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JohnnyReeftank
01-06-2011, 06:47 AM
I've had my 35 gallon up and running for about 4 months now. This brown hairy/slimy algae has been growing like mad on a few rocks and on the back glass (I scrape the other 3 sides). Is this just a normal part of the maturation process or should I try and get this under control? I've got a decent clean-up crew and the only things that seem to make a dent are the Astrea turbos. Please help......(sorry for the iphone pics)

http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x452/JohnnyReeftank/Reeftank%20December%202010/IMG_9773.jpg

http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x452/JohnnyReeftank/Reeftank%20December%202010/IMG_9772.jpg

daniella3d
01-06-2011, 02:16 PM
Looks like a mix of hair algae and maybe diatome or dinoflagellate or cyanobacteria. Can't tell much without a microscope but very easy to tell them apart at 200X.

Put some phosphate absorbant and this will help.

JohnnyReeftank
01-06-2011, 07:54 PM
So....I've got everything? Here's a few more pics
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x452/JohnnyReeftank/5e7134bb.jpg
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x452/JohnnyReeftank/196f9dd3.jpg
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x452/JohnnyReeftank/01389596.jpg

Aquattro
01-06-2011, 08:29 PM
I'd say what you have is a nutrient problem :) What is your water change schedule? RO or tap water? Running a good skimmer? Feeding regime?

JohnnyReeftank
01-07-2011, 03:25 AM
Change the water 15-20% every week....Started the tank 4 months ago with tap water (neubie mistake) but the last 5 PWC's were with RO/DI water. I've got a Remora HOB skimmer and I feed small amounts of frozen and pellets 2-3 times a day. I guess I should just wait to see how the new RO/DI unit works out....any thoughts?

fishytime
01-07-2011, 03:32 AM
ok.....couple more questions.......how many fish(and what kind) and how do you feed your frozen food?

JohnnyReeftank
01-07-2011, 03:39 AM
I had 2 clowns and a wrasse....but the wrasse is a bully and now its just him. I thaw my frozen food and occasionally try and rinse it too....although its tough to rinse the brine shrimp without losing them all down the sink. I try to get rid of as much of the shrimp juice as I can.

Aquattro
01-07-2011, 03:42 AM
Used rock? It's possible it came from a high nutrient system if so. Have you tested NO3/PO3?

reefwars
01-07-2011, 03:47 AM
Change the water 15-20% every week....Started the tank 4 months ago with tap water (neubie mistake) but the last 5 PWC's were with RO/DI water. I've got a Remora HOB skimmer and I feed small amounts of frozen and pellets 2-3 times a day. I guess I should just wait to see how the new RO/DI unit works out....any thoughts?



is everything good with your ro unit like filters and membrane or is it a used system??


feeding frozen a few times a day is a bit much im only feeding frozen every other day with flakes in between, also what are you using for lighting and whats your light schedule??


edit**** seen your lighting:)

JohnnyReeftank
01-07-2011, 04:16 AM
It is used rock....buddy said he had it in his system for 5 years and it was covered with growth...not to mention every bad hitchhiker out there...couple red flags I guess

My N03 and P03 both show zero....but it might be because the algae is sucking it up so fast......should I try phosphate absorbant like Daniella said??

I actually just got my RO/DI on boxing day so I've only made 1 water change with it....I've been using store-bought RO water from a local water store for the last month and a half and before that I was using tap water and prime.

I've got my 2 actinics running 14 hrs and all 4 bulbs running 12 hours a day....is this light period too intense?


......a couple before and after pics of the same rock

http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x452/JohnnyReeftank/IMG_0222.jpg

http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x452/JohnnyReeftank/de003096.jpg

reefwars
01-07-2011, 04:19 AM
It is used rock....buddy said he had it in his system for 5 years and it was covered with growth...not to mention every bad hitchhiker out there...couple red flags I guess

My N03 and P03 both show zero....but it might be because the algae is sucking it up so fast......should I try phosphate absorbant like Daniella said??

