How to rid the tank of an algae bloom??

I think more of your problem is the water and not the lights ,like tangster said I had an algea bloom with my new lights but I also had high phos once I got that in check everything worked out. algae will grow under any bulbs given the right water conditions. like high phos ,nitrates basically overall water quality.
I would get the kits to check first.

 

Yes, I know I need to get more test kits. I have been slacking on the tank lately because I started working 3rd shift. Trying to get used to the change and find sleep when I can. Hard to do with 2 kids. lol ;D

 

Yes the media will have to be replaced every 1 to 3 month depending on how severe, in your case maybe less, one way to know when the media is nearly no good anymore is to test phosphates and change media when it starts to rise again, i change mine in my 55 avery 2 months and i use r/o water, but you get phosphates in every thing even when feeding the fish, so really depends on stocking and whats going in...

 

Okay. Thanks a lot for all your help!

 

I would definitely invest in a 5 stage RO/DI filter. As Tangster said, your tank was like a ticking timebomb ready to blow. Your tank just reached it's saturation point and just went wild. Using a phospate remover will be a band-aid to the current problem. Continuing to use your tap water will just keep adding fuel to the algae problem. To naturally kill this algae, you have to kill its food supply, which is "dirty" water.

 

I do have an ro unit. Not the di part though. I just haven't set it up yet, again because I knew I was going to be moving soon. Can I buy that and put it together with the one I have?

 

yep, the DI part just attaches after the RO stage, should all use same connectors so be simple to do.