Urgent Whats wrong with my tank

increase flow would help, i have a 750gph power head and another 325gph pump running inside my 28g tank. if you have a 55g you might want to look into buying another koralia 1050(which is 750gph)

 

When I say kelvin ratings I mean color temperature. If they are the ones that came with your coralife fixture it is probably just (2) 10K's and (2) actinics. They arent very good bulbs. After about 6 months into a new tank you should start looking to add a skimmer.

I would say that this should be your plan of action (in approx. order of priority):

1. Get at least 2 more 750 GPH powerheads. I have a total of 2350 GPH in a 40 gallon tall tank, you def. need more flow. The flow will aid your live rock and live sand in filtering the water, and give cyano less places to grow because of the flow.

2. Buy 4 new T5HO bulbs. I would do something like (2) ATI Blue Pluses (1) ATI Aquablue Special and (1) ATI Purple Plus. Cant go wrong with ATI. This combo would give you a bluer look around (15K). If you like more white than go with (2) Aquablue specials. The kelvin ratings on these bulbs will be higher which will prevent nuisance algae from growing.

3. What do you feed your fish? Make sure you only feed phosphate free food, many pellets / flakes / etc contain unwanted phosphates. I use New Life Spectrum Thera + A pellets. They are phosphate free. Only feed, at most, every other day.

4. Look into getting a protein skimmer and phosphate reactor. Check craigslist I see them both for cheap all the time.

5. Do you have a sump / refugium? I didn't see one in your pictures. If not you might want to look into either adding one or a hang on the back filter with just macro algae growing inside and a small light(google DIY hob fuge).

Also, how long is your light cycle? I would keep lights on for approx 8 hrs a day max if you are having serious algae problems.

Are you using RODI, and what TDS is your water?

Last thing, keep an eye on PH fluctuations if you dont have a sump or fuge w/ 24hr light cycle.

 

for the diy refegium is this all i need
real small aqurium(like half a gallon)
some sand and live rock and plants
a tube the transfer water in and out
and can it be in tank

 

If you are looking for low maintenance I would look into turning an Aquaclear Hang on the back filter (an aquaclear 70 or 110) into a hang on the back refugium. Just search google for "Aquaclear fuge mod" or "aquaclear fuge".

Making it wouldnt be difficult and it would payoff like crazy. It would balance out the tank more. If you put chaeto in there, with a cheap light from home depot with the energy saving swirly bubls ontop, as the chaeto grows it would remove nitrates from your system once they appeared. It would also give a place for copepods to grow and other beneficial bacteria and organisms.

You could also do the traditional hob overflow and sump/fuge underneath your tank.

I would def. get more powerheads in there first tho. The fragsswap at thatpetplace is coming up. You could pick up some cheap powerheads there on sale.

 

what about the in-tank refegium from live aquria
it comes with all i need and is only 42 $

 

I wouldnt do that. That would take up space in the tank that you could use for other things / block light. It also wouldnt work nearly as well as a hob fuge or undertank sump/fuge would work. An external fuge could be lit with a small light 24/7 so it is constantly growing bacteria and macroalgae and removing impurities and nitrates from the water. Copepods will grow and give your fish something to eat... Def. go with the hob fuge or regular undertank sump.

If I were you I'd go with the hob fuge. You dont have to worry about buying an overflow / return pump and leaks and spills. The hob fuge you can just plug in and forget.

You can prob get a used aquaclear, either on craigslist or a local reef club (Delval reef club or Delaware reef club) for about $40. Check out their websites.

 

Do not go and waste your money on a phosphate test kit. I can tell you right now that you have phosphates (and you have nitrates). Most phosphate test kits are absolutely 100% worthless. They are incredibly unreliable and inaccurate. The only ones that most of us have luck with are ones that give a digital readout, but these are much more expensive.

The way that many of us measure phosphate in our tanks is by the amount of algae growing (if any). Phosphate is an essential nutrient for algae (as is nitrate). Rather than spending money on a test kit, you should put your money into eliminating the phosphate problem.

The first way to accomplish this is to eliminate it at the source. You should use RO/DI water and NOT tap water. You should cut back on feeding the fish. Make sure anything else you are adding does not contain phosphates.

The second way is to get rid of the phosphate that is already present in your tank. You can use GFO (will remove phosphates). You can go with the sump or refugium. This is simply just putting other types of algae (that are not nuisance algae) in a location outside your tank. As Brian mentioned, chaeto is a macroalgae that is perfect for this purpose. It competes with the nuisance algae in your tank for the phosphate and nitrate, therefore reducing the amount of algae in your display tank.

Good Luck.

 

$44.50 aint too bad, and it's worth every penny IMO

HANNA Instruments HI 713 Checker Handheld Colorimeter - Phosphate Low Range

 

Lol a GFO reactor is around $30! I do have that Hanna phosphate checker, I actually just got it so I can know when my GFO is exhausted. But for a new reefer with a lot of expenses in his near future (fuge/sump, GFO/Phosban etc, a skimmer, more flow, a new nitrate test kit, possibly an RO/DI unit, a new emerald crab, plus all the pretty things that go inside the tank) shouldn't we just save him those pennies and just tell him the same thing the phosphate test will? He has phosphate in his tank. Lets show him how to eliminate the problem!

 

+100

and phosphate testing is annoying... not only frustrating cause you have to spend the time and effort to do it, but because once the $50 phosphate meter tells you that you have phosphate.. you have to go out and buy a reactor and GFO. Something you knew in the back of your mind anyway hahah.

So... have you decided on your plan of action yet?