Algea on sandbed.**1-31-2011**

Im doing everything it says to do to take care of it, but I dont see how taking all my rock out and boiling it will help my system. Wouldn't it crash with no rock in it? specially for a few days drying in the sun, then im gonna lose all my Coraline on my LR and not to mention my numorous feather dusters. then when i add it back in wont my tank cycle again? killing off everything once more?

 

bump

 

How old is your lighting and how long to you keep it on?

 

month n a half. and its on from actinics 8am-6pm daylights from 9am-5am

 

I started getting algae, bubbles all over the rocks\hair algae growing on my sand\rocks. First thing I did was to change my light schedule.
Actinics turn on at 9am and turn off at 6pm. 9 Hours
10K's turn on at 10am and off at 3pm. 5 hours

Next I went out and got some chaeto and a fuge light, this would turn on at 6pm and off at 8am. 14 hours

I got some chemipure elite and some carbon and placed in the sump.
Finally finished up with a few emerald crabs.

Algae went away and has been gone since. Elerald crabs ate a few fish and they now live in my sump.

I don't think there's one single thing you can do to clear up the algae, and it might take a combo of things to get rid of it.

Now I have a routine, I do water changes every 10 days, change carbon every 20 days and trim chaeto when it needs it. Lighting schedule stays the same.

I also think that the fact I noticed a problem and tackled it right away in the early stages helped in the time frame that it got fixed too. It only took me a couple of weeks to see results. In more severe cases, it might take months.

Here is a link to a thread about my problem. http://www.3reef.com/forums/algae/will-chaeto-out-compete-hair-algae-99168.html
Your problem is different, but I've learned a lot and hope that something I did, helps you.

 

I have chaeto, GFO, and carbon. i can cut down on my light schedule like u listed above and ill try and get a crab or 2 in there. I appreciate the response!

 

def do not boil your rocks. you will end up with base rock lol. try to cut back your light cycle by about 3 hours of the 10K light. if you see no results in about a week, continue to cut off 1/2 hour untill it starts to die down. is the tank getting any natural sunlight?
and dont worry about a phosphate kit. you obviously have a phosphate problem and it probably wont show up in the test because its being absorbed quickly by all the algae.

bulk up your CuC and add some elbow grease and scrub those rocks with a tooth brush! siphon all the nasty crud out when you are done (20-30% waterchange)

i wouldnt use chemi-clean or any slime remover, it also sounds like you got plenty of flow so cyano shouldnt be a huge problem

 

Thanks i cut back my lighting and im going to get as much of it off as i can next time i do a water change. I just got a cuc from reef cleaners so once they get a change they should do work, but ill keep an eye on it and def not gonna use any chemicals to get rid of it. im going to do it the right way lol.

 

is there a window behind the tank looks like a shade back there that could be a source ..dont look like you have any coral

i would do a 3 day lights out and cover the tank make shure you leave some room arround the back and arround your equipment you want oxygen in your tank crank your skimmer up so youll have wet murky skimate youll find by day 2 you will have alot of that junk in your skimate witch is what you want

when completed if theres any left pull out with a turky baster it will be verry loose do a 30% wc and rince out your skimmer change any filter padding socks or what ever you use for partical fitration and cut lighting back to 4 hours daylight and 5-6 actinic and ass 1/2 hour a week to both for me i maxed out at 6 hours of daylight a day and 8 actinic

i did the same thing but for 2 weeks with coral to cure dino and it has been gone for 5 months though the only high light corals i have are some acans i didnt lose any livestock at all