big green algae bloom

so my tank was doing fine about a week ago its been running for over 2 months i believe. It currently have 10 fish in it and doing well. I notice the rock i had in my tank the longest started to grow some hair algae like a dark brown color then next day i had green algae all over my glass and i have some reddish color growing on my sand bed and on my pumps what is the cause of this

 

Welcome..... Some information on you tank and set up will be a big help... size, sump lighting, flow etc....Have you been testing your water? Do you use RoDI? Generally algae outbreaks are due to excess nutrients in the system. Finding the cause of the excess and then correcting the problem will get your situation under control and will prevent future issues. There are some great links in the new member forum which I have found to be very helpful and continue to refer to. Read up, test your system and ask questions!! You'll learn a lot along the way and make good friends here!

 

Can you provide a little more information. Wat size tank, filtration etc. Without that I would only assume that 10 fish in such a young tank is producing way too much bioload than it can export. Do you test for nitrates, phosphate etc.?

 

its a 55g tank hang over skimmer and a filter with a rating up to 60g

 

Ok, Have you tested for nitrates, phosphate, amonia etc? Can you list your fish? I really don't want to seem like a downer but 10 fish in a 55 gallon unless very small seems to be an overload. What is your water change schedule? I can pretty much assure you that your nitrates etc are super high and and that is why you are having all this algae growth. I believe you will be constantly fighting this problem until better balanced.

 

2 clowns and 8 dansels

 

Unless your changing water every week with an aggressive maintenance schedule you'll be battling all kinds of algae and cyano. I had a reef tank with all hob filters and skimmer and after having a sump I'll never look back. Your bioload and feeding is adding nutrients to the tank and without proper nutrient export it's gonna be a battle. It can be done but it's a lot of work as far as husbandry goes

 

+1 to all the above.

First, a new tank can take 6 months to 3 years to fully stabilize, and the faster you add bioload (fish), the larger the parameter swings will be. IOW, 2 months is far too soon to have 10 fish, regardless of tank size.

Second, 10 fish in a 55g is too much, even if they are just clowns and damsels. I seriously doubt a sump alone will rectify your situation. You're facing large, frequent water changes for nutrient export.

Are you using RO/DI or tap water?

 

i have been using distilled water seems to work out find for me i change my water every 2 weeks but i wonder if my pump to move the water is too week to move all my water might have to many dead spots i been turning off my lights more now that seems to kill what ever it is that grows in the tank

 

Killing the algae can make your nutrient problem worse.