ALGAE HELL

[31-2c]

After following the recommendations of several people, I installed MH's on my 55g tank in April.

I am now regretting that decision.

By mid May my tank had exploded in multiple types of algae. Hair and cyano being the worst. I was able to beat the cyano with increased water flow, but the hair algae is impossible.

To add to this mess, I now have some type of fuzzy black algae growing all over the sandbed and the glass. I can scrape it off, but it returns within a couple days.

It will not be much longer before my wife gets tired of this ugly mess and the aquarium will go out the window.

Any last minute suggestions before I give up.
:evil:

 

[aquarist=broke]

It would help us out to know more about your tank:

Do you do any water changes?
(nutrient build up contributes to hair algae)

How often and what do you feed?
(feeding too much or really healthy foods increases nutrients)

What animals do you have?
(too many animals, or animals added to quickly will create algae problems)

What types of filtration are you using?
(Under gravel filters, canister filters, or powerfilters can be storing foods and wastes that promote algae growth)

Do you have any live rock?
(Uncured or partially cured rock may have nasties that affect your water quality)

What are your water parameters?
(High levels of ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates, improper water pH, and temperatures can also make your experience a living hell. Test kits are necessities in this hobby.)

And finally, what spectrum of lighting do you have running and for how long?
(Wrong spectral output , and running the lights for too long [haven't seen definative proof if this one yet] could possibly be feeding the algae)

I doubt it is only one of the above, but more a combination of two or more.

To me algae is a friend and a foe. I appreciate a few spots of algae for a natural feel and look, but if it starts to look like you described above, I would be pretty mad. Please answer some of the above for a start.....

 

[robbinson]

Here is an approach that has worked for me - though it did not completely eliminate hair algae growth, but has resulted in tolerable levels. My 120g reef was completely over-run with hair algae about 6 months after switching from VHO to hallides.

1. remove all live rock, scrub in a bucket of tank salt water with a toothbrush and replace in tank.

2. replace your substrate (can be a nitrate problem)

3. Do 1 week of daily 20% water changes

4. run the tank with 100% lights out for 3-4 days (long enough to break the hair algae cycle - but short enough that your corals can tolerate it).

5. Trim remaining hair algae weekly and add additional hermit crabs, turbo and other snails.

6. Add a few mithrex (emerald) crabs

7. If your tank is large enough, add a tang (Kole tang is a good algae eater - yellows are good too).

8. If you don't have a great skimmer - make the investment.

 

[ReefLion]

Any system that has all of the following should not have a significant algae problem:

- adequate live rock
- functioning DSB (including fauna)
- quality skimmer
- regular water changes
- RO/DI water for changes/top-off
- good water flow
- the ABSENCE of bioballs, cannister, bio-wheel, etc.

Many systems that lack one or more of these elements do fine, as I'm sure some folks will attest. In other words, you many not need all of these to eliminate algae, but if you have all of these things covered, your chances of a persistent, long-term algae problem are very slim.

Tim

[edited: added RO/DI to list]

 

[Anonymous]

31-2c wrote:

After following the recommendations of several people, I installed MH's on my 55g tank in April.

I am now regretting that decision.

By mid May my tank had exploded in multiple types of algae. Hair and cyano being the worst. I was able to beat the cyano with increased water flow, but the hair algae is impossible

please don't blame your halides for what is a phosphate/nitrate problem :wink: (this months advanced aquarist online has a very good article by RHF on this issue)

if you eliminate the nutrient issue problem, and then see how your tank looks and performs with the halides, i'm sure your regret will do a 180 :wink:

 

[wingd]

I had a specific type of algae in my tank that I could not get rid of. It was not the typical hair algae, but a type of algae that looked like a really small fern. I added tangs, many types of snails and crabs, but nothing would touch it. I had no phosphates and or high nutrient content in my water. What finally did help was lettuce Nudibranchs. I know that this is not the scientific name, but that is the only thing I have ever heard them called. I had to get several. I hope this helps.

