maintanence

[bryan oestreich]

I have had my 60 gal salt tank going for about 6 months (7 months prior in a 30 gal cube then transferred it to my 60 gal) so a little bit over a year its been running fully.

I recently got with my girlfriend (January 2016) she has three kids. so you can imagine a lot my time is taken up with them.

my maintanence schedule now is, I do is my 25% water changes weekly (sometimes I miss 1 week out of a month) a clean glass once a week and blow my live rock once a week to clear debri on/in rock.

my current livestock:
a leopard wrasse
pajama cardinal
purple dottyback (mean one)
a chalk bass
lawnmower blenny (died a week ago)

3 hermit crabs.
about 6 snails (trochus)
2 super tongan nassarius snails
1 black and white striped bristle (I think) starfish
a cleaner shrimp
1 peppermint shrimp (disappeared)
1 coral banded shrimp

I have about 45lb live rock and about 40-45lb of sand.
I also have 3 powerheads (1-800gph, 2-450-gph), filtering is a protein skimmer rated for a 75gal tank and a aquaclear 70 with just one sponge filter and carbon.

my questions and problem is I been battling with a high growth in green hair algae. all my test come out to where they should be. phosphates I think show under .3 or .03 cant remember off top hand. but it barely shows on test and my nitrates are about 20ppm. salt is 1.025-1.026. temp is around 77 degrees. calcium is around 380-400. my lights are LED. have 2 fixtures about 15" above the tank and running like 40% blue and like 20% white. very strong lights went really low power with them due to algae growth on glass. I only have a few corals but the ones I have are thriving. my hairy mushrooms split. my hammer coral split heads pretty regularly (had 2 heads and in 5 months there are now 6 heads). my SPS monti plate grows pretty good. etc... no problem with coral growth or color.

so what can I do to make this green hair algae stop. ive been taking rocks out and scrubbing it off but is that the only solution. is my filteration not good enough? my water circulation I don't think is to weak cause there is good motion throughout the tank with corals.

if anybody can help or give some advice would be great

 

[twilliard]

As you take the rocks out for the algae scrubbing before you put it back into the tank soak the algae area with 3% H2O2 wait 4 minutes and put the rock back in. You have to wait the 4 minutes.
From there you will get the general idea of the power of H2O2 against algae.

 

[bryan oestreich]

As you take the rocks out for the algae scrubbing before you put it back into the tank soak the algae area with 3% H2O2 wait 4 minutes and put the rock back in. You have to wait the 4 minutes.
From there you will get the general idea of the power of H2O2 against algae.[/QUOTE

do I rinse the rock back off after soaking it or go right in tank after soak? the H2O2 wont hurt tank?

 

[madweazl]

As you take the rocks out for the algae scrubbing before you put it back into the tank soak the algae area with 3% H2O2 wait 4 minutes and put the rock back in. You have to wait the 4 minutes.
From there you will get the general idea of the power of H2O2 against algae.

While that will kill off the algae for a time, the issue looks to be excess nutrients (NO3 of 20ppm and possibly PO4 at .3ppm). This needs to be addressed or the cycle of scrubbing rock will never end.

 

[bryan oestreich]

While that will kill off the algae for a time, the issue looks to be excess nutrients (NO3 of 20ppm and possibly PO4 at .3ppm). This needs to be addressed or the cycle of scrubbing rock will never end.

well when I first set the tank up I bought a 20lb like normal rock I would say (like one for a freshwater tank) and it was in the tank up until a week ago so over a year. I read that that rock could put negative effects on the tank so I took it out in hopes of helping but I don't know if that was a root cause of it or if that was putting in problems with the tank?

 

[bryan oestreich]

plus I reduced feeding a month ago to once every other day instead of once every day. and that didn't seem to do much cause I thought at first I was over feeding

 

[madweazl]

well when I first set the tank up I bought a 20lb like normal rock I would say (like one for a freshwater tank) and it was in the tank up until a week ago so over a year. I read that that rock could put negative effects on the tank so I took it out in hopes of helping but I don't know if that was a root cause of it or if that was putting in problems with the tank?

Could have been but impossible for us to know. Your excess nutrients can be coming from the type or amount of food you putting in the tank. Your freshwater source could also be an issue (RODI?). You're doing large weekly changes (excessive in my opinion but that wouldnt lead to excess nutrients unless you're bringing them in with the water changes itself).

Edit: just saw your comment regarding feeding so that probably isnt the issue unless it is an extremely large feeding (I feed three times a day without issue so I'd encourage you to feed the guys more frequently than every other day). What are you feeding them? If frozen, do you rinse it off first (some foods need this and some dont)?