I actually just got my RO/DI on boxing day so I've only made 1 water change with it....I've been using store-bought RO water from a local water store for the last month and a half and before that I was using tap water and prime.

I've got my 2 actinics running 14 hrs and all 4 bulbs running 12 hours a day....is this light period too intense?


......a couple before and after pics of the same rock

http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x452/JohnnyReeftank/IMG_0222.jpg

http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x452/JohnnyReeftank/de003096.jpg

so youve only had this algae problem since this rock has been added??

JohnnyReeftank
01-07-2011, 04:26 AM
Nope.....just started the tank (and the hobby) from scratch about 4 months ago. The rocks were all covered in Coraline during the cycle and for about 2 weeks after....then algae mania started on the rocks and back pane of glass....its especially thick in high-flow areas if that helps at all

daniella3d
01-07-2011, 04:31 AM
I am not saying you have everything but you seem to have hair algae mixed with something else, something slimy, just not sure what that something else is without looking at it under a mcroscope.

some like dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria can look very similar, so not sure.

reefwars
01-07-2011, 04:44 AM
Nope.....just started the tank (and the hobby) from scratch about 4 months ago. The rocks were all covered in Coraline during the cycle and for about 2 weeks after....then algae mania started on the rocks and back pane of glass....its especially thick in high-flow areas if that helps at all



helps alot actually, algae tends to grow more on things like powerheads,and glass where it gets alot of flow thus passing alot of nutrients, so i say its time to sit back and give your tank what it barely needs .....

a tank at 4 mts of age doesnt need 14 hrs of light so i would cut that back to 10 hrs with only 6-8 of " daylight "

id also cut back on your feeding to a little flake here and there and a frozen dinner every now and then(i feed it every few days) but rinse well for phospahtes. 1 single lonely fish doesnt need to be fed frozen and flake a few times a day:):)its alesson we all learn eventually lol:):)

continue using ro water it will make a diff in the long run.

consider running carbon and gfo or bio-pellets through a reactor as there def are nitrates and phosphates in your system its just being consumed so your test isnt showing it.


are you running a refuge or a sump??

JohnnyReeftank
01-07-2011, 05:02 AM
No fuge....no sump. I have a large blood shrimp and a cleaner shrimp that seem to grab every morcel of food that the fish don't get so I didn't think I was overfeeding....but it can't hurt to cut down.

Do you think that switching from a 14 hour to a 10 hour total-light period will affect my coral growth or coloration at all?....mostly zoos and a few LPS

reefwars
01-07-2011, 05:08 AM
No fuge....no sump. I have a large blood shrimp and a cleaner shrimp that seem to grab every morcel of food that the fish don't get so I didn't think I was overfeeding....but it can't hurt to cut down.

Do you think that switching from a 14 hour to a 10 hour total-light period will affect my coral growth or coloration at all?....mostly zoos and a few LPS


not at all they arent getting 12 hrs of light where they come from the sun rises and sets so there should be only a few hours of peak light around mid day.im not sure on how much light each needs for photosynthesis
asim sure it varys on the coral in question but most people are on a 10-12 schedule with a lower light like actinics for sunset and sunrise.


are you feeding any liquids to your tank or dosing anything??

JohnnyReeftank
01-07-2011, 05:42 AM
Yep....capful of Reef Fuel a week and Acan Plus twice a week for the corals. I've also been using Seachem Stability since the beginning....one capful after each water change.

I'm starting to think that it could be the Calgary tap water I used for the first 2 months.....it seems to be upwards of 150 ppm

fishytime
01-07-2011, 01:11 PM
Yep....capful of Reef Fuel a week and Acan Plus twice a week for the corals. I've also been using Seachem Stability since the beginning....one capful after each water change.

I'm starting to think that it could be the Calgary tap water I used for the first 2 months.....it seems to be upwards of 150 ppm

sounds like your over feeding......I feed once a day......and never spot feed my corals......try cutting back on on your feeding regiment and your light cycle....

pscott99
01-07-2011, 01:51 PM
My tank info is at aquariumpros.ca. Note sure where to post here yet. Although I am new to this hobby this difference between my tank and yours is very obvious.

