On the verge of quitting

[Texas Rick]

I agree with this. If it's just RO, that's not doing much. The purpose of RO is really just to prime the water and remove the most electronegative and electropositive ions from the water. That's basically just sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride. That's stuff that you really don't mind in your tank anyways. The reason to get rid of it with RO is so that it doesn't immediately cache DI resin. The DI resin mops up the small amount of these guys that remains but the also removes the weakly electronegative molecules like nitrates and phosphates. So If you are only using RO, you not removing much nitrates and phosphates from the water. If your DI canisters are cached or shot, it's even worse. They can store NO3 and PO4 which is then displaced by sodium and chloride. This can in theory give you even higher PO4 levels coming out of the DI canisters than you had incoming from the tap.

Please give us a better descriptor of your source water.

Cheers,
FB

(PS - I've been doing this for about 30 years and felt like quitting all summer. Happens to everyone on occasion. I broke down the tank, swapped out the dry rock, and now I'm feeling better. Just happens).

I use RO water from the vending machines. It get serviced every week. The store makes sure it’s serviced every week because it’s a one of those health food stores and the only place I trust. The ones I don’t trust is the stand alone ones. Maybe I need to buy my own RODI system and plumb it into my kitchen sink. Another thing I’ve read. What is 0 TDS? How do I test for it and how does it affect my tank?

 

[Ippyroy]

How did you manage to get rid of your algae in under 2 weeks? It may seem like my schedule lighting may be a issue. I’m going to reduce my lighting from 12 hours a day to 8 hours a day. I also just bought T5 bulb set up with 2 blue plus and 2 purple to bring out the color out a little. Because I think my kessil isn’t doing any justice on my coral

I didn't get rid of all of it. Most of the rocks are getting rid of the hard green algae. Large CUC of snails and increasing my biodiversity through IPSF. Definitely check them out. Best 100 bucks I have spent in this hobby. Snails, micr hermits and all kinds of good little critters.

 

[Ippyroy]

I would go with an RODI unit for sure. Check out marine depot. These are pretty cheap.

Bulk Reef Supply - Making Reefing Fun and Easy

Shop top saltwater aquarium equipment at Bulk Reef Supply. We carry everything you will need for your saltwater aquarium or reef tank.

www.marinedepot.com

 

[I’ma tempermental coral]

@Texas Rick get this and never look back! When we lived in Texas the water tasted like it was right out of the pool with chlorine!!!

7 Stage Pro Plus RO/DI System - Bulk Reef Supply

Why Does BRS Recommend This? If you have hard to remove contaminants, your city uses chloramines, or you just are not sure what is in your water the BRS 7 Stage Pro Plus RO/DI system is the perfect solution to make ultra-pure water for your saltwater aquarium. The Triple DI Saver system uses...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[I’ma tempermental coral]

A note on why we have the 7 stage here in California. We live in the mountains on well water so it was more for the added assurance we were getting TDS 0 water.

 

[Ippyroy]

And you can add this for your home.

Add-On Faucet Kit

This Add-On Faucet Kit is necessary to set up your reverse osmosis unit to supply drinking water on demand. The BRS Add-On Faucet Kit includes everything needed to bypass the DI (deionization) stage and add a pressurized tank and faucet to your reverse osmosis system. The pressurized tank...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Texas Rick]

I would like to suggest another course of action which may be viable if you can afford it. Hire an in-home consultant. I started reefing in June of 2017 and had the lushest green hair algae farm until October of 2019. I too considered resorting to a large bottle of bleach and a new hobby. Fortunately I took a different path. I hired the owner of an aquarium maintenance service to come look at what I was doing, and not doing. He outlined a path forward with multiple actions, not just one. It took a few months; don't expect a quick fix. I now have a tank free of green hair algae and I am enjoying my reef. Hang in there.

I wish I had the luxury for someone to come look at it. The only saltwater store was closed. So that only leaves me with the help of this forum to try to figure out what’s going on with my tank. There’s probably local refers on my area. But to look for them and who is doing saltwater. It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Most people who i have talked to here. Have tried it and gave up due to complications. I don’t want to quit. I like saltwater, I like the fish, I like the coral. But the algae is the eyesore. And the aiptasia. It just adds to it. Ugh

 

[Ippyroy]

Switch to RODI, turn down the lights, up your CUC, and get a package from IPSF. I bet the algae will start to go away and you will be happier. Just seeing my tank get much better has me happy. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I get a great feeling of success. I am winning the battle.

 

[Texas Rick]

A note on why we have the 7 stage here in California. We live in the mountains on well water so it was more for the added assurance we were getting TDS 0 water.

What is TDS? How do I test for it? Most everything is well water here. And the well water here is horrible. It has a lot of bad calcium and who knows what else. I’m gonna have to invest in a 7 stage filtration system

 

[Texas Rick]

Switch to RODI, turn down the lights, up your CUC, and get a package from IPSF. I bet the algae will start to go away and you will be happier. Just seeing my tank get much better has me happy. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I get a great feeling of success. I am winning the battle.

Yes. Seeing my tank when it’s clean after a long, (which is basically everyday and always on call like 24/7), stressful day helps me relax. But when the algae starts up again. It’s like ugh.

 

[josephxsxn]

Just reading along here are my comments.

I live on well water and it has more TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) then when I lived in the city. My well specifically has Arsenic at 32ppb which requires filtration for even human consumption (I have a separate system for the entire house, my RO/DI for Reefing does not use this system). TDS = This is a huge umbrella category of stuff in the water. When I use only RO I still have 2-4 TDS output water, adding the DI stages pulls that final bit out; I have read many threads were people had problems with what was in the remaining TDS fulling all kinds of issues including Algae. I highly recommend you get yourself a nice RO/DI unit and only use that water going forward; cost wise it typically works out very well compared to buying water.

