Looking for advice for my algae issue

[Losirk]

I have a diamond goby love it. Also fluval offers all sorts of media to add to their canister filter if you don't have one you should made my 40 thrive I would think your phone high don't know

interesting, i thought diamond gobies were carnivores

 

[Losirk]

I made a diy lid for my tank using a screen door kit at Home Depot. Cost less than $15 to do, and the only tool I used was a hacksaw to cut the frame.

looks like i have a project for the weekend! thanks!

 

[Losirk]

20 ppm Nitrates. I aim for 15

Yeah 10ppm is on the low end for me. My zoas LOVE 15-20, but at the risk of additional algae growth. Nice setup!

 

[Losirk]

OP while your at it post some info about your lights and flow. Maybe some better pics will help with an ID so bacteria and flagellates can be ruled out.

2x AI Primes 16hd, only on 10 hours per day at 105% max on violet/blue. Flow is 2x 1050GPH chinese wavemakers. At work now, can't get pics but appreciate the response

 

[Losirk]

To the OP. Nitrate and Phos are what fuel algae. If concerned about it, we may need some more info. It could just be a new tank or it could be over feeding or a need for a better routine when it comes to maintenance or water changes.
Let us know some of you habits, routine, current age of tank, bioload, parameters, etc.

10 nitrates in a tank with no algae is probably close to 10 nitrates.

10 nitrates in a tank with a bunch of algae is probably not. It's much higher. You've mentioned this concept already so i know you get it.

Same goes for phosphates. Phosphates are important to monitor probably more so than nitrates.

There is a very wide range at which anyone can be successful. If anything, manually remove do a water change and keep at it until the tank matures. I didn't see a lot of coralline algae which means it could just be a newer tank and maturity can go a long way in reefing.

2 year old system. I need to test Phosphates this evening. Thank you

 

[Freenow54]

looks like i have a project for the weekend! thanks!

Me too bought 8 foot long frames to make any size you want plus bought stainless screen off Amazon. Did all three aquariums

 

[Freenow54]

looks like i have a project for the weekend! thanks!

Well you must have had to get gasket tool no? Plus the gasket comes in different thicknesses

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Well if you think about it doing water changes will lower the concentration of anything in that tank. If you use pure fresh water your salt will go down.

1 parts water, 1 parts alcohol. Shake well, then remove 50% of the liquid in the container and add water. You will then have 2 parts to 1. My math might be off but you get the point.

Just to clarify that a bit, even a 100% water change can result in post-change phosphate levels being close to the level before the change.

Unlike nitrate, there is a lot of phosphate bound to rock and sand surfaces. When you try to lower phosphate in any way, including a water change, some of it will desorb off the surface and into the bulk water, raising the levels back up. It won't be as high as before, but won't be zero.

Likewise, when you try to add phosphate in any way, some of it will bind and it will not rise as much as expected.

This same process does not happen for nitrate, alkalinity, calcium, or magnesium to any detectable extent, but it may happen for a number of other ions that do bind to surfaces, including some trace elements and some organics.

 

[Freenow54]

Just to clarify that a bit, even a 100% water change can result in post-change phosphate levels being close to the level before the change.

Unlike nitrate, there is a lot of phosphate bound to rock and sand surfaces. When you try to lower phosphate in any way, including a water change, some of it will desorb off the surface and into the bulk water, raising the levels back up. It won't be as high as before, but won't be zero.

Likewise, when you try to add phosphate in any way, some of it will bind and it will not rise as much as expected.

This same process does not happen for nitrate, alkalinity, calcium, or magnesium to any detectable extent, but it may happen for a number of other ions that do bind to surfaces, including some trace elements and some organics.

That explains quite a bit for me. That in the way water changes were recommended to me for different problems. I did it almost fanatically with little change. For that reason I used other methods mostly using media to remove chemical imbalances. They all don't work am a big fan of Fluval products. Also undoing things that were done to cause the issue in the first place. The biggest offender was my son's overuse of reef roids

 

[Paul B]

WE have these conversations all the time about nutrients and algae, but the truth is that the algae doesn't care what your test kits read as they have a mind of their own. I have no idea what my nitrates are now but they have been running around 60 for decades.

I think thats what they were here and I had no algae.



