and fish.

I bought one of these and am happy with it for my 36-gallon to do this task. You may need a couple, or larger.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08LR1W8CP/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

I just purchased 10 astrea, 10 cerith, 5 turbo from dr reef. It should arrived next week. They might give me some extra snails too. I still feel this is not enough for the tank. Hopefully it can help a little bit

These are all good adds, but none are likely to help with long, filamentous algae, ime. They are great with film algae and shorter filaments and will likely help once the fiber length is taken down a bit by you manually, or by other critters.

 

[Uncle99]

If your phosphate is actually zero then that can allow the pest type algae’s and bacteria’s to thrive and these guys are fast replicators. Phosphate feeds everyone and allows for the increase in both population numbers as well as diversity. The best guys come slow.

Pull what you can, up phosphate by manual dose to .1ppm and maintain all other chemistry stable.

Not unusual for the best algae’s and macro critters to take a year, and never if water chemistry is eradic.

Be patient and relentless and at one point, that stuff just goes away…..until unstable conditions occur and then, they come back.

 

[dustin.emmanuel]

These are all good adds, but none are likely to help with long, filamentous algae, ime. They are great with film algae and shorter filaments and will likely help once the fiber length is taken down a bit by you manually, or by other critters.

I dont have long hair algae. Most of mine are green fuzzy ones

 

[commod0re]

I have a tiger conch in there, but he barely do much. Not that I know of at least

Another good one to try is a diana conch. The one in my wife’s little tank absolutely demolished the algae in there. However if you have any larger crabs that could be making your conch nervous. We had a ruby mithrax in the same tank with the diana conch and during that time the conch mostly hid and did nothing for the algae. We moved that crab to my sump and within a day the conch came out and stayed out, and has put a huge dent in her algae. Ever since, I’ve been strongly considering putting my Halloween hermit in sump jail too so I can get a couple of conchs in my tank because he pulled the first two conchs I tried right out of their shells and didn’t even use the shells afterwards lol

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

I dont have long hair algae. Most of mine are green fuzzy ones

Look long enough to turn off my snails!

 

[dustin.emmanuel]

If your phosphate is actually zero then that can allow the pest type algae’s and bacteria’s to thrive and these guys are fast replicators. Phosphate feeds everyone and allows for the increase in both population numbers as well as diversity. The best guys come slow.

Pull what you can, up phosphate by manual dose to .1ppm and maintain all other chemistry stable.

Be patient and relentless and at one point, that stuff just goes away…..until unstable conditions occur and then, they come back.

This post has been a few weeks ago, i re-test the parameters. PO4 is 0.35, NO3 is 25. Also I did water change today, and get rid most of those algae. It looked brand new

 

[dustin.emmanuel]

Look long enough to turn off my snails!

Perhaps, its too grown. Maybe if its shorter they'll like it better!

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

Perhaps, its too grown. Maybe if its shorter they'll like it better!

Once my urchins, crabs and blenny opened up some space, the snails jumped in to help. Seems like they don't like crawling on the long stuff. It helps if the algae is shorter and has open edges where the snails can access it without crawling on it.

 

[Uncle99]

This post has been a few weeks ago, i re-test the parameters. PO4 is 0.35, NO3 is 25. Also I did water change today, and get rid most of those algae. It looked brand new

Love a good ending….enjoy