I would make sure I was not feeding much maybe go to every other day if you can. If your utilizing fine coral foods stop; there is a good amount of aiptasia reading on the forums that show fine foods may help them boom. I like peoples idea of fish, all for the Lawnmower Blenny.

A bit more aggressive would be something like H2o2. I have removed corals and some rocks before to dip them in a 3% solution. H2o2 is broken down by something called catalase which different animals have varying amount of providing a tolerance to it (corals are all over the map beware) and alage is very weak to this. In the past I saved some corals by dipping them to kill the alage, you could do the same with large bits of rock to kill algae off. Just make sure to wash well before returning to your tank; if your really concerned hold it in clean salt water overnight before returning it to the display (if just rock.) There are also some threads that talk about dosing h2o2 into the reef tank at levels which dont seem to upset any of the livestock (inverts, corals, etc) but I have not tried these.

 

[kpoj9]

Don’t give you. This is a common problem. Algae removal is slow process. Here are range of suggestions. I’m sure you probably have tried some of these:

1- Turn off your skimmer (If your have one). Skimmers can sometimes export too much bacteria that you need. Instead of running it (say 24/7) turn it off at least a couple hours each day. This helps the bacteria outcompete the algae for nutrients.

2- Try the blackout process. Manually remove as much algae as possible then turn your lights off (blackout) completely for 2-3 days. After 2-3 days do at least a 20% water change. Weekly water changes over months will reduce the algae.

4 - Get higher quality fish food. Don’t feed your corals(not sure if you are). Cut back on feeding to every other day and feed in very small amounts. Make sure to rinse your food.

5 - If your using a refugium, it’s not going to do that much unless it’s large. Try getting a GFO reactor to remove the phosphates. You can also try carbon dosing (either liquid or pellet) to promote the growth of bacteria which will help eat nitrates/phosphates.

6- Turn your lights down especially the blue channel. Algae loves this.

 

[mijan]

What is TDS? How do I test for it? Most everything is well water here. And the well water here is horrible. It has a lot of bad calcium and who knows what else. I’m gonna have to invest in a 7 stage filtration system

TDS means Total Dissolved Solids. It's a measurement of any dissolved minerals, salts, metals etc. in the water. To test it you'll need a TDS meter. You can find one on Amazon for under $15.

 

[dohc97]

What part of Texas? I'm in DFW area and if you are anywhere near me I can get you rodi water until you buy your unit, our water is pretty high in TDS so a better rodi is a must.

I agree with reducing photoperiod, I would do 7 hours while you try to get a handle on algae.

I skimmed through but did not see anyone mention this. You are doing dry rock, anytime I have used dry it has leached phosphates for months, it has been the cause of my algae. I usually just continue to be diligent with maintenance, keep an eye on it until the phosphates get exhausted. Last time it took about 4 months, this time I'm going on 2 months so far.

 

[Ippyroy]

Don’t give you. This is a common problem. Algae removal is slow process. Here are range of suggestions. I’m sure you probably have tried some of these:

1- Turn off your skimmer (If your have one). Skimmers can sometimes export too much bacteria that you need. Instead of running it (say 24/7) turn it off at least a couple hours each day. This helps the bacteria outcompete the algae for nutrients.

2- Try the blackout process. Manually remove as much algae as possible then turn your lights off (blackout) completely for 2-3 days. After 2-3 days do at least a 20% water change. Weekly water changes over months will reduce the algae.

4 - Get higher quality fish food. Don’t feed your corals(not sure if you are). Cut back on feeding to every other day and feed in very small amounts. Make sure to rinse your food.

5 - If your using a refugium, it’s not going to do that much unless it’s large. Try getting a GFO reactor to remove the phosphates. You can also try carbon dosing (either liquid or pellet) to promote the growth of bacteria which will help eat nitrates/phosphates.

6- Turn your lights down especially the blue channel. Algae loves this.

Algae grows in the red spectrum, which is in the white channel for leds in marine aquaria. Corals use blue and uv for growth, but need the other spectrums for coloration. Blue lights will grow algae in freshwater tanks.

 

[kpoj9]

Algae grows in the red spectrum, which is in the white channel for leds in marine aquaria. Corals use blue and uv for growth, but need the other spectrums for coloration. Blue lights will grow algae in freshwater tanks.

Just suggesting not to over-light the tank. PAR readings are important with this. Obviousily, the shallower the tank the more the full spectrum of light can increase algae growth. Most folks run their blue channel at 100% for coral which can sometimes have a negative effect especially in shallower tanks.

 

[terraincognita]

Hair Algae or Bryopsis?

At first i thought these are green hair algae, but now I'm not sure. I have a lawnmower blenny and he doesn't touch any of these. I also have plenty of snails and crabs. Nothing touches these. Also my nitrate and phosphate are undetectable. I'm at my wits end. I have done lots of water changes...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[terraincognita]

honestly if NO ONE on your cuc is touching it, i can tell your ight now it's not hair algae. If literally every single one of them avoids it.

If they munch now and then it's different. but if they avoid it like the plague then yeah. not hair algae.

ALL of my snails will eat hair algae happily, ALL of them. Hermits eat literally anything IME.

 

[Texas Rick]

You may need a better rodi system, I have to run a 7 stage rodi because my tap is very High tds

Yes, I will be purchasing one

 

[Cole.mormon]

Can u get me one while ur at it lol