huge algae break out

[JohnKoz1234]

Ok, the numbers are perfect on selifert test kits,the tank is 16moth old, and i can't stop this algae.I have big sump with chaeto,using RODI water with 0 coming out,Mag 1400,dkh 8.5,calucium420,nitrates 0,poshates 0 as well,t-5 replacing twice a year.WC every weekend about 10%.Ive been removing some of it but grows right back.Sea hare will not eat it, or any crab .

[HighlandReefer]

Looks like some hair algae species. This is a list I put together that may help:

There are a lot of hobbyists in your same position. Reducing your nitrate and phosphate levels to a zero reading will help in getting rid of many type of algae pests. IME, reducing nitrate and phosphate levels too low can kill or cause problems for many types of coral. Running GAC & GFO will all help in reducing the growth of these type of pests. In many cases they will not eradicate the pest. Vodka dosing will help reduce the nitrate and phosphate levels also, but will not necessarily eradicate the pest either.

A common problem is being able to identify your pest to a category correctly: true algae, cyano, dino, bacteria & other assorted pests that look similar. In many cases a micro look at your pest is best to properly ID it to one of these categories.

IMHO, if you are faced with an algal type pest problem, it is best to implement an algae pest control program strategy:


1) Wet skimming with a good quality skimmer. Clean your skimmer cup at least once per week.

2) Reduce your nitrates and phosphates to a zero reading using the hobby grade test kits. See Randy's articles regarding this:

Phosphate and the Reef Aquarium
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm

3) Proper lighting. I find that the higher wavelength bulbs are less conducive to algae growth. I now run 20,000 K bulbs from using 10,000 K bulbs.

4) Proper day length is a good thing also. I would not run your lights for more than 12 hrs total. Keep in mind that light entering from a window nearby is added to this figure.

5) Running GAC is a good practice in my book. It will help reduce the total dissolved organic carbons in your tank water and this is a food source.

6) Proper 30% per month total water changes will help export the DOC as well as some of the pests in the water column. It will help maintain the micro-nutrients as well.

7) Physical removal of the pest by hand, scrubbing and siphoning is important as well. If the amount of pest in your aquarium is overwhelming, perhaps dealing with one section at a time is a better idea.

8) Proper water circulation in your tank to prevent dead zones. When dealing with cyanobacteria pests increasing the flow where it grows seems to help.

9) Use RODI water for all top-off, salt mixing, additive mixes... etc.

10) Dosing iron may have benefits for macro-algae, but if you are experiencing algae pest problems than I would stop dosing it as it can add to the problem in many cases.

11) If you are dosing other supplements such as vitamins, amino acids, or others that contain a mix of supplements other than the basic alk., calcium and magnesium, I would stop these until you gain control of your pest. This includes many of the store bought products with unknown ingredients. Dosing Vodka or sugar to reduce your nitrates and phosphates would be an exception in my opinion.

12) Proper feeding habits. This can be the number one problem when trying to reduce your nitrate and phosphate levels. Use low phosphate fish foods.

13) IMHO, lighted refugiums may be a problem when trying to deal with an algae type pest problem. They are wonderful when it comes to reducing nitrates and phosphates. However, the light over most refugiums is conducive to the microalgae type pests. If the refugium becomes infested with a microalgae pest, I would clean it throughly of all pests as best as possible, remove the macro and turn off the lights until you gain control of your pest. Re-using the same macroalgae later may serve as a source for re-infestation of your pest.

14) Adding fish and other creatures that will eat your algae pest will help.

15) Running a diatom filter which has been suggested by Boomer, makes a lot of sense to me. It will help remove a lot of organic material in your water column.

16) For some additional thoughts regarding switching an algae based system to a bacterial based system see this thread:
(Using a carbon source with appropriate bacterial dosing may possibly help to push your system to where you want it although this is controversial.)

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1781320

17) There are other items that can be added to this list if others care too share and some of the items listed may be disputed.
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If after you have tried all these procedures and you are still loosing the battle, I would recommend that you initiate the use of AlgaeFix Marine based on the reports I have seen in this thread:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1595003

I hate to see anyone give up on this hobby due to algae type pest problems.

[JohnKoz1234]

Do you think bumping up Mg to 1700 would help too?

[HighlandReefer]

Hobbyists have reported control of some algae species by bumping up their mag level using Tech M over a reasonable period of time. Other hobbyists have reported no success with different algae species. IMHO, it will depend on how sensitive your algae specie is to heavy metals. At least that is my theory why increasing mag levels may control some algae and not others.

[JohnKoz1234]

I just can't fully understand how could this algea could break out.I never had any phosphate or natrates shown on test kit and i test the water every day.I also run GFo and GAC and i feed the tank only twice a week.

[ChuckG]

I just can't fully understand how could this algea could break out.I never had any phosphate or natrates shown on test kit and i test the water every day.I also run GFo and GAC and i feed the tank only twice a week.

John that GFO media should be changed every 24-48 hours until the algea starts to die back. PO4 will saturate the media that fast. How often do you change yours? There is a thread in this forum on how to regenerate GFO if expendature becomes an issue.

Also it might be time to re-evaluate flow in the tank. With all the coral growth you have going on I bet you have some slow flow in alot of areas. Might be time to invest in a frag tank and prune some stuff back. :thumbsup:

Also.. you need to be knee deep in those rock crevases blowing out detritus on a weekly basis if you are not already. The key is finding the source of your nutirent problem and and removing it via water changes and making the tank efficient again at moving organics to your skimmer, plus some manual effort keeping the rocks blown off.

[JohnKoz1234]

The GFo i replace every 4 weeks (just cut back to one cup because i noticed some burn tips on some of the corals),for the flow i run 2x MP 40 and the current is very strong i would never think i need to do extra blowing out any detritus of the rocks

[ChuckG]

The GFo i replace every 4 weeks (just cut back to one cup because i noticed some burn tips on some of the corals),for the flow i run 2x MP 40 and the current is very strong i would never think i need to do extra blowing out any detritus of the rocks

You would not be able to keep the sand in place if there was enough flow to keep detritus from settling on the rocks. Manually blowing off the rocks is a husbandry practise that could be benficial to just about any tank regardless of the flow it has.

Two MP40s is great but I suspect your growth in some areas is keeping even those pumps from reaching areas to flush everything out to the sump.

Burnt tips with GFO; could be ALK swing.. and/or the sudden removal of PO4 shocking your corals. In this case GFO needs to be implemented on a gradual basis. Again.. your cup of media that has been sitting in there for 4 weeks was likley saturated with Po4 withing 24 hrs of you're putting it in.

My opinion you would be better off fixing any problems the tank is having moving nutrients to your skimmer first. Stop the bleed "root cause" if you will... and get the tank into a mode where more nutrients are be exported than imported and recycled.

Once the root cause is addressed you can then focus on slowing increasing flow through the GFO to starve out the algae.. doing this slowly and attention to alk levels should keep the corals from being burnt. That plus manual removal of the algea will keep it from reintruducing nutrients to feed additional blooms.

Your corals are probably having a difficult time growing and showing diminshed color due to all the Po4 in the system.