I think I have an algae outbreak

I noticed that my algae blenny has disappeared, I assume an unknown death. I have noticed that I have developed green algae on the glass and also on top of my sand. I checked the water and everything is normal except the nitrates are at 20. I don't understand this either because I have two clams and since I have had them I haven't had a nitrate problem, but now I do. Is this thin layer of green algae diatoms? My tank has been up since October 2006 so I know that it is cycled and I just did a water change last week and used the siphon thing to clean the sand......the next day I had a thin layer of this green stuff and it has krept up on my walls. Please help!!! The only new things I have gotten in the past two weeks are a Toadstool leather and my second clam, which is a baby.

 

Those nitrates are probably from your "missing" blenny. :-[

Find what is left, get it out. Start some large water changes over next couple of days...

Good Luck! 8)

PS: Make sure those clams have not passed on...:-/

 

Diatoms are brown. I would try to keep it off the class by cleaning daily if possible. I'm not a big fan of cleaning the sand, that is where all the good bacteria live. Have you changed how long you leave your lights on? Algae likes light so cut back a little and that will help stop the spread. If it hasn't turned into hair algae then it might just go away in a few days. Are you using RO water?

 

You also need to check your phosphates and make sure no sunlight is hitting the tank during the day because that will cause algae to grow bad.

 

Ok, I'll answer one at the time. Last week I took all of the LR and most of my corals out while I did a good clean of the sand with the siphon. This was mostly because I was missing a diamond goby. I have a mated pair and I thought one was burrying the other because he was awful busy moving sand. I found her thank goodness! Anyway, I didn't find the blenny during this and I really don't even know how long he has been missing because he was usually hiding. Anyway, my cleaning resulted in about a 1/3 water change. I use RO water.

My clams look fantastic. I don't know what a dead clam looks like but I would think that they would not still contract when put something near them.

My lights are on a timer and I messed up the timer during my cleaning and it took me a couple days to realize it. But, this made my lights not come on as often, so the opposite of on too much. Anyway, I have since put them back on the timer that they have been on for months and that is the blues come on at 11am and go off at 8pm and the rest comes on at 12pm and goes off at 7pm. I am not sure if this is too much or not.

Also, I don't have a phosphate test so I will have to get one. How do phosphates get in the tank? The tank is in a dark corner of my living room and there is only one window in that room which is not near the tank, so I think I have that basis covered.

**On a side note, Otty-----I read somewhere that you do not do water changes. How does this work? I have kept up with your new tank and it is absolutely beautiful and inspiring. We are in the process of buying a new house and I mentioned to my husband about taking out one of the walls that seperates the living room from a play room and just making a huge living room. Of coarse, he has kept up with your tank too and he says he has a great idea and it is to put a tank there instead of taking out the whole wall. So, I can imagine that it is a pain to clean that tank and I wanted to know what you do. Thanks.

 

Tangster helped me set up this 265g because I had never set one up this large. Once you go past the 180g range in aquariums things change a bit. You get to the point that it's too big to keep up with adding Calcium and such. I run a Ca reactor and also have to add Mg about every two weeks. I add stronium about twice a week and I put in Kents essential ellements every two weeks because I don't to water changes.
As far as cleaning, all I do is change my filter socks, skimmer and wipe the glass off with a Mag cleaner every other day. I don't syphon any sand because it hold needed bacteria for the tank to run. I do make sure there is plenty of water flow with a 5,800gph Ocean Motion closed loop plus about 2,500gph I return from my sump and fuge. I am in the process of putting another HammerHead pump on my sump return and running the skimmer and all 4 reactors off if it in a manifold.
My tank is only accessible from the back side but I wanted that clean picture look on the front. If you take out a wall to do this make sure it is not a load bearing wall and if it is like mine was that you replace the supports with a bean and some jacks.

 

I have done two water changes and I still have this thin layer of green stuff covering my sand and some on the walls. My Turbos are keeping up with the walls, but my green sand is making my tank look bad. I have tested everything and it was all ok except for the Nitrate at 20. Does anyone have any suggestions to clear this up? Also, how long should my lights be on?

 

taking the lr out probably affected the tank more than one dead fish.dead sw fish are gone within a day if not hours by the clean up crew.get some turbos and they will make short work of the green algae on the glass.

 

My nitrates are also at 20ppm but I have no algae problem. Sounds like to me that your tank is getting some kind of direct or indirect sun light from somewhere. Opps, I just read that your tank is in a dark room with only one window. O well, there goes that theory.

 

Ok, I just remembered today while at the LFS when the algae bloom started. I had bought a pound of sea grapes and put them in my tank. So they didn't float all around the tank I pt them in a little breeder cage. I noticed after a couple days the cage had algae all over it. I removed the sea grapes and disposed of and since then I have had this algae problem. I went to the LFS today and they sold me this blue green algae remover. Does anyone know if this will help or what happened?