Last attempt at saving my tank

[Anonymous]

I have just ordered a Phosban reactor and Rowaphos. This is my last attempt of throwing money and time at my tank to fight hair aglae. If this doesn't work I will be making a video of me smashing the tank into tiny little pieces.

I have tried everything to remove this algae and keep it away. It went away for 3 months but then came right back and in a vengance.

feed 1/2 cube frozen mysis every other day
RO/DI/DI
I yanked the DSB.
Switch salts from IO to Oceanic
Kalk reactor on auto top off
Replaced MR-1 skimmer with a Euroreef
More flow
new bulbs
frequent water changes
large water changes
vacumming the detritus

I will not return the fish and corals if I am going to keep the tank. If I do the tank goes.

I will not add a refugium. No room for one and not enough electricity to run another light.
_________________
Payment protection insurance Forum

 

[Anonymous]

Good luck Rob.

Something to check would be your Oceanic salt. Some of the batches had really high phosophates. Mix up a batch and check the water. If the test comes out alright, you're good to go. I guess it was one batch that got polluted.

B

 

[Anonymous]

I wish you good luck also.

Your problem is relatively simply to understand. The bioload from your livestock is producing nutrients for plant life. Hence plant life in the form of hair algae. All of the things you have done and anything else you can do will not prevent that.

There are several things you can do with plant life besides an external refug. In tank refug, more decorative plant life, or even just grooming the hair algae will help. IMO those are the things you should try. Once you get plant life you desire established, the plant life you don't will be a thing of the past.

 

[Len]

This is a long shot, but have you considered removing the sixline? They are extremely adept at pod hunting. Pods do an amazing job at grazing algae.

Good luck Rob. It might that there is simply too much nutrients bound in the rocks :?

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with Beaslbob.

And no one better use that as a sig line :lol:

He is right, you have a nutrient export problem. Phosphates are not the only thing that feeds alga. You need to boost other forms of algae, for example, coralline, in order to balance the bioload.

How much coralline do you have? Is there good growth? I see a Kalk reactor in your list, how long have you been using it? Coralline may not be a quick-fix like a refugium with macro algae, but with patience/time, your hair algae problem should end.

A couple of other things that may help: cut back on feeding (you may think you have, but maybe not...?) Rinse the frozen foods you feed in a brine shrimp net before feeding. Perhaps reduce the bioload? Somewhere, something in your system is causing organic waste to be produced. Fish poop, uneaten food, anything organic that decays will feed your algae. After all, that's what fertilizer is Think about all the places that detritus can build up and lead to algae problems. Behind rockwork, for example. Flush it out, and skim the crap out of your water. Adding some ChemiPure and changing your carbon out often will also help.

I really don't know what you have already tried, so I'm just shooting you some ideas. Perhaps a combination of all of the above.

Most of all, you need patience. Any tank will eventually find it's own equilibrium given half a chance and a light bio-load

HTH

 

[Anonymous]

Good luck Rob!!!

I know several people who have had happy results with Rowaphos.

 

[ChrisRD]

What do you have for grazers? I agree with Len, considering all you have tried, it may be that there's just a lot of phosphate bound-up in the rock. Did you ever try removing some of the rocks and keeping them in a covered container for a month or two?

 

[Anonymous]

I do not want plants growing in the tank. Soo they will overgrow the coralws as well as the hair algae.

The tank is only a 58 so an in tank refugium would take up too much space.

I have seen many many many tanks with no refugium/plant life that do very well. I just don't get it.
_________________
Mercedes Benz W125

 

[Anonymous]

I have not removed the rocks and kept them covered. I think that would result in dead rock with dead bacteria in it.

Not much grazers left. Most have died off.

There are no pods/worms left in the tank.

Some Coraline is on the back glass. None to minimal on the LR.

I do not run carbon. My sump is designed poorly with no place to run the water through carbon/chemicals. Thats why I bought the Phosban reactor.

Just a shame to see the corals suffer from this mess.
_________________
Brain Disorders Forum

 

[Ben1]

It probably is bound in the rock, cooking the rock might be a good suggestion as mentioned above. If you follow the right steps in "cooking" it you should be fine to use the same rock. Replacing it all can be expensive but the rock should have good coralline growth on it.

 

[Anonymous]

The rock had good coraline on it but it is gone now.. The starboard on the bottom shows some coraline. The coraline on the back glass is all white.

Kalk reactor has been running for about 5 months now.
_________________
Brazilian Forum

 

[Anonymous]

Rob, I know you've been struggling through this for some time...allow me to answer a question that has probably been asked numerous times...

Is your tank in a spot where it receives a lot of natural sunlight?

 

[Anonymous]

Not in this tank. The room has sunlight in it during the day though but none directly on the tank.
_________________
Macumba Forum

 

[Anonymous]

Okay. I wish you the best Rob...hopefully this will do the trick.

 

[ChrisRD]

The bacteria, pods, etc. don't require light to function, so keeping the rock in the dark for a while is not going to kill that stuff. They'll have plenty to munch-on for a long while, even with no lights.

Without something to eat it, I think you're going to have a tough time eliminating the algae. Fortunately there's a lot of stuff that eats hair algae. Any idea why your other clean-up critters died?

As for the pods, even if you're not seeing them, I bet there's still some in the system (unless the sixline has been sneaking into your sump too ). Given the chance I bet the population would return quickly.

I'd be surprised if the Rowa doesn't have a pronounced effect, but I would still try to add some grazers back in there. If all else fails, try "cooking" the rock.

 

[Anonymous]

What is "cooking" the rock, Chris? Boiling it?

 

[ChrisRD]

No, when Ben said "cooking" he was referring to taking the rock out and putting it into a covered container (no light) with a powerhead or two for a couple of months. The rock is periodically blown-off with a powerhead or turkey baster and all the crud on the bottom syphoned out with a water change. It allows the rock some time to shed detritus / bound-up nutrients and clean itself. Basically you kill-off the algae AND get rid of the future fuel so it can't grow back. Encrusting stuff like coralline seems to rebound from the process but other micro/macro algaes won't. If you do some searches online there's probably a lot more info on it...

 

[ChrisRD]

The short, short version... ...recuring the rock, except with no light...

 

[Anonymous]

and in three months Rob will have hair algae again. After all the current rocks have buildup from his bioload. But they didn't three months ago.

Rob There are many many forms of plant life which are not invasive and look as nice as corals as well. Please give those a try.

 

[Anonymous]

I have 5 fish and 8 SPS frags, and a hammer,frogspawn adn a wesophelia. I don't think thats alot of bioload for a 58 or is it?

What plants will grow in the tank and NOT take over or attach them selves to the rock?
_________________
Mercedes Actros