SPS dying, algae flourishing. Frustrated

[blufin]

I'm having the worst time keeping my acros happy. I'll get several months of great color/growth, then several more of stn and algae issues. Then the cycle starts again.

Right now, my acros are in the stn phase and I have green turf algae taking over, literally. Maybe the turf algae is taking up all the nutrients and starving the acros? I have several fish and feed them heavily every day that I'm home. Also feed the tank reef chili or reef roids daily when home.
I'm getting ready to dose Vibrant to help get rid of the turf algae but fear that may only worsen the stn issue.

Here's some numbers:
90g tank
2x250w MH
4x54 t5
2 mp 40's

Sg 1.025
Alk 7.3-7.7
Ca 480
No3 trace
Po4 0
Mg 1470
Ph 7.9-8.4

I have my 2 part on a doser that drips every hour 24/7 to help control swings, but I still got 'em. My ph starts at 7.9 or 8.0 in the morning before the lights and ends at 8.4 at the end of the day. 6 hours on halides and 8 hours with t5's.
I cannot get my N/P to raise, regardless of how I feed. I don't know how to explain the alk swings from week to week. One week closer to 7 and 8 the next.
I have had my skimmer turned off for several months and have not done a water change in 3 months or so. UV sterilizer is still running.

I am open to hear what everybody has to say. I really need some help.
I use to have an amazing sps tank but can't figure this out.

Thanks,
Charlie

 

[Zack K]

All SPS need stability. As for the acros struggling, that can be a stability problem. The algae may have to do with your lights. How long do you run your lights? Vibrant will help with the algae so you can get an accurate reading on nutrients

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

My ph starts at 7.9 or 8.0 in the morning before the lights and ends at 8.4 at the end of the day.

thats actually good.
DEF do some water changes. Algae will pull trace elements out.

Not sure how you have such low numbers, perhaps the algae but....\If your going the vibrant route the low nutrints may become an issue.

Are you running nopox gfo biopellets etc.

 

[blufin]

thats actually good.
DEF do some water changes. Algae will pull trace elements out.

Not sure how you have such low numbers, perhaps the algae but....\If your going the vibrant route the low nutrints may become an issue.

Are you running nopox gfo biopellets etc.

Nope. No pellets, gfo or charcoal. I also have a football sized Derasa that probably pulls a lot of nutrients.
I hear ya on w/c to replace the trace elements. I was just trying to raise N by skipping them to keep the natural foods from the fish

 

[blufin]

All SPS need stability. As for the acros struggling, that can be a stability problem. The algae may have to do with your lights. How long do you run your lights? Vibrant will help with the algae so you can get an accurate reading on nutrients

T5's are on total of 10 hrs and halides for 6

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Nope. No pellets, gfo or charcoal. I also have a football sized Derasa that probably pulls a lot of nutrients.
I hear ya on w/c to replace the trace elements. I was just trying to raise N by skipping them to keep the natural foods from the fish

I get it. Your tank may just eat a lot. everything in it eats. Bacteria to clam and coral. A ten gal shoudnt effect the nutrints too much. and a ten for a couple weeks might help a lot of stuff.
Id scrub the heck outta the gha, (make sure its a gha). And bump up the cuc. The "VIBE" is just an almost nuclear option IMO. if its bad and you need it fine. but...

The next option MAY be floconazole. on some hair algaes it seems to work. less side effects. Check the big fluconazole thread sticky under the reef discussion forum. I still say scrub as less algae means more medicine to kill the rest. also the cuc has less to mow,

 

[blufin]

I get it. Your tank may just eat a lot. everything in it eats. Bacteria to clam and coral. A ten gal shoudnt effect the nutrints too much. and a ten for a couple weeks might help a lot of stuff.
Id scrub the heck outta the gha, (make sure its a gha). And bump up the cuc. The "VIBE" is just an almost nuclear option IMO. if its bad and you need it fine. but...

The next option MAY be floconazole. on some hair algaes it seems to work. less side effects. Check the big fluconazole thread sticky under the reef discussion forum. I still say scrub as less algae means more medicine to kill the rest. also the cuc has less to mow,

It's turf algae, I believe. Not gha

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It's turf algae, I believe. Not gha

A true turf should peel off.

 

[blufin]

A true turf should peel off.

It does peel off, but there is SO much of it. And it leaves a little behind.

Do you agree the answer might be that I need to feed even more to fish/tank to keep the sps happy until I can tackle the algae, and maybe sell the Derasa?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

No the clam I don't think eats that much.
As the algae dies or is removed it's going to consume less nutrients. Also as it dies it releases nutrints.
With VIbrant it's eaten but also the nutrints are consumed.
So it's kind of a crap shoot. Some folks needed no supplementation. Some nearly killed thier coral from lack of nutrients.

I'm kinda old school and would clean out as much as I could. And go from there.
Peroxide dosing is an option as well as VIbrant.
Vibrant just has a bit of complication and unknown from the nutrients and the possibility of cyano afterward.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Do you have any algae eating fish or clean up crew?. Algae seems to be the clear winner in absorbing available nutrients.

 

[blufin]

Do you have any algae eating fish or clean up crew?. Algae seems to be the clear winner in absorbing available nutrients.

Yellow Tang
Hippo Tang
Tomini Tang
Sailfin Tang
My Melanarus and Percula will feed heavily on nori strips as well. CUC is just blue legs and turbos.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

You have so many tangs , but tangs don't eat overgrown algae from my own observation. Maybe you can reduce your MH to a couple of hours, if algae is receding or dying it will be more appealing for tangs to graze on. I have no comment on vibrant usage.

 

[blufin]

You have so many tangs , but tangs don't eat overgrown algae from my own observation. Maybe you can reduce your MH to a couple of hours, if algae is receding or dying it will be more appealing for tangs to graze on. I have no comment on vibrant usage.

I haven't seen the tangs touch the turf algae. Cutting back the light schedule could help.
Thanks

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

You have so many tangs , but tangs don't eat overgrown algae from my own observation. Maybe you can reduce your MH to a couple of hours, if algae is receding or dying it will be more appealing for tangs to graze on. I have no comment on vibrant usage.

I haven't seen the tangs touch the turf algae. Cutting back the light schedule could help.
Thanks

I wish we had a what eats what expert or resource.
There's a good snail guide on r2r but I don't know if it goes in depth. I have a wiry turf algae to I forget the name. Nothing I've had eats it. I don't really mind it though where it is. It's never really spread.

Lowering nutrints is only the first phase. Second is getting it out. But usually that's me and a toothbrush.

 

[sundog101]

I cannot get my N/P to raise, regardless of how I feed.

This has been my problem for a while.
Feed more, export less = algae and still no nutrients.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

This has been my problem for a while.
Feed more, export less = algae and still no nutrients.

Don't feel bad my friend. It took 2 years for me to tune myself with my tank. Every tank is different, we have all the theories and scientific data to help out. Start with the basic, narrow down the possible issue and in the end you will find out the culprit.

 

[blufin]

This has been my problem for a while.
Feed more, export less = algae and still no nutrients.

That's exactly where I'm at. I put off water changes in hopes to raise N and all I got was dying sps and a butt load of algae.
I'm gonna do a wc today and increase my livestock/bioload and start feeding heavier. I guess it will be easier to to get rid of nutrients once they become an issue, than it will be to watch my tank slowly die.
Time to start pulling weeds!

 

[blufin]

I appreciate all the remarks and suggestions

 

[Zack K]

Cowrie eat turf algae