Is this too much ?

My refugium is 24x24x18 deep, I have the 120watt LED on for 12 hours a day, but I am still pulling out 10 large hand full every 10 days or so.
I have roughly 100 hermit crabs and snails in there of various types, the sump is crawling with pods.
Is this too much algae ? Will it stop eventually ? Or over grow the refugium totally ? Will reducing the light times reduce the growth ? Of should I just turn down the intensity ? Or just keep pulling it out weekly ?

 

From what I've read about others that couldn't grow chaeto at all or had very slow growth, I doubt your lighting is the issue. It requires nutrients as well, and appears to be getting plenty from your system.

It does look like the ball is so large and compacted that it's not getting much flow through the center. You could probably thin it out more and keep it smaller, and still get the same level of nutrient export.

 

Thanks Mr Bill, the return pump is 6800lph, I appear to be getting plenty of flow back into the sump at the other end.

I have a 900penguin power head in there keeping the algae moving too, the growth seemed spurt crazily when I turned the lights on, initially they were on 24/7, but that was impossible to keep upto with growth.

So just keep throwing it away ? I do drop clumps in the DT which are obviously filled with pods, the fish love those days

 

+1 lighting is but one of the factors for growth, thats some nice fluffy stuff you have there. it must be beasting on crazy nutrients. what and how often do you feed? also what is your stock list?

in my opinion there is not to much, if its growing as it is it means its happy, and if you are regularly trimming it back then thats all you really need to do.

 

Tank and sump/Refugium is 490 gallons (350/140) split.
Emporer angel, coral beauty, black back butterfly, yellow tang, brown tang, tomini tang, regal tang, 2 orange clowns, 2 black clowns, 20 blue chromis, 1 purple fire fish , 1 super freaky big sandsifting starfish, 1 diamond head goby. Want to add regal angel or blue face angel, but don't think my emporer will take another angel.

I have 400 Lbs live rock in the top, and 250lbs in the bottom, about 80 big snails on top and 50 big hermits, and 100 snails and crabs in the sump.
Running a corallife12 uv burner, a big skimmer. No corals, which I'm a little bummer about, 2 x reef breeder photon 32s over the top.
2 wp40s and 1 wp60 as wave makers in the DT

I feed 4 blocks frozen in the morning, and 2 blocks for supper, some times some freeze dried krill, as the bigger fish enjoy that.

And that's about all.

 

Wow Ken that is a nice ball you have there!!lol I would keep trimming like you have been doing.Make sure its nice and green and trim it when you see it building up debris,see any noticeable dieoff, or it starts climbing out. Algae is essential for a lot of things besides nutrient export.
Other members have had good success using an air bubbler at the center of the ball to increase turbulence and shed debris.
Oh yeah and pictures immediately; if not sooner of the tank.lol;D
I would agree your Angel probably will not take kindly to strangers.
Also you may want to consider growing Ulva and Gracilaria in there Ken.Your Angels will surely benefit and so will you.You won't have to throw it away.

 

Ulva and Gracilaria.
In the refugium Vinny ?

I am trying to post a vid, but my IT skills are very lacking.
What length can I post here without collapsing the warp core ?

 

Not the best photo, we are just waiting for the contractor to come and build the fish room, and wall in the tank, so excuse the mess.
I am also waiting for a phosphate wheel to arrive, ETA still 4 weeks :-(

I love my pirate ship, the fish love hiding in there, my black back butterfly chased the Emporer out of his palace, LoL the big coward.

 

Sounds like it's doing what you want it to do, no? It's keeping the nutrients tied up in itself and out of your system. Pulling handfuls out removes the nutrients from the system.

 

My water params are pretty stable, nothing moves, most everything is zero or as near as damn it, but I still have hard green algae on the glass, will my phosphate wheel help with this ?