Algae Problem

[Theron]

I am looking for a little advice.

 

I have a problem with macro algea growing in my display tank. I am also getting lots of hair type algae growing in the sump. Part of the sump is used as a frag tank, so it is lit with a 250w halide.

 

Ok, so it seems that I have excess phosphate and nutrients in the water. The tank is a 90 Gallon BB tank, ~45 gallons in the sump, and a 30 gallon refugium (no macro) also plumbed. The skimmer is a AquaC EV400, which is rated for a 400 gallon tank. I have 3 fish, clown, 6 line wrasse, sailfin tang. Corals are mostly SPS. I have some xenia that is doing very well. I don't think I feed too much, every other day. Salifert tests for NO2, NO3, PO4 read zero. I do have detritus that does collect underneath and behind my rocks. I try to blow it out with a power head once and a while.

 

How should I address this problem? I have thought of a couple of things.

 

* Put some macro algea in the fuge. Not sure how much this would help. I like to use the fuge as a volume of water to drain when I do water changes. Also a place to aclimate fish.

 

* I could run ozone in the skimmer. This might be costly but I have heard about good results. A little nervious about using it though.

 

* Adding a phosphate reactor.

 

* Adding carbon. Maybe in the same reactor as phospate.

 

* Add UV sterilizer. Not sure about this one.

 

So what are your opinions.

 

Thanks,

 

Theron

[Theron]

Here is a photo of the macro that is growing in the diplay. It is really starting to spread throughout the tank.

 

[Michael7979]

I would add some macro to the fuge and you can cut a piece of eggcrate to hold it to one side, which will still let you use it as an acclimation area. It can't hurt to add carbon and some phos. remover either, put them in socks if you don't have a reactor, just put it in front of high water flow.

 

You didn't mention your clean-up crew. Would adding more help keep some of the denitrus down? And add a powerhead behind the rocks to keep what denitrus you have suspended for the skimmer to remove.

 

My $.02.

[Theron]

Thanks Mike,

 

My clean-up crew consists of 10 turbo snails, 5 hermits, 1 cleaner shrimp. Not too much but they seem to keep the tank clean except for the micro algea.

 

It sounds like the problem is I have too much detritus collecting and I am not doing a good job of keeping it in suspension so that the skimmer can remove it. It is just breaking down and releasing phosphate and DOCs in the water. If I understand the BB system correctly, if I was able to keep the detritus out of the tank, I should not need any other filtration like carbon and phosphate removers.

 

I hate to throw power heads in my tank. I was trying to avoid that. But maybe I will have to or else change my plumbing again.

 

Just curious if other BB tanks out there are some other filtration systems like ozone, carbon, phosphate reactor, macro in fuge.

 

Theron

[drock59]

closed loop? Adding a dart was the best thing i have ever done for my tank.

[Theron]

Ya, I did not mention my closed loop. I have a Dolphin 3K plumbed. I have good flow in the tank, the problem is there is no flow behind or underneath the rocks. Stuff settles back there and it is not easy to access to remove it. I have to blow it out using a power head. I have not been very diligint keeping up with it. My next tank will have plumbing under the rock to keep it from settling there.

[H20cooled]

I had a hair & red bubble algae problem in my 30G softy tank that I had been unable to get rid of, I tried more cleanup crew and nothing worked. I started using Prodobio products in the 30g and 50g tanks and all of the algae has completely disappeared, even the macro algae in the fuge is dieing. In my 50G SPS tank I have no hair algae but I do have the red turf stuff and it does not seem to be going anywhere. The 3 products that I have been using are the Reef Booster, Bioptim, & Bio Digest. I got the from www.robsreef.com, they are actually not that expensive either. Here are some before and after pics...

 

Rich

 

Before:

Here is the hair algae

 

Here is the red bubble (its hard to see in this pic).

 

After:

Here is the same areas now

 

 

And a whole tank shot

[impur]

Thanks Mike,

 

My clean-up crew consists of 10 turbo snails, 5 hermits, 1 cleaner shrimp. Not too much but they seem to keep the tank clean except for the micro algea.

 

It sounds like the problem is I have too much detritus collecting and I am not doing a good job of keeping it in suspension so that the skimmer can remove it. It is just breaking down and releasing phosphate and DOCs in the water. If I understand the BB system correctly, if I was able to keep the detritus out of the tank, I should not need any other filtration like carbon and phosphate removers.

 

I hate to throw power heads in my tank. I was trying to avoid that. But maybe I will have to or else change my plumbing again.

 

Just curious if other BB tanks out there are some other filtration systems like ozone, carbon, phosphate reactor, macro in fuge.

 

Theron

 

I would add some thing that eats detrius. Ceriths are great for this. A little more flow, add the ceriths and your detruis prob should be solved

[Guest Krux]

a rio seio behind the rocks is a cheap way to kick up detritus.

 

are you using a filter sock, how often do you change it? it should be a couple of times a week.

 

phosphate removes can work, but they can also cause real damage in some tanks. acroporas really dont tend to like them much. you can try purigen or polyfilter as safer alternatives.

 

i am guessing that the majority of the problem is phosphate bound in the rocks. taking out rock can take a long time and is a lot of effort, but if you can remove some pieces a few at a time and scrub/blast them out, maybe even think of cooking them a bit (see about rock cooking in the bb threads on other boards) i am pretty sure you will see immediate improvement.

 

macro will help short term, but once you get the stuff cleared up, you will find that you can not keep it growing, and it will eventually wither.

 

based on what i saw of the tank when i was over there, your number one concern nees to be getting those rocks de-gunked.

 

i also second the cerith suggestion, get 25 of those in there.

[Theron]

Ok, so I guess I will get some cerith for the tank. They eat detritus? Aren't they going to poop too?

 

Ya, Krux I had a couple of rocks in there that had a lot of crud in them. I removed them about a month ago and replaced them with some freshly cooked rock. I think it is better now. I use a filter sock and I have only been replaceing them once a week. I will try to change them twice a week.

 

I am going to start blowing behind the rocks once a week. Do you think that would be enough?

 

What about running carbon? Is the best way to put it in a reactor?

 

Theron

[Michael7979]

 

What about running carbon? Is the best way to put it in a reactor?

 

Theron

 

 

Yes, but if you put it in a high flow area that would work too.

[JManrow]

Theron - it looks like you have algae of the genus Dictyota. Sea Urchins have been known to help keep it under control.

[Guest Krux]

any blowing of the rockwork will help, i like to use a powerhead in the tank and blow out the detritus a couple times a week as well, as it tends to settle in the crevices, which then become homes for algae.the kent reactors are really good for both carbon and gfo type phosphate reactors. they are around 50 bucks i think, and are easy to drop in and run (you do need a small powerhead, a minijet will work). short term setting a nylon with carbon in it in your filtersock will cause a good water flowthrough.i would work on getting a couple more socks. i know that most shops have them for cheap now, they used to be 15-20 bucks, but the prices are dropping as more and more poeple are abandoning bioballs.

[Theron]

So... Saturday I spend a good part of the day blowing all the crud from under the rocks and cleaned out the sump. There was a lot! I think I clogged two filter socks. Hopefully I will see some improvement after this.

 

Next I am going to add some carbon.

 

Theron