Please help my tank is ugly

[o00brandon00o]

I think that powerhead is for the skimmer - but I might be wrong.
You're possibly correct - But if Po4 is high and nitrate low - it may partly explain the reason for the closed coral (which was the main question?)
I meant carbon filtering. (with high quality carbon).

He is basically (no offense to him) running an aquarium the way it used to be done years ago - So - I'm not sure you can say the Nitrate and PO4 are 'any predicted number'. But - btw - they would only be zero if the amount of algae present is exactly using the amount of Nitrate/PO4 that is being fed. If the Algae problem is 'worsening' - it means there is still excess No3 and PO4. Or?

Also was curious as to the CUC he uses - it doesnt sound like enough.
In any case - I guess I still suggest much higher flow and better filtration.

The other question - why are the corals closed? It has to be because the Algae then is outcompeting coral for nutrients - and IMHO - there is too little 'coral' and too much rock landscape (Or there is another toxin present)

@MnFish1 great points!

• A carbon filter bag may be help if there were any other toxins
• PH is in upper left corner above mag scraper, very dark
• You think a CUC would add more nutrients, possibly making it worse than HIM being the CUC with intense manual removal?

 

[BestMomEver]

Someone may have mentioned this, but I don't see any power heads/wave makers.

 

[o00brandon00o]

Someone may have mentioned this, but I don't see any power heads/wave makers.

Upper left hand corner, very dark.

 

[KrisReef]

You need to shade the fuge light so that it doesn’t shine into the tank.
How long are you running your main lights? Reducing light in the tank will help the fuge catch up.

How often do you top off for evaporation? Do you have an ATO?

 

[MnFish1]

@MnFish1 great points!

• A carbon filter bag may be help if there were any other toxins
• PH is in upper left corner above mag scraper, very dark
• You think a CUC would add more nutrients, possibly making it worse than HIM being the CUC with intense manual removal?

I still can only see the PH that I think is attached to the skimmer. But ... I was talking more about an algae 'CUC' - more specific to algae (that might include a fish, certain urchins, snails - as compared to 'crabs, etc' that take care of other things.

The interesting thing is - 'back in the day' my first SW tank was almost exactly the same - though at that time we bought 'live rock' that was already covered by 'stuff'. This prevented most of the algae 'uglies' that people seem to see today.

I know this is heresy - and a bit off topic. Picture your backyard - with no grass. just dirt - lets say you planted a tulip bulb every square foot. Very soon no matter what you did the bare ground is going to grow weeds - and choke out the tulips. If you put sod down - it would be different. In the tank the same thing is going to happen - any nutrients are going to go to 2 things - growing bacteria and growing algae - if there is nothing else to 'use them'. I dont think its a function of 'not enough diversity, etc'. Its there isnt anything else in the tank thats going to grow faster than nuisance algae. (again IMO).

 

[Fiesty]

Curious - beyond increasing the total water volume - what is the benefit of a sump? (or were you thinking a sump with a refugium)?

Id say a bennifit would be to pull water from surface therefore breaking surface tension. Then running that water through a filter and eliminating the oily residue on top full of floating debris.

My first saltwater tank was just a cheap freshwater tank i converted and the scum that built up on surface was the biggest problem i fought in that old tank i had to use a net to skim the surface daily to remove it. Finally bought a 90 gal with built in overflow and sump then never had that problem again.

 

[Jon Fishman]

I wouldn’t be concerned but big water-changes after manually removing a bunch with brushing etc will help your corals bounce back too.

Light intensity and duration is still a question mark for me..... The “use aquaclear as a refugium” could be an issue too. You have two HOB filters then? I see the heater in-tank so no sump....

 

[MnFish1]

@FriedReef TV

Sorry - I posted a lot of stuff - just to ask some stuff so its not confusing:

1. Do you have any other flow - besides the aqua clear - and the skimmer (if so what is it).
2. If you're using the aqua clear for 'a regfugium' - what are you using for 'filtration'
3. As @KrisReef and others have said what is your light schedule - and type of light?
4. Are you using any chemical filtration (carbon, chemipure, etc).
5. (New question) - what are you using the refugium 'for'.
6. Regards to the coral - Alkalinity, PO4 and Nitrate - and your water source (do you make your own RODI?). What salt are you using?
7. What are you using to check salinity - a refractometer? Hydrometer? (have you double checked that result).
8. Have you double checked your temperature independent of the heater?

