SEVERE algae problem. Brown/green slime over all rocks! Please Help!

Discussion in 'Algae' started by Cyruskayos, Jul 9, 2008.

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  1. Cyruskayos

    Cyruskayos Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    i have like 30 pounds of live rock...might be more i forget...

    where can i find that "mod" you speak of for the maxijet?
     
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  3. Bogie

    Bogie Snowflake Eel

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  4. geekdafied

    geekdafied 3reef Sponsor

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    I didnt bother reading all the childish crap that has gone in this thread...

    If it hasnt been mentioned already, you are seriously overfeeding a crowded tank. That sailfin tang craps out some pretty large turds and the more you feed it, the more it does it. All of these things people are telling you to do are putting bandaids on the problem. Find the source, fix it and you wont have the problem. There is way to many people saying totally different things on how to fix it. This problem isnt going to be fixed over night.

    I reccomend drastically cutting back on your feeding, once every 3 days and cut the amount in half.

    Cut your photo period in half as well. Change out the bulbs, I use 14K bulbs with no algae problems, but MH bulbs go bad faster then most others and when they do, all they're good for is growing algae.

    If you're going to start physically removing the algae, invest ina good UV filter. Get one rated for atleast twice the size of your tank. Hang it on the back of your tank with a 300gph powerhead on it dedicated to that. You can also get one and put it on your return line from the sump.

    Speaking of your sump, when was the last time you cleaned that out? All kinds of funk collects there too that feeds algaes.
     
  5. Cyruskayos

    Cyruskayos Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    never, their is nothing growing at all in the sump, but their is some stuff that is settled on the bottom...if i swash my hand around in there it just gets blown back into the main tank though...it just looks like....idk...water dust? lol it just sinks straight to the bottom but it isnt algae or anything i dont think...i'm running to home depot now i'm going to hook up my ro and soon to be di to my washer hookup and get a large trashcan to store saltwater.
     
  6. kimmy

    kimmy Feather Duster

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  7. kimmy

    kimmy Feather Duster

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    Here is why I am not a fan of bio balls. IMO, they do not do the job. Can you remove them and put a sock there that would collect a lot of the particles? Then instead of bio balls, put some LR w/ cheato and light to help export some of the excess nutrients that are obviously in your tank? BTW...what is your bioload? I'm not the tang police, but in a 37...not a good idea.
     
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  9. Cyruskayos

    Cyruskayos Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    well, would that be safe to do? i figured everyone used bioballs :eek:

    and dont worry i will remove him when he gets to big ;-)
     
  10. Cyruskayos

    Cyruskayos Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    hey, i just bought all of this from marine depot:

    SKU Description Price Qty
    AS1153 Mini-Jet 606 Powerhead $16.49 (one) -pump for reactor
    TL4311 Two Little Fishies Phosban Reactor 150 $31.99 (one)
    AS9537 Instant Ocean Reef Crystals Salt Mix - 50gal Bag $13.49 (one)
    AS1117 Maxi-Jet 1200 Powerhead / MP 1200 $19.99 (one) -powerhead for rubermaid trashcan (32g)
    HD19201 Hydor Koralia 2 Circulation Pump/Powerhead UL 600 gph $71.98 (two) -figured my tunze needed some extra help with tank circulation, hopefully i can really get everything flowing, anyone have powerhead placement suggestions?
    SC3259 Seachem PhosGuard 4L $37.99 (one) -for reactor

    i'll be done buying everything, but first i need some help choosing the right filter for my ro unit, the thread is here:

    http://www.3reef.com/forums/filters...-ro-filters-help-general-ro-upkeep-50231.html

    please help me with that one last thing^^ after that i should be set :)
     
  11. geekdafied

    geekdafied 3reef Sponsor

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    Here is my problem with liverock vs bioballs... LR has nowhere near the surface are of bioballs when you factor in the amount of space they both go into. Dont yall know that you are more likely to trap crap in LR then you are with bioballs?


    As for the stuff on the bottom of your sump, thats DECAYING matter that is creating your nitrates and feeding your algae. Turn off the flow to your tank, use a shop vac and suck all of that up. Since a lot of it is obviously in your tank now, use a siphon and siphon out your sand. Im willing to bet you're going to see some really nasty stuff come out of it. Once you do all of that, your algae will go away.
     
  12. gazog

    gazog Kole Tang

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    I don't know if you can cancel that order but Foster and smith has allot lower pieces on some of the stuff you bought and matches the others except the Reactor. See the links above, you might even call the Depot and see if they will match the prices, they are pretty easy going and to work with.

    Their reef crystals are the best buy on the net right now, 160 gallon tub for under 30 bucks. Thats 3 times the salt for twice what you paid.

    I recommend the korolias to everyone, they have a great flow but its not concentrated like the maxijets, its a nice wide gentle flow and Foster and smith has the 2 for $33 bucks.

    I use their Brand PhosPure works as good as all the other brands and cost a bunch less.

    I don't know if your like me but every little dollar helps and the 38 bucks for the korolia difference is a big deal.