Need help with this algae

Reef-_-Noob

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Hey everybody.

My tank is 2 months old and I have started to battle this algae. It is only growing where the lights are hitting.

Nitrates and phosphates were low, and I for sure had dinos, maybe I still do, but I began feeding more and I believe the levels have risen (my test kit doesnt give exact measurements.) I say this because my coral frags have started giving me growth. Cyphastrea , leptoseris, branching hammer, some zoas, gsp are all doing really well. I do have a Monti cap that needs some saving tho. I have a wrasse, a damsil, and a mandarin goby. Like 15 trochus snails and they have been doing a good job on the algae on the rocks. The picture shows I'm also losing coralline algae.

I cycled with live rock and sand. I didn't wash the sand before.

Stats:
100 gallon
Salinity .25
Nitrates between 0-5

They algae doesn't stop growing even when I clean and vacuum the sand bed.
I think the algae bloom started when I began mixing my own water.

Should I just be riding this out and hope it clears up with no water changes just top off? Is there a conditioner that I can add to my water source to prevent this. How many trochus snails are too many? I don't want to use any chemicals like dino x because the corals are thriving and I don't want a set back but it would be nice to have a clean tank . Thanks for any advice.

20220706_155100.jpg
 

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Looks like part of the normal cycle process.
Even after your nitrogen cycles complete, the tank still has many cycles to go through while it matures.
You'll see many different algae pop up over the course of the first year.
You can dose bacteria like microbacter clean which will help reduce the amount, but best just to ride it out and let the tank mature.
 

sixty_reefer

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Hey everybody.

My tank is 2 months old and I have started to battle this algae. It is only growing where the lights are hitting.

Nitrates and phosphates were low, and I for sure had dinos, maybe I still do, but I began feeding more and I believe the levels have risen (my test kit doesnt give exact measurements.) I say this because my coral frags have started giving me growth. Cyphastrea , leptoseris, branching hammer, some zoas, gsp are all doing really well. I do have a Monti cap that needs some saving tho. I have a wrasse, a damsil, and a mandarin goby. Like 15 trochus snails and they have been doing a good job on the algae on the rocks. The picture shows I'm also losing coralline algae.

I cycled with live rock and sand. I didn't wash the sand before.

Stats:
100 gallon
Salinity .25
Nitrates between 0-5

They algae doesn't stop growing even when I clean and vacuum the sand bed.
I think the algae bloom started when I began mixing my own water.

Should I just be riding this out and hope it clears up with no water changes just top off? Is there a conditioner that I can add to my water source to prevent this. How many trochus snails are too many? I don't want to use any chemicals like dino x because the corals are thriving and I don't want a set back but it would be nice to have a clean tank . Thanks for any advice.

20220706_155100.jpg
It seems that there is a haze/cloudy in your tank, are you adding anything to your tank (additives, coral food) do you know your phosphates?
 

vetteguy53081

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No doubt a young tank and bearing diatoms which is a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They can cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. Diatoms look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
Diatoms are typically harmless to a captive reef and can be beaten once their food source expires. Once you put the kibosh on the source, the outbreak should last a couple of weeks so just be patient and it will pass.

For major outbreaks you may want to consider the three day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a mag float, a turkey baster or a toothbrush can access other areas of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves quickly, they are likely to be able to resettle and have exponential growth rates.
To prevent their return, practice good aquarium husbandry by doing regular water changes, keep the substrate clean, don’t overfeed the fish, ensure your skimmer is running at an optimal level and rinse out filter socks and sponges on a regular basis.
Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.
 
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Looks like part of the normal cycle process.
Even after your nitrogen cycles complete, the tank still has many cycles to go through while it matures.
You'll see many different algae pop up over the course of the first year.
You can dose bacteria like microbacter clean which will help reduce the amount, but best just to ride it out and let the tank mature.
Yea from the many posts I've looked into it seems to be the case. Can't wait to have it looking at least clean. Funny how the tables turn, at first corals weren't doing good clean tank. Now corals doing good but a dirty tank. Reminds me of Friday

Craig Jones:
We ain't got no sugar.

Smokey:
No sugar? dang. Y'all ain't never got two things that match. Either ya got Kool-aid, no sugar. Peanut butter, no jelly. Ham, no burger. Daaamn.
 
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Reef-_-Noob

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It seems that there is a haze/cloudy in your tank, are you adding anything to your tank (additives, coral food) do you know your phosphates?
I was adding phytoplankton but ran out this week. I have been raising the ph with a buffer but not raising any elements, not so much tho.
I just added some seachem clarity after cleaning the glass off it makes the water a little cloudy but normally the water column is super clear just near the rock surface and sandbed where the algae is is a problem.

I'm thinking about adding some more trochus snails because I can notice them cleaning the algae. I've only had 15 of them for 3 days so I'll give these guys a few more days and check if they need some backup
 

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Yea from the many posts I've looked into it seems to be the case. Can't wait to have it looking at least clean. Funny how the tables turn, at first corals weren't doing good clean tank. Now corals doing good but a dirty tank. Reminds me of Friday

Craig Jones:
We ain't got no sugar.

Smokey:
No sugar? dang. Y'all ain't never got two things that match. Either ya got Kool-aid, no sugar. Peanut butter, no jelly. Ham, no burger. Daaamn.
Makes sense that a sparkly clean tank wouldn't have good coral growth, no?

