Algae woes :(

[HClH2OFish]

Ok, due to some serious back issues, I wasn't able to do my regular water changes for a bit over a month and did only top offs.

Compare the tank before:

With after:

I'm replacing my Prizm soon with a BakPak and will be pulling as much of the hair off the substrate as I can.

The rock on the right has a large mass of algae that is directly in the current from my powerhead. I'll probably pull the rock, scrub the algae, and butane lighter where it was.

I have a small clean up crew - 3 hermits, 1 large turbo and 2 nassarius (always under the sand)

There is also at least one 4" bristleworm but he stays in the main rock structure.

Would a few more nassarius help or ???

TYIA

 

[cjsrch]

HEY it looks like hte reefs off florida! so say u have a florida biotope

 

[fungia]

it doesnt look like you have many herbivores in the tank. those could help, stuff like nassarius, trochus, fighting conches, turbos. it is standard question, are you using ro-di? a better skimmer should help too. my tank had the same algae problems in the begining but settled down after a year.

 

[Anonymous]

Is it just my imagination or are those ricordias doing pretty well dispite the algae?

Sure add cleaners. But be sure the plant life consumed is replaced by plant life you desire.

Again in any closed aquatic environment you have with the plant life you like or the plant life you don't. Choice is yours.

 

[HClH2OFish]

it doesnt look like you have many herbivores in the tank. those could help, stuff like nassarius, trochus, fighting conches, turbos. it is standard question, are you using ro-di? a better skimmer should help too. my tank had the same algae problems in the begining but settled down after a year.

Yup...RO/DI from the store. Never had any problems until I didn't do my regular water changes and was just topping off (had back problems)
I'm gonna see about adding a few clean up crew to the mix, as it's a pretty low load in there (1 turbo and 2 nassarius...3 hermits)
I'm also replacing the Prizm with a BakPak2R. Should be fine on a 25gal

Is it just my imagination or are those ricordias doing pretty well dispite the algae?

They're doing very well....here's a pic taken at 2AM after lights off for a few hours. They're full size is about another 50-75% increase in what you see here.

Sure add cleaners. But be sure the plant life consumed is replaced by plant life you desire.

Again in any closed aquatic environment you have with the plant life you like or the plant life you don't. Choice is yours.

Well I'm not planning on having the tank stay in this state to support a clean up crew permanently. I plan on eradicating the algae totally and ensure the water params don't allow it to happen again.

That said however, I may do some aquascaping one of these months and see about adding some kinds of nice algaes, like shaving brush or hmm...the red branchy one

 

[Charlesr1958]

Would try to find some of the star snails as they have proven to me to be much better at keeping unwanted algae under control. There will always be some algae growth in any tank but as you suspected, nitrate free water and a few good cleaners will make any algae unnoticable. The nasarius type snails are only good for picking up left over fish food as they are meat eaters and not algae eaters. The turbo types are suited for that job as well as a lawnmower blenny.

 

[EastMr2]

I'm pretty new to reef tanks, but I have a Sally Lightfoot Crab in my tank, and I don't think I have ever seen that thing stop eating Algae.

I have seen him sometimes bother my anenimes though(not that offen, and they ussally just close up and then open right back up), so I'm not sure how one would act towards the ricordias.

 

[Anonymous]

when I first tried to establish macros in my display my anemone crabs ate it. I now have an in tank refugium to protect the macros.

 

[K9coral]

What are star snails? Do they eat hair algae?

 

[HClH2OFish]

I dunno if there's enough for an emerald to thrive. Also not sure how he'd deal with my CBS. Did a good WC and scrubbed all the rock with a toothbrush. Also added a BakPak to replace my Prizm and it really looks much better.