Help with established tank! Pics included!

Thanks for the suggestion..I'm planning to get something to increase the flow asap..I had a uhmmm korila fan thing sorry to be vague it was a while back..but it died on me so shall sort out something soon..but have aimed the lower pump down now and it seems to be helping.

Cheers

 

Daylight is very new..would say about 3 months..but as advised I need to clean plastic cover between the lights and water perhaps that's it?

 

I'm having the same problem with my 55 gal tank.
It's been up for more than 3 years. Old lighting fixture broke a few months ago so purchased a new system with T4's. All parms are normal. All of a sudden I have a major algae bloom. We had to move the tank to lay new flooring so drained it down to the substrate. I cleaned all the algae of the inside of tank and on the live rock, powerheads, protein skimmer, etc. Basically did a 3/4 water change. In a matter of a week after putting the tank back together, it's covered again.
I'm running a protein skimmer, 3 powerheads and a bio wheel filter. Have a Percula Clown pair and 2 yellow tail damsels.

 

hmm possibly the feeding could be an issue in that circumstance? too much? lack of clean up crew? or as Corailline stated lack of flow?

when i get rid of my light the algae goes away..as soon as i use the light again ..its back within a day...very annoying..

 

I just wanted to chime in that there is a way to clean your tanks of the algae, you don't have to live with it at any time. some of that may not be algae it is likely a mix of cyanobacteria and ? genus invader

No matter the cause of it, you can clean your tank totally of it and keep it that way independent of water parameters. it is not true that you have to maintain zero phosphates to have zero algae. I can show you several threads of tanks maintaining far better water params, circulation and skimming getting the same invader. In fact they are found in the below thread.

Water params arent the reason you have this problem. Its because you imported it on frags/live rock, allowed it to spread from an originally-small infestation, and then allowed it to take over the whole tank. Sometimes altering a simple variable like flow or N or P can interrupt the life cycle and kill it, but as you can see that doesn't always work. Im not sure how many more days of blackout your corals/anems will appreciate.


Keep reading threads on natural methods, gfo, clean up crews etc and if you don't find anything that works then consider this method. This is a guaranteed method if you can't find something more common to fix your problem and you are tired of looking at your tank in this condition.


I want to link you to a giant thread to read and then we can cure the algae you have here at 3reef. linking this saves me from restating several facts about peroxide treatment. All questions/assumptions one may have about it before actually trying it are addressed in this thread if you read all the pages.

To summarize:
-all the infestation of multiple genera of invaders you have will die and nothing else. your tank will look brand new.

-even if you don't change your water params it will not grow back fast, or at all. we dont know why this works yet. it has to do with not allowing a given biomass to exist, therefore it is hard to reproduce

-if you take action the next time the first time you see a spot on your rocks, this is a method to beat it every time, but from now on when the growths are small and in control. If you don't want to keep using peroxide, even though there's no harm in it, then focus on the common methods of prevention and the timeframes you can see it takes to get control of your tank. If you run a custom peroxide application we can make here, your tank will be free of this within 5 days or so depending on the method you choose. There is one method that will have it all killed off in about two days but it takes work on your part to apply it.

Common methods for prevention aren't the same as taking action when algae has set in. This thread may take an hour to read, but it holds the cure for your tank and as such is worth it. If you really want your tank free of algae, read the whole thread from page one to page 17. Just an option to consider:

pico reef pest algae problem challenge - Page 11 - Reef Central Online Community

 

Hi all after taking into account the advice from Corailline, i got suspicious of the flow in my tank and on closer inspection realized my pumps were suddenly giving out a very slow flow rate! after i opened them up i found that a few miniature snails had found there way into the vents for the pumps and decided to set up camp!! they were blocking them both! the flow has greatly increased now and i can see an improvement! though its not a 100% i think ive caught the root of the problem!

shall hopefully give an update in a few weeks to see how the tank has changed if at all! heres hoping!!

i have the hair algae left now and its a problem to get rid of it ive turned a few of the live rocks so that they dont get as much light! this worked last time..but some are just covered in the stuff!! i done the 4 days of darkness but am worried it may stress out the fish or the corals if i do it again so soon!??

Also looking at the Tunze DOC 9002 on Corailline recommendation (cheers for that mate) but does anyone know if it will fit a river and reef 94ltr? (aka river and reef 50)

 

The 9002 is magnet mounted inside a tank or sump, so will generally fit anything, but may need accommodation in certain canopies. As for flow, get even more. You rarely go wrong with the stuff.

 

Thanks for the advice..

im looking at this at the moment



Hydor Koralia Nano Evolution Air Pump 1600



Would you say its too powerful or just right for a river and reef tank 94ltr?

advice welcome..