 

[o00brandon00o]

I still can only see the PH that I think is attached to the skimmer. But ... I was talking more about an algae 'CUC' - more specific to algae (that might include a fish, certain urchins, snails - as compared to 'crabs, etc' that take care of other things.

The interesting thing is - 'back in the day' my first SW tank was almost exactly the same - though at that time we bought 'live rock' that was already covered by 'stuff'. This prevented most of the algae 'uglies' that people seem to see today.

I know this is heresy - and a bit off topic. Picture your backyard - with no grass. just dirt - lets say you planted a tulip bulb every square foot. Very soon no matter what you did the bare ground is going to grow weeds - and choke out the tulips. If you put sod down - it would be different. In the tank the same thing is going to happen - any nutrients are going to go to 2 things - growing bacteria and growing algae - if there is nothing else to 'use them'. I dont think its a function of 'not enough diversity, etc'. Its there isnt anything else in the tank thats going to grow faster than nuisance algae. (again IMO).

We are both highlighting that currently his:

• Nutrients into tank > nutrients out of tank

...and he needs to swap that around so

• Nutrients out > nutrients in

...and with time his algae should subside.

Details are in the mechanisims behind nutrients being added (light/food/ATO/water change with TDS > 0) and what way nutrients being removed (photoperiod adj, manual filter pad/sock, manual trimming, skimmer, macro algae in fuge)

 

[dutch27]

Have you checked the HOB to see if there's any detritus build up?

 

[MnFish1]

We are both highlighting that currently his:

• Nutrients into tank > nutrients out of tank

...and he needs to swap that around so

• Nutrients out > nutrients in

...and with time his algae should subside.

Details are in the mechanisims behind nutrients being added (light/food/ATO/water change with TDS > 0) and what way nutrients being removed (photoperiod adj, manual filter pad/sock, manual trimming, skimmer, macro algae in fuge)

Yep - but He also has a problem with closed coral. Which puts another wrinkle in the answers - because - the coral need nutrients as well. As others have also said - I think the best way to do this 'efficiently and safely' to benefit the coral as well - is that he should manually scrub the algae off all of the rock - and do a large water change. Part of nutrient export is filtration - and except for the small skimmer - how is that happening? (there is nothing in the refugium to filter - just some rock (as far as I can see). But yes in general we're both saying the same thing.

I dont see any macroalgae in his aquaclear. Nor anything else that can be removed to take out nutrients - but the pictures are difficult to interpret. To me there is not adequate flow over the rocks - or the surface.

 

[LesPoissons]

it seems like you stocked your 5 month old tank pretty fast, maybe didnt let it cycle completely, and then started throwing a ton of food in. you just need to slow down and let the tank you created catch up.
1. Dont feed the coral. They will get plenty from the fish food and waste.
2. That looks like a blackbox light? If has only blues, switch off white light for a while. The coral and fish will be fine, the algae will stop growing so fast and start dying back.
3. Increase aeration and flow and break surface tension.
4. Increase water change amount.
5. Make sure you gravel vac!

You may want to check that your rodi filters are reading at 0tds.

 

[Ciepierball]

I think this would be the quickest and most efficient fix:

1) First, purchase new live rock. You can typically find somewhere around $5/lbs. Get pukani...more surface area and weighs less. More bang for your buck here. Right now your rock is harvesting a ton of algae you dont want...easiest thing you can do is remove it. Also, if this was dry rock previously used, if you didnt cure it, this could have blew things up with phosphates.

2) Clean the sides of the tank, vacuum the sand, and remove 75% of the water. With the water you replace, as your LFS of you can have some of their tank water. We are talking a couple buckets, so dont think they will care. I've done this.

3) No lights for 72 hours. After you do the above, keep the lights off for 3 days. This happens in the wild with storms. Nothing is going to die. Also during this time, feed with a pipette.