 

[tazdevil]

Hmm, well, I had been battling hair algae (and do to the fact I didn't find this board until months after my tank was setup, I followed an lfs's advice, had a w/d, cc for substrate, berlinturbo skimmer-you get the idea). Problem grew and grew, however, I changed skimmer, added 2 klein's butterflies (no sps/lps/softies for a while ) 1 mythrax crab, and started making my own r/o DI water (LFS to damn far to drive for water, and grocery stores-2 different cub foods-had high nitrate readings in their r/odi water, guess they arent changing those filters often enough). Also, pulled out many times multitudes of the stuff (actually found a hermit crab crawling inside a bunch that I had pulled!). Filled a half gallon container several times. Now it seems to be dying back quite well. I have several Macroalgaes that have appeared out of no-where, not sure on types, definetly have structure to them (unlike the hair).

So, my suggestions

1: Ensure you are using a good skimmer.

2: Check your source water for nitrate/phosphate levels.

3: If your adding additives, watch it, they can make this problem tenfold what it is.

4: Scrub the rock (I never did this, however, I didn't want to risk killing all the good life I had on them, so I decided on the slow hard route).

5: "Storm" the tank, which should cause your skimmer to go nuts after it regains a stable foam head.

6: Check ph/alk, I also had a low alk (6),and ph (7.7); have been adding superbuffer dkh, alk is now 12, ph still at 7.7- but my source water is softened pre-r/odi, and it's ph is 7.0.

I did all these at nearly the same time, so I can't pinpoint which one (or combo) has been working, yet they have.

 

[hossfly]

I now how you feel. After running "VHO's" for several years,I thought MH would be THE way to go and finally decided to shell out the bucks. So far it has been a big mistake. I too, had a terrible algea bloom that has taken over the tank. I have done 3 water changes in 3 weeks time and it hasn't helped a thing. It's gotten so bad, the corals wouldn't (or couldn't) come out for the algea all over them. My water is fine, except the alk is alittle low. I have finally just turned the blammed lights off for the last 3 days and allowed the algea to die back a little. then today I only turned the VHO's back on . I may for may not turn them back off and leave the tank without light for a couple more days and see if that helps get things back under control. I paid too much to just scrap the MH but I wish I'd just added a couple more VHO's in hindsight. If i can't get things to stay better I guess I'll just have to buy more hermits and snails to see if that helps. I wish people wouldn't be afraid to just say "DONT' DO IT!!!" but even after asking advice here for several weeks, before purchasing the lights, didn't bring one negative response.
that makes me wonder . all these problems with algea everyone is having, do they all run MH bulbs????

 

[31-2c]

standard 55g tank

130lbs mixed sand (some live, some SD, some Caribsea)

150lbs live rock

2 maroon clowns
1 yellow watchman goby
1 orchid dottyback
1 large rock anemone
1 serpent star

halides are 2 175w Ushio 10k Bulbs with 2 40w URI actinics

I have a hang on refugium with 2 15w daylight bulbs. This has about 10lbs of sand in it. This used to have caulerpa growing in it, not it is just a big slimey mess.

I also have a sump with about 20lbs of live rock in it. No Bioballs, No sponges, No floss.

I certainly could use a better skimmer, but I do not have any room. The skimmer I have is from Aquaclear and came with the sump.

Ammonia, Nitrite all at zero. I have always had Nitrates, no matter how many water changes are done. Nitrates are just over 50.

Water changes of 20% are done every month.

I have a small amount of Phosphate that I can not get rid of no matter what i try. (Phosphate sponge, Phosguard, etc..)

I remove about a gallon bucket full of algae every week or so.

for current, i have 3 maxijet 400's and a maxi jet 1200 on a wavemaker pro. i also have my return flow from a RIO 1700 (I know, dont use rio's..)

I have another maxi jet 400 in my refugium for circulation.

as for feeding, I only feed about twice a week. using only SanFrancisco Bay frozen foods (Emerald Entree, Marine Cuisine, omega Enriched Brine Shrimp, and Squid.)

I have purchased several different types of snails and crabs,(20 -25 snails, 20 or so hermits) and they havent done a whole lot to help. I can see they are trying, but they are not keeping up.

 

[danmhippo]

David, what is your source water? RODI or tap?

If nitrate and phosphate problem is already there before the upgrade, It will look worse AFTER the upgrade. But if the water quality is fairly spotless, MH will only make your tank nicer.