Algae, coral, they feed off of the same things essentially.

I think I mentioned earlier, but microbacter clean dosed per bottle label. Will have this looking good in a few weeks.
In my experience, there's really no detriment to using MB clean to ease the symptoms while the tank is maturing.
 
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Makes sense that a sparkly clean tank wouldn't have good coral growth, no?

Algae, coral, they feed off of the same things essentially.

I think I mentioned earlier, but microbacter clean dosed per bottle label. Will have this looking good in a few weeks.
In my experience, there's really no detriment to using MB clean to ease the symptoms while the tank is maturing.
It makes sense yea

I will need to check out the microbacter. Do you have an experience with it that really did the job?
 

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It makes sense yea

I will need to check out the microbacter. Do you have an experience with it that really did the job?
I've had success with both microbacter 7 and microbacter clean as well as Dr Tims and seachem bottled bacteria.

7 and clean did infact clear my 300 gallon of dino's and removed brown cyanobacteria in my 46 gallon. Peroxide was an initial success in the 46 but then stalled and failed to progress to completion.

I now dose 7 and clean weekly. Have been doing so for a few years and my tanks have been free of algae.

I started the same dosing regimen on my 20 gallon when it was a few weeks old and never experienced an ugly stage.
 
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Update on the algae,

I've been siphoning the sandbed through filter socks and replacing the water back into the tank, also cleaning the glass. I let the snails go to work on the rocks, I got 10 more so now there are 25 trochus snails in the tank. This worked for a couple days but then I tried dosing reef roids one night and the next day the algae was back. [Don't dose reef roids with algae]

I decided to do a 15% water change and scrub the rocks because the algae was getting long and I don't think the snails will get long algae. Also I'm reducing light time to 6 hours around 50%.

I am noticing that the water DOES have a cloudy haziness to it. Before, the water was clearer. Lately the water has a haze under blue light and a brownish tint under white light.

Microbacter 7 clean is coming in tomorrow and I will start dosing. Should I also try dosing seachem phosgaurd? I believe it removes phosphate and silicate.

Hope something works here
 

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Update on the algae,

I've been siphoning the sandbed through filter socks and replacing the water back into the tank, also cleaning the glass. I let the snails go to work on the rocks, I got 10 more so now there are 25 trochus snails in the tank. This worked for a couple days but then I tried dosing reef roids one night and the next day the algae was back. [Don't dose reef roids with algae]

I decided to do a 15% water change and scrub the rocks because the algae was getting long and I don't think the snails will get long algae. Also I'm reducing light time to 6 hours around 50%.

I am noticing that the water DOES have a cloudy haziness to it. Before, the water was clearer. Lately the water has a haze under blue light and a brownish tint under white light.

Microbacter 7 clean is coming in tomorrow and I will start dosing. Should I also try dosing seachem phosgaurd? I believe it removes phosphate and silicate.

Hope something works here
Have you tested your phosphates? I wouldn't try to reduce anything until you know the starting point and if it needs lowered/raised.

MB 7 and clean will help.
 
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Update on the algae,

Don't see too many posts that continue , most just die off.

I dosed the Microbacter Clean on Thursday night and by Friday morning 97% of the problem was solved. Dosed one time on Friday night and now the tank is sparkling clean. Only algae left is on the shells of my snails. Water clarity is pristine. There is no more brownish tint to the water. I can use the white spectrum lights now!!

I have several frag plugs:
Branching hammer
lepto northern lights
Cyphastrea
Xenia
Kenya tree
three zoas

everthing so far is looking healthy. Nothing is irritated

Thank you for the advice this really saved my tank and morale . I will continue to update as it happens
 

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Update on the algae,

Don't see too many posts that continue , most just die off.

I dosed the Microbacter Clean on Thursday night and by Friday morning 97% of the problem was solved. Dosed one time on Friday night and now the tank is sparkling clean. Only algae left is on the shells of my snails. Water clarity is pristine. There is no more brownish tint to the water. I can use the white spectrum lights now!!

I have several frag plugs:
Branching hammer
lepto northern lights
Cyphastrea
Xenia
Kenya tree
three zoas

everthing so far is looking healthy. Nothing is irritated

Thank you for the advice this really saved my tank and morale . I will continue to update as it happens
Glad to hear it!
I continue to maintenance dose 7 and clean and doubt I'll ever stop ... It just works.
 

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Update on the algae,

Don't see too many posts that continue , most just die off.

I dosed the Microbacter Clean on Thursday night and by Friday morning 97% of the problem was solved. Dosed one time on Friday night and now the tank is sparkling clean. Only algae left is on the shells of my snails. Water clarity is pristine. There is no more brownish tint to the water. I can use the white spectrum lights now!!

I have several frag plugs:
Branching hammer
lepto northern lights
Cyphastrea
Xenia
Kenya tree
three zoas

everthing so far is looking healthy. Nothing is irritated

Thank you for the advice this really saved my tank and morale . I will continue to update as it happens
Also, go easy on the white light, add just a little and increase a little each week until you reach the desired intensity...
 
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Reef-_-Noob

Reef-_-Noob

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Update on the tank..

The dinos are gone , sandbed is white and coralline is coming in. That stuff really worked. Thank you
 

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