I feed once a day and NOT shrimp/mysis everyday.
I have not fed my corals yet at all and only have four. 2 soft 2 LPS
My lights are on 8hrs and not blinding.

Results after 3mo. All the brown hair algae is gone from the rock. Still cleaning it off the glass. Tank cleaned up itself.

Using filtered well water waiting for RO/DI to arrive

I am testing the theory that less is better and will work fine on smaller tanks. I have done extensive reading and have decided not to spend $$1000 plus on sump and toys. Anyone that says you can do it cheaper didn't add up all their bills.

Would it help my tank sure it would. Is it necessary. I say no, until or if I go bigger. Time will tell but what I like about this board is that I see a lot of smaller tanks that seem to do just fine with out all the toys.

As I said I am a newb and loving this beautiful FUN new hobby.

reefwars
01-07-2011, 03:16 PM
My tank info is at aquariumpros.ca. Note sure where to post here yet. Although I am new to this hobby this difference between my tank and yours is very obvious.

I feed once a day and NOT shrimp/mysis everyday.
I have not fed my corals yet at all and only have four. 2 soft 2 LPS
My lights are on 8hrs and not blinding.

Results after 3mo. All the brown hair algae is gone from the rock. Still cleaning it off the glass. Tank cleaned up itself.

Using filtered well water waiting for RO/DI to arrive

I am testing the theory that less is better and will work fine on smaller tanks. I have done extensive reading and have decided not to spend $$1000 plus on sump and toys. Anyone that says you can do it cheaper didn't add up all their bills.

Would it help my tank sure it would. Is it necessary. I say no, until or if I go bigger. Time will tell but what I like about this board is that I see a lot of smaller tanks that seem to do just fine with out all the toys.

As I said I am a newb and loving this beautiful FUN new hobby.




that my friend is where it varys, take a look at my 33 zoa tank....no bells no whistles no nothing.....its been running over 3 years but has been plagued with many problems. i do know that you can run a tank without any sump or fuge or fancy equipment.

now......


ask me can i convert it to an sps tank...........def not , not at this point as my tank has stabilized to the point where it thrieves off nutrients.there are lots of corals that love this and lots that wouldnt last a week.


so in my opinion what you plan to keep is very important on the way you set your tank up.im using two different routes one small tank ive had for years with nothing but a hob filter and now a media reactor(as algae is hard to fight in a nutrient rich system) it uses tap water,rarely gets vacummed,plus gets fed zoo plankton frequently.........sooooo very hard to maintain as a clean tank.


my other tank im going a fifferent route...... ro water,controller,zeovit,media reactors and a super huge skimmer as in this tank i want to be more open to what i can have.

ive owned just about a hundred kinds of coral and i can def say that some are easier to keep in less than perefect conditions and some require pristine water conditions so choose your path wisely because 3 yrs down the road its gonna be alot harder to clean your act up than it is to now:):)

cheers and i agree with fishytime that with a little less nutrients being added youll see your tank clean again it just may take a while:):)

nothing but bad things happen over night:):)

Aquattro
01-07-2011, 03:26 PM
As others have pointed out, stop adding so much food. No liquids, rinse the frozen that you reign back to twice a week, supplement with pellets of flakes, but sparingly.
I'd use some sort of nitrate/phosphate removal media, choice is yours on what works best.

I'd also up the volume of weekly water changes to 35% or so. Adding a couple of turbo snails may help with that red stuff. When doing your water change, try to scrape the crap off the glass as you siphon it out. This will be the quickest export method for the nutrients.

JohnnyReeftank
01-07-2011, 05:19 PM
Roger that.....thanks everyone! I'm going to cut way back on my feeding and light period. I'm going to chuck a couple extra snails in there and increase the volume of my water changes every week.......I'll keep you all posted with pics if something happens.

rtram
01-09-2011, 07:34 AM
you also dont need to be adding in stability every water change. should be used mainly to get you through your cycle imo.

feeding schedule is a bit much though, since you are running a smaller aquarium, and you only have a relatively small bio-load.