 

[Ciepierball]

I think this would be the quickest and most efficient fix:

1) First, purchase new live rock. You can typically find somewhere around $5/lbs. Get pukani...more surface area and weighs less. More bang for your buck here. Right now your rock is harvesting a ton of algae you dont want...easiest thing you can do is remove it. Also, if this was dry rock previously used, if you didnt cure it, this could have blew things up with phosphates.

2) Clean the sides of the tank, vacuum the sand, and remove 75% of the water. With the water you replace, as your LFS of you can have some of their tank water. We are talking a couple buckets, so dont think they will care. I've done this.

3) No lights for 72 hours. After you do the above, keep the lights off for 3 days. This happens in the wild with storms. Nothing is going to die. Also during this time, feed with a pipette.

4) Hit enter too soon! Last, by some chemi pure and run it in your filter going forward.

Along with all this, make sure you dont blast the lights going forward, dont overfeed, and have a cleanup crew. Then you'll be fine

 

[Stigigemla]

I think everything is basically correct. You just need more algae eating cleanup crew.
I would add about 5 1 ich snails and 5 1 inch hermits. But take a good look on the hermits because some of them dont eat algae.
In order to check if the water is good for corals You need to check 7 things.
Temperature, salinity, kH, Ca, Mg, NO3 and PO4. I think the light is OK but maybe You ought to have more circulation.

 

[McPuff]

I'd just brush off the rocks with a toothbrush and then do a water change, siphoning out as much stuff as possible.

Also make sure to rinse the mysis before adding it to your tank. This will reduce a lot of the oil. Surface skimming/agitation is also going to help. You can get surface skimmers for power filters. Maybe check into one of those.

 

[Webslinger]

Curious - beyond increasing the total water volume - what is the benefit of a sump? (or were you thinking a sump with a refugium)?

You can put your ugly filters down in the sump, and grow your algae down there to keep it out of the display.

 

[HOOPDEEZ]

In addition to the other ideas, I would add a bacterial additive (I use microbacter7) to start outcompeting the algae. Once the algae starts dying off you can start feeding coral again (feed them sparingly) This will take a couple weeks or longer. Continue to add the microbacter daily after you wrangle the algae. I use it in my 2yo system in a small dose everyday, and mine is stable and established just wished I started it earlier! 5 months is a young tank it will take time to get rolling. GL

 

[BryanD]

Absolutely normal for a tank only 5 months old. Loved the show Tanked, hated that they didn't have a disclaimer at the end of every show stating that a tank will NOT look like they make it look for at least a year! Nothing happens in this hobby fast. The only reason I have had a new tank look good in less than a year was because I was using rock, sand, etc that had been cycling for years to set it up. Other option is spend a boat load of money on equipment, which I would not do until you KNOW you love this hobby, and as someone who has been doing this over 30 years, I still refuse to do. Short cuts are not cheap. Be patient Grasshopper.

If you get a lawnmower blenny, don't just assume the algae is enough. I read a paper the other day that stated algae only made up 15% of their diet, detritus, bacteria film, etc make up the bulk of their diet. I recommend you look into vinegar carbon dosing, that will create the bacteria film that will help it survive. Mine loves it.

 

[Bpb]

As others have mentioned what you are experiencing is normal based on what history you've provided on the tanks startup and lifespan. 5 months old, with dry organic loaded rock, heavy feeding, no meaningful herbivores, or regular bacterial additions will make for various algae cycles during the first year or two of a tank. Its just new tank uglies.

As you gain experience you can absolutely mitigate or even eliminated new tank uglies to a certain extent. You just have to have an idea of how to address them before they show up. A new tank with zero algae during the first year doesn't necessarily have zero algae, they just have various components in place to keep it from taking over. In a smaller tank such as yours, stocking a couple tuxedo urchins and an algae eating blenny will help. Even a sea hare might be of some use, but be ready to rehome it eventually. Heavy dosing of bacteria and a carbon source will help also. But at this point, the algae has its roots in the rock. It'll just be a way of life for a while. Smaller tanks are much more difficult to manage algae in because all the best herbivores are too large.