Algae out off control!

Discussion in 'Algae' started by kiarah, Jan 4, 2009.

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  1. kiarah

    kiarah Coral Banded Shrimp

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    uk!
    Hi i Know everyone keeps saying dont worry bout your alge as it will clear up once your tank is fully matured ( up to 9 months - 1 year) but its a little out off control! i had the rusty stuff at the bottom off my deep tank that then gets like a black oil sleek on it and now i have red slime alge on my low rock & now over the floor too! i clean as much as i can out but the rusty stuff is back thick within 2 days then the thick stringy black stuff 3 days after my water change! my phos was for the first 3 months sat at 0.25 but then i added extra pho remover and it now 0. my nitrate has always been between 10-20 but i started my tank useing tectra chem cleaned tap water but have spent the past month swiching to ro water.
    Are ther any crabs, fish and so on that would be good at clearing the nuisance alge or should i just sit with it and hope it sorts its self out? kust worried it will take over the whole tank! I have very good growth off the good pink & purple alge & also halimede and some other plant like alge that i have not tryed to id yet that is green and has long stems with short little like hairs up each side.

    any advice would be very helpfull!
    Thanks K
     
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  3. scenario1313

    scenario1313 Tassled File Fish

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    Do have enough flow to the problem areas?
     
  4. kiarah

    kiarah Coral Banded Shrimp

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    I have a tunze flow at the top off my tank pointing down across the tank 2 filter pump outlets one at the top off the tank one half way down.I also have 2 power head protein skimmer outlet at the top off the tank so im thinking mybe i should get another smaller flow unit for the botton off the tank? do you think it will make any difference as there is quite alot off movement in the water already but i do admit it is a bit slack at the bottom!
    Thanks K
     
  5. kiarah

    kiarah Coral Banded Shrimp

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    Here are some picture off what algae im getting!
    Thanks K:confused:
    This is three days after a small water change ! ( Trying to slowly lower salt as it was 1.030)
     

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    Last edited: Jan 7, 2009
  6. 10acrewoods

    10acrewoods Fire Goby

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    that is cyano bac not algae and that is probalby due to your high nitrates lower no3 and it will go away
     
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  7. kiarah

    kiarah Coral Banded Shrimp

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    Oh right my nitrate is 10 - 20 so how do i lower it?
    I have a octopus BH twin motor skimmer which is ment for a larger tank then i have, 1 fluval 405 with live rock rubble filter media, 1 fluval 305 with chem media- carbon, 2 lots pho remover,funny ball things. uv sterilzer. Tunze power head.
    I started my tank using tap water (chem cleaned) but over the last month i have got my own ro unit. i have been doing 5-10 percent water changes every 3-4 days for the past 2 weeks with just fresh ro to slowly reduce my salt but this has not made any difference to my nitrate!.
    Would you advise a large water change to try and bring the nitrate down? If i continue to do water changes & top up with ro water do you thing the nitrate will eventually come down?
    Thanks K
     
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  9. 10acrewoods

    10acrewoods Fire Goby

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  10. infamous

    infamous Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

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    Get some Astrea snails. Your algae problem is really not that bad. Its quite common. Do some water changes with RO/DI water.
     
  11. unclejed

    unclejed Whip-Lash Squid

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    Hi, the Nitrate issue is an issue, however, one theory is, it is not so much the Nitrate itself as much as it is the Nitrogen Cyano bacteria uses with the Nitrate to reproduce itself. The Nitrate source, or sources, should try to be eliminated. A deep substrate is ideal for trapping Nitrogen gasses and combined with detritus will foster the environment needed for Cyano to flourish. Here is an article to peruse to help in understanding Cyano; Cyanobacteria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
     
  12. Froc3

    Froc3 Fire Goby

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    My g/f had this problem in her 14g biocube. We replaced the pump and added a powerhead, did a water change and added cheato to the second chamber (the new sump area). As suggested, try to increase your water flow and add some sort of nutrient export system.
    GL!