 

[31-2c]

Sorry, forgot about the water source. I use RO water. I get it at the local grocery store. (looking at some other posts, this may be a problem)

It sure is getting old lugging all that water around

 

[31-2c]

One other thing, Since July I have shut the 40w flourescents off and only run the halides for 4 hours a day. I also tried shutting down all lighting for 4 days, it did thin out, but came right back as soon as a little light was provided

The MH's are mounted about 10 inches above the water surface

 

[reefland]

Any system that has all of the following should not have a significant algae problem:

- adequate live rock
- functioning DSB (including fauna)
- quality skimmer
- regular water changes
- RO/DI water for changes/top-off
- good water flow
- the ABSENCE of bioballs, cannister, bio-wheel, etc.

I had everyone one of these (plus a refugium for nutrient export) and I still had a horrible algae outbreak that lasted almost 1.5 years.

What I did to finally beat the algae was:

1) Replaced RO/DI filters at a faster schedule. Ignored what people said about membrane lasting 2 years, prefilters 6 months, etc. I replaced the membrane. And I now replace all pre-filters every 3 months. Invested in a digital TDS meter and replace DI cartridge as soon as it changes from 0 ppm to 1 ppm. I'll replace the membrane when it no longer rejects 98% or better of the TDS - be it 1 year, 2 years, or 3 years.

2) Stopped dumping in bagfuls of snails and hermits thinking they would solve the problem. I now run my tank with no snails or hermit crabs.

3) Changed skimmer. I already had an ETS 800 skimmer which many consider a quality skimmer and correctly sized for a 180 gallon tank. Swapped to a custom made beckett skimmer.

4) Changed my lighting from the warmer lower kelvin Iwasaki bulbs to 10kk Ushio bulbs.

5) I stopped doing water changes for a while. I don't blame the source water but the salt mixes. They claim to be Nitrate free which infact seems to be correct. However, they often have significant levels of ammonia which is still a food source for algae and follows the Nitrogen cycle to becoming nitrate.

I tried snails, hermits, various crabs, tangs, nudibranches, each helped a little but nothing solved it. I documented where I had a breif rapid victory with snails but it did start to return a few months later which led me to doing the above 5 listed items.

http://www.rl180reef.com/pages/algaewar/algaewar.htm

Since I did the above items, it's been 100% hair algae free. It worked for me, your milage may vary. Which was the key I have no clue. It's even possible it would have gone away on its own -- but I doubt it.

 

[danmhippo]

Saltmix has significant level of ammonia??? I don't even have ammonia test kits anymore..........

 

[reefland]

Saltmix has significant level of ammonia??? I don't even have ammonia test kits anymore

Depending on this mix it can. I've tested 4 different batches of Instant Ocean and 2 of the 4 showed strong levels, one shows a hint of it. And one had none. I have no idea if perhaps a cheaper chemical is used from time to time that might produce ammonia as part of some reaction.

At the time I called Instant Ocean about it and the rep told me the mix states it is Nitrate free and Phosphate free and says nothing about being ammonia free -- which is true if you read it.

I haven't had an ammonia kit in a long time, no clue how the mixes test these days. If you have a kit handy, see if a freshly mixed batch has some.

 

[Anonymous]

it's not always phosphate and nitrate free, as well :wink:

 

[reefland]

Found a reference in MARLIN ATKINSON and CRAIG BINGMAN's "The Composition Of Several Synthetic Seawater Mixes "

http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm ... efault.asp

Figure 12 shows that two salts were notably low in ammonia: Tropic Marin at 0.55 micromoles per kilogram and SeaChem at 0.7. All the other salts were substantially higher in ammonia than tropical ocean surface water, ranging from 5.2 to 11.9 micromoles per kilogram. These concentrations of ammonia will not be toxic to fish or invertebrates and would not be an issue at all when performing a modest partial water exchange in an established reef tank.

That shows it is present in salt mixes and hints that larger water changes may be an issue.

 

[tazdevil]

31-2c, Your on the right track with the water. I had been using R/O only, and where I live, there's a lot of farming. Assuming you live near farming areas of South Dakota, your source water may have a high nitrate load in it. The R/O filtration here didn't eliminate it, only the new (and $$) R/O, DI filter that i bought took the level to zero. Nothing like adding fertilizer to the tank to promote GHA! 8O :x :evil:

 

[ReefLion]

It's also likely your supermarket does not service its RO unit as frequently as it should. Getting your own RO/DI unit would be the place I would start.

Tim