SEVERE algae problem. Brown/green slime over all rocks! Please Help!

Silica based sand does feed diatoms and algae, and has been a problem for many people. It has been discussed here and probably many other places.
You do what you want, but I'll use what I know works.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/sand/whats-downside-using-silica-sand-42620.html

Even if he confirms that he is using fine aragonite sand, he still has a water issue with phospahtes that needs fixing that he's working on.

 

Apparently YOU ARE NOT READING, or want to bring this thread in to another
debate;quote>It has been discussed here and probably many other places.
You do what you want, but I'll use what I know works.
If so let it be it! it looks to me that you are just looking for a reason to over post.
because where does the river ends? and it's been proved ocean sand don't have any less silica to make a significant difference over all to make it a problem, THEY BOTH HAVE SILICA

 

Ok silica, smilll'ica.... now that we all have that end covered, maybe we can help the poor fella get his other more "severe" problems corrected.

Can't we all just get along ? huh ? lol

 

Will I be able to get some sand from them? I have work from 2-6 over at Virginia T's. And no, the only "animal" shop in CH is a place called "Pet Safari" and I'm not sure if they are the owners or not. They sell live rock and chemicals, etc. but no livestock. They are really pricey...

And i'm trying my hardest to remember what sand I used, I'm pretty sure this is what I used when i set up the tank:

CaribSea Ocean Direct | Original Grade | Oolite (the original grade)

and I had to add more sand 2-3 months after because of algae growing on the sand, and me scraping it off, so my sandbead got thinner and thinner, so i remember going to petsmart and i'm pretty sure i bought this:

CaribSea Aragonite Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand - Dcor - PetSmart

and I just mixed that in with the other sand i put in first...

My sand is COVERED with algae, even after me scrubbing everything for hours at 4 am last night...I really want to add more sand, so Tangster, if thats why you gave me his number let me know and i'll call him.

another thing, when I add the sand i'm going to be purchasing in the upcoming days, should i remove all of my old sand, or just put the new sand right ontop (it will be coverening algae....yuk!)

So someone let me know what to do with my sand situation.

Last night I scrubbed my rock (while still inside of tank) and that got a majority of it out....just a couple hours later, i can tell it is coming back already (i think it was more of, me scrubbing, algae floating, then just reattaching to another rock somewhere else in the tank) but it certainly looks better.

After that, I added "Chemiclean Red Slime Remover" but it also says "cyano bacteria remover" so i added the correct dose, removed carbon and turned off skimmer like instructions said. I have to do a water change 48 hours after I added it, so in the mean-time, i'd like to order everything i need and have it ready for when this dose of chemiclean is done.

Thanks guys, i gotta get ready for work! Then when i get home a 6 i'll be here for a few hours and then i'm going to camp in line at AT&T for the iPhone 3G launch....so leave me plenty of responses for when i get off work! Thanks again! ;D;D;D;D;D;D

 

oh and one more thing: most of the ro/di units i see have 3 vertical "chambers" and 1 horizontal "membrane" on the top....mine only has 2 and 1 membrane...what does this mean?

thank you! g2g

 

since you are going to get more sand, I would just get as much of your other sand and algae on it and discard before getting the other in.
btw, where in VA? Blacksburg?!?

 

Yes thats their Number get the sea floor or something like that fine and course enough makes a prefect sand for tanks and plenum's . Honestly I attack the problem in three ways remove as much of the old sand you can and get that out then put the new in, Colonial Heights has some rough Tap water very very soft with rather High nitrates and nitrites and ammonia all just under FDA and EPA max limits And that areas well water is trash .

But whats happened here has not just happened over night the rocks and sand in that system have now absorbed the nitrates and Phosphates and they have these bound up in them and its going to be a good while to remove them..

I hauled a ton of Rocks up here to Ct From Chesterfield that ran in a tank over in Bottoms Bridge Sandston area they where full of PO4 and NO3 it took me 3 months to clean them up using a PO4 reactor and a good ferric oxide and a nitrate coil , I have seen many tanks to have that same looking algae on them. It always came down to Phosphates and Nitrates and a few the bulbs had shifted off and kick started the mess but the bulb did not cause the problem just helped it out.

But I'd get the new sand and some type of Phosphate sponge and nitrate media .. then keep them checked out and change as needed ,

Now your Calcium and Carbonates where off as well you really need to buffer that water up to a higher level I think it was 8 dkh ? and 360 Ca ? the DKH will go along ways working with the calcium in creating a water condition most nuisance alga's such as you have from getting started they love soft acidic water and this where I'd start to correct the problems also increase the skimming a little also will help , But I can see that water is soft and under buffered , I have experienced every algae there is in any aquariums and I have always won the battle and never had to remove a rock.

The chambers of the R/O make little difference one is prefilter that should be a 1 micron and then a carbon a 1 mic is better there are 5 mic out there also the R/O should be good but the 2 prefilters should be changed out every 4 to 6 months in your area I have installed a few hundred whole house system and I would say every 3 months the sediment should be changed and the carbon every 6 months The thrird one is mostoften a D/I chamber that would really help you out there in C.H

 

Wow. I don't remember 3Reef being such an unfriendly place.

If someone has an opinion and thinks it's fact, it's OK to disagree, but use some tact. To flame another person only because he/she thinks they're right is just wrong.

Even if you are the be-all end-all authority on the subject at hand and someone else is infringing on your turf--let it go. Say what you know is right and be done with it.

So many forums on the net are flame grounds.

I hope 3reef doesn't become one.

 

okay. i'll hold off on the buffers b/c im going to do a water change once the chemiclean is done its treatment, which is tomorrow around this time. i'll test the params after the water change....

i'm going to get the following...let me know if i did good
Two Little Fishies Phosban Reactor 150
Seachem PhosGuard 2L
Mini-Jet 606 Powerhead
U-Tube with Directional Return 1/2 inch - 3/4 inch
Vinyl Tubing 1/2" ID

havnt picked out sand yet...let me know if you think there is something i should change or buy...

also, where can i get filters for my ro unit for a good price?

and:

i dont have the 3rd one

its just 2

 

#3
the third could be it! how many fishies are in the tank? are there any damsels? that are big in size that eat every thing and leave the other fish starved!?! if you do maybe there lays your answer. hope you get it straighten out.