 

[twilliard]

While that will kill off the algae for a time, the issue looks to be excess nutrients (NO3 of 20ppm and possibly PO4 at .3ppm). This needs to be addressed or the cycle of scrubbing rock will never end.

Well this is actually incorrect and can be proven.
More often than not nutrients are blamed for the beginnings of algae. Lets dig into this a little.
Lets begin with the algae itself. How does it start? Where does it come from?
We are going to explore what is known as the DNA code contained within the nucleus of a cell. This is the absolute beginning of the life stage of algae. Yup biology.
Through countless hours of growing and testing there is one conclusion. A person CAN wipe out this DNA code within a body of water.
Both GHA and bryopsis, the two most common issues, can be eradicated from not only the display but the whole system.
Now we will move on to No3 and Po4
These two compounds are not the primary source of energy required by a cell. These compounds aid in the chlorophyll for photosynthesis.
This brings us back to the origin of DNA as the cells multiply.
So what does an oxidizer do to a single cell?
Let the class begin!

 

[Bdog4u2]

When you scrub your rocks shake them vigorously in saltwater you'd be surprised at how much detritus builds up inside them also with hob filters you're always going to have nitrate issues. When I switched to a sump with a refugium all my nutrient problems disappeared with my canister filter.

 

[bryan oestreich]

Could have been but impossible for us to know. Your excess nutrients can be coming from the type or amount of food you putting in the tank. Your freshwater source could also be an issue (RODI?). You're doing large weekly changes (excessive in my opinion but that wouldnt lead to excess nutrients unless you're bringing them in with the water changes itself).

Edit: just saw your comment regarding feeding so that probably isnt the issue unless it is an extremely large feeding (I feed three times a day without issue so I'd encourage you to feed the guys more frequently than every other day). What are you feeding them? If frozen, do you rinse it off first (some foods need this and some dont)?

I feed them blood worms and Mysis shrimp both frozen. I do half a cube each. i thaw out using fresh water, then pour out the water with strainer then i put it in saltwater right before feeding the fish.

 

[bryan oestreich]

i also use RODI water and mix my own salt. i use to use LFS salt water but went to mixing my own due to being cheaper but i had the problem before and after changing LFS water to my own salt. there RODI is good cause i know them pretty well and they change filters in the system frequent and i test the water before i use it and comes out good.

 

[Brew12]

So what does an oxidizer do to a single cell?

Strips electrons which has a negative impact on proteins and nucleic acids. This most strongly impacts the cell membranes in a single cell.

 

[twilliard]

Also guys not to BS you I too was once long ago plagued by algae. Here is the beginning days of my will to study biology. 2005

 

[twilliard]

Strips electrons which has a negative impact on proteins and nucleic acids. This most strongly impacts the cell membranes in a single cell.

Nicely answered my friend!

 

[bryan oestreich]

Also guys not to BS you I too was once long ago plagued by algae. Here is the beginning days of my will to study biology. 2005

mines isn't that bad but it would be if i didn't scrub the rocks

 

[madweazl]

Well this is actually incorrect and can be proven.
More often than not nutrients are blamed for the beginnings of algae. Lets dig into this a little.
Lets begin with the algae itself. How does it start? Where does it come from?
We are going to explore what is known as the DNA code contained within the nucleus of a cell. This is the absolute beginning of the life stage of algae. Yup biology.
Through countless hours of growing and testing there is one conclusion. A person CAN wipe out this DNA code within a body of water.
Both GHA and bryopsis, the two most common issues, can be eradicated from not only the display but the whole system.
Now we will move on to No3 and Po4
These two compounds are not the primary source of energy required by a cell. These compounds aid in the chlorophyll for photosynthesis.
This brings us back to the origin of DNA as the cells multiply.
So what does an oxidizer do to a single cell?
Let the class begin!

Please continue (or move to another thread in the event the OP doesnt want this here), I'm always up for learning.

 

[bryan oestreich]

Please continue (or move to another thread in the event the OP doesnt want this here), I'm always up for learning.

please continue hahaha

 

[twilliard]

All in the name of helping the OP :)
This can be won

 

[Brew12]

All in the name of helping the OP :)
This can be won

And it can be easily and safely won with hydrogen peroxide.

Two coral frags purchased from the same supplier on the same day. Both Bayer dipped. One treated with H202, the other not. Can you see a difference?

I do apologize for the poor photo quality. Eventually I need to work on those skills.

 

[bryan oestreich]

And it can be easily and safely won with hydrogen peroxide.

Two coral frags purchased from the same supplier on the same day. Both Bayer dipped. One treated with H202, the other not. Can you see a difference?

I do apologize for the poor photo quality. Eventually I need to work on those skills.

is the hydrogen peroxide a one time fixer or do i have to continue to dip the rock or effected areas regularly?