I think my nitrates are around 10 now) I tested them last year and I have quite a lot of algae.



The algae just doesn't care. No one, and I mean no one can tell you why algae is growing although we all think we know. We don't.

If you put a glass of tap water on your sunny windowsill and an ant walks around the edge and gets a heart attack and croaks in the water, algae will grow.

Even if that ant was anorexic, very skinny and didn't know how to dance, algae will grow. I will even say that if the water doesn't have an ant in it, algae will grow. Or sometimes it won't.
Yes, algae needs some nutrients but it also needs some metals like iron and maybe a little Iodine but our tanks all have enough of what algae needs to grow to start a produce farm.

If you are in this hobby long enough, decades, not hours, you will see that algae, cyano, and volcanoes all grow in cycles. Some last a few months and some a few years and all the chemicals we add or remove won't help.

It grows the most in brand new tanks with few nutrients and my tank which is over 50 years old. It is normal and natural just like it is in the sea.

We don't see it in the sea due to the manatees, algae bleenies, tangs, sea hares, snails, urchins etc.If algae didn't grow in the sea, why are most of the creatures there algaevores?

Don't worry to much about it unless it covers your corals. Go out to dinner and have a nice bottle of Merlot.

I took these in the sea;









Here in Hawaii you don't see any algae, but what you do see is an urchin in every crevace.

 

[MsBean]

If you mostly have the slimy type of algae that blows off and collects on the substrate, my suggestion would be a small strawberry/fighting conch. That it what I got during my nano tank's slimy stage it was so satisfying to watch the little guy make his way around the tank hoovering up slime.

For more "stuck on" algae types I agree that a small urchin (e.g. tuxedo) is a great worker.

Finally for clumps of green hair algae that no one wants to eat, a squirt of hydrogen peroxide worked best for me. I turn my pumps off, shoot a few ml at the affected area with a pipette, and just let it bubble for a few minutes before turning pumps back on.

Try these one at a time depending on your issues, and give your tank time to settle into a new equilibirum. Algae still sometimes flares up in my tank on occasion but usually reverts back to normal after a few weeks.

 

[Pistondog]

Hello,

I am looking for some advice for my algae issue. I have a Fluval 32.5 Nitrates are 10ppm, I assume a lot of it is caught up in the algae. Stock is 2x Pajama Cardinals, 1x Clown, 1x Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, 1x Royal Gramma, few dozen snails of all varieties.

I have tried algaefix but it did not work as well as I wanted, and am slowly killing off my snail population with the product. I aerate my tank with a large 12" oxygen bar in the filter chamber.

Params are within typical acceptable ranges. Tank cycled 2 years ago.

I have no crabs as they wage wars and tap on the glass when I try to sleep. They also kick the snails' *****. The algae comes off pretty easy with a turkey baster, except for the more formed bunches. I am not willing to add crabs to the system.

I have considered removing all substrate with algae and adding it to a peroxide solution, while manually removing all algae from back plastic panel.

Wondering if there are any nano fish that could help eliminate this algae, can't keep any blennies as I do not have a lid.

Any and all advice is appreciated!

Below are pictures:

What @Paul B said above. Algae grows in most nutrient levels.
Get some mexican turbo snails, tuxedo urchins, tangs and be diligent.
Use a bottle washer with long handle to capture hard to reach areas.
High ambient light will also promote algae. Encourage coralline to cover bare rock surfaces, or nuisance algea has a spot to grow.
Be patient, no quick fixes.

Can dip corals in peroxide mix to kill encroaching gha.

Peroxide dipping guidelines (for corals)

A while back Justin Credabel published this chart detailing the concentration of hydrogen peroxide appropriate for dipping various genera of corals. I've used these guidelines myself a few times to remove algae from coral frags and it's been quite effective. Justin Credabel's hydrogen...

humble.fish

 

[Freenow54]

If you mostly have the slimy type of algae that blows off and collects on the substrate, my suggestion would be a small strawberry/fighting conch. That it what I got during my nano tank's slimy stage it was so satisfying to watch the little guy make his way around the tank hoovering up slime.

For more "stuck on" algae types I agree that a small urchin (e.g. tuxedo) is a great worker.

