Algae question..

[Terreefic]

buddy mine just got new lights and has massive algae problems, told him i would try to ask the nice people on this website i kno, ill call u back tommorrow... so what causes algae, any products on the market work??.. any suggestions are appreciated.. thanks

 

[SnowManSnow]

If it is a new tank and the algae is brown it is probably what is known as a diatom bloom. Almost all tanks get it in the early days.. I've also had a bloom upon changing lighting spectrums.

That said.. algae grows in your tank because of excess nutrients (dirty water). IMO the best way to get rid of most algae problems is to :

1- up water change frequency
2- ONLY use RO or RODI water
3- Cut photperiod for a while (if there are no corals then he can cut it WAAAY down).
4- Physically remove what you can get to.

B.

 

[Anonymous]

Also Phosphates kept down help with algae

 

[IslandCrow]

I'd have him avoid any algae removing products. Those are only temporary fixes, and some can do more harm than good. Proper filtration (biological and mechanical), avoiding overfeeding and regular water changes are the best ways to combat algae. It's fueled by excess nutrients, mainly nitrates and phosphates. Reducing the sources of those nutrients is the only sure method. About the only product I might recommend is a phosphate removing media such as Phosban (there are many others). That alone won't fix the problem, but it can help by binding the phosphates in the water to the media.