Algae algae, can't keep up and about to quit

yeah run that seagal..i would use just regular gfo, but if thats what you have for now then def get that in..

i would also look into getting a skimmer..you can find used ones for pretty cheap..

if not a skimmer than a phosban reactor..i would also put about a 3" sandbed if it were my tank..

also some of those sand snails will do wonders the next time you replenish your hermits..

i would look into getting a cleaner tank, than worry about the water your putting in...

 

it doesnt matter what the params say..some batches of salt can sometimes contain nitrates and phosphates that trigger algae blooms..or have algae somethings in the salt..this is just stuff i have read with peoples problems..

 

Too many fish for a 20g tank, and no skimmer. That is a combination that is ripe for algae growth. I'd get a skimmer and cut the fish population in half. In my opinion, the amount of food you need to feed for that many fish is causing elevated phosphate levels (food contains phosphate which is released into the water column from the fish's feces). .04ppm may seem low, but that is most likely a false low reading as the algae (and chaeto) is consuming it making the reading seem on the low end.

 

Totally agree!!! It worked like a charm in my tank. I was exactly like you and have tried everything! Get the BRS GFO Reactor!!! Best $90 i ever spent on my tank!!!!!

 

I don't think the fish pop is that bad, the mollies are going back to the F/W if they don't remove algae, and if they do, once the algae is gone they go back to F/W (I don't buy "disposable" fish, I hate that).

Only fish I'm planning on is one more mandarin, but the dottyback is just waiting for someone from the local reef club to come get him.

I think a skimmer or GFO is what I'm missing. I can probably DIY a GFO reactor.

 

How's about this:



Add some GFO to it, hook a tiny power head to it (50ish gph). Would that suffice?

I have the one the now exhausted DI resin is in, but I can discard the used up resin (I don't care to recharge it).

 

big water change with quality water, some lights out for a day or 4 and aggressive manual removal and you should do okay. are you feeding phyto or any other liquid foods? if so, stop, they are fuel for the fire for sure....rinse your other foods, proteins and food mixtures that are basically liquified serve little purpose other than to fuel algae, it doesn't take as much as you would think.

they make algaecide that is risky to use in your tank (algae dies and robs the water of oxygen in the process leads to crash etc...), but you can dip your corals in mixtures with it, and then replace them into the tank. (If your corals are being killed by cyano, they havea different product etc...) 8 hour light cycles when the lights are on and all the rest mentioned by the members above and you should be able to save the corals and stop the growth of the algae. Then you just need to get it out. Add a teaspoon of epsom salt to your tank every week or so if you arent testing for mag and honestly wont by that time. The bulbs may need to be changed, it isnt a months thing as much as it is a spectrum lost thing. Not all bulbs start at the same spectrum, not all are made to last as long, and not all are run the same amount of time per day. If you feel the tank looks more yellow than it used to, try looking into switching them out. A used 14k wont grow as much as algae as a used 10k, etc..

 

I swapped out my older 14k to the 6 month old 20k (which is quite dim, and even the zoas are "reaching") and it is getting better. I'm doing constant manual removal. It'll square away in time... I'm losing the corals, getting a single tube T5, and getting some not-reef-safe guys for the tank...should be at least a little easier.

 

Don't give up, algae problems are part of this hobby. Without a skimmer, IMO you have to at least run some sort of PO4 remover passively, but I would consider running it with a reactor.
Manual removal, siphoning everyday, use an airline tube for the sandbed/rock cyano, and run it through a filter sock and into a bucket, and dump your water back into the tank.

You probably will only need to siphon a couple of gallons to clear it up. Do it everyday though.

How long are your lights on for, cut your photoperiod down, really even SPS will thrive with 5 hours of your most intense lighting, and an hour on each end with actinics.

I wouldn't add anymore CUC especially if your stuff needs to be replaced every couple of months. The problem with CUC or fish to clean tanks is they make as much waste as they remove. You need to get aggressive on the manual removal, but I have seen the battle won many times, with people in worse shape than you...good luck.