Finally for clumps of green hair algae that no one wants to eat, a squirt of hydrogen peroxide worked best for me. I turn my pumps off, shoot a few ml at the affected area with a pipette, and just let it bubble for a few minutes before turning pumps back on.

Try these one at a time depending on your issues, and give your tank time to settle into a new equilibirum. Algae still sometimes flares up in my tank on occasion but usually reverts back to normal after a few weeks.

Just cleaned my glass. My algae loving Tang followed me around the entire time eating the algae as it came off, Had to be careful not to nick it with the razor blade or it would be its last meal. Total Pain

 

[stevelee]

Hello,

I am looking for some advice for my algae issue. I have a Fluval 32.5 Nitrates are 10ppm, I assume a lot of it is caught up in the algae. Stock is 2x Pajama Cardinals, 1x Clown, 1x Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, 1x Royal Gramma, few dozen snails of all varieties.

I have tried algaefix but it did not work as well as I wanted, and am slowly killing off my snail population with the product. I aerate my tank with a large 12" oxygen bar in the filter chamber.

Params are within typical acceptable ranges. Tank cycled 2 years ago.

I have no crabs as they wage wars and tap on the glass when I try to sleep. They also kick the snails' *****. The algae comes off pretty easy with a turkey baster, except for the more formed bunches. I am not willing to add crabs to the system.

I have considered removing all substrate with algae and adding it to a peroxide solution, while manually removing all algae from back plastic panel.

Wondering if there are any nano fish that could help eliminate this algae, can't keep any blennies as I do not have a lid david sacks wife.

Any and all advice is appreciated!

Below are pictures:

To address your algae issue in the Fluval 32.5, you might consider introducing some nano fish like Neon Gobies or Scarlet Skirt Tetras, as they can help graze on algae. You already have a good clean-up crew, but adding more Cerith or Nerite Snails might also help. Be cautious with peroxide treatments as they can affect your beneficial bacteria and plants, and ensure to reduce light exposure to limit algae growth. Additionally, refining your filtration and phosphate control, along with continuing manual removal, should help manage the problem effectively without introducing crabs.

 

[ElementReefer]

I second these posts. In my experience, you cannot starve algae.

N and P are not “pollutants sitting in your water.” When you test them, you’re getting a snapshot of the biological activity in the water. They are always coming and going.

When you have too much algae, you have to take it out and encourage other things to take its place. *You* have to be the environmental pressure on the algae.

 

[Losirk]

To address your algae issue in the Fluval 32.5, you might consider introducing some nano fish like Neon Gobies or Scarlet Skirt Tetras, as they can help graze on algae. You already have a good clean-up crew, but adding more Cerith or Nerite Snails might also help. Be cautious with peroxide treatments as they can affect your beneficial bacteria and plants, and ensure to reduce light exposure to limit algae growth. Additionally, refining your filtration and phosphate control, along with continuing manual removal, should help manage the problem effectively without introducing crabs.

Thanks for the tips, but I don't understand the neon goby and tetra advice. I have never heard of saltwater tetras. Neon Gobies are carnivores. Can you elaborate

 

[Balthazar]

Perhaps i missed it, but, i didn’t see anyone mention a UV light to help with the algae issue.
To the op, if you don’t have a uv light set up, you may want to use one.

 

[SaltyBear]

Mollies can be acclimated and constantly graze on algae.

 

[anthonymckay]

Your Nitrates are a little high but nothing dangerous. 5ppm is normal 10ppm is a little high. Check your Phosphates as well.

10ppm is FAR from high for Nitrates. Algae is not a nutrient issue. It's a lack of herbivorous CUC issue.

There are systems out there low nutrients and tons of algae. And systems with SUPER high nutrients and no algae. Again, it's NOT a nutrient issue.

Give this MACNA talk by Richard Ross a watch (Sr. Biologist from the Steinhard Aquarium in San Francisco)

 

[ElementReefer]

10ppm is FAR from high for Nitrates. Algae is not a nutrient issue. It's a lack of herbivorous CUC issue.

There are systems out there low nutrients and tons of algae. And systems with SUPER high nutrients and no algae. Again, it's NOT a nutrient issue.

Give this MACNA talk by Richard Ross a watch (Sr. Biologist from the Steinhard Aquarium in San Francisco)

That video should be required for every new reefer.