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buford
06/08/2011, 07:59 AM
I have been working out of town for the last year and have not had the time to spend up keeping my 75 gallon tank. I have green stuff all over my rock and even floating in clumps on top of the water. What is this green stuff and where do I begin? Is this hair algae? My phosphates are at 0, my nitrates are around 60. Any suggestions are appriciated.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm71/buford_011/Picture068-1.jpg

jeff@zina.com
06/08/2011, 08:05 AM
Hair algae. Remove as much as you can manually, get a decent cleaner crew and drop your nitrates through regular water changes. Keep at it until the algae is gone.

Jeff


Text mangled by iPhone spell check...

James404
06/08/2011, 08:06 AM
Looks like hair algae to me. I would take a multi-step approach, first I would start running GFO and carbon in a reactor, changing it out frequently. I would also keep up with water changes to reduce those nitrates. Manual removal of whatever algae you can may be needed too. One last thing that would help is a lights out period of 3 days, wrapping the outside of the tank in black garbage bags if possible.

SaltwaterAdict
06/08/2011, 08:10 AM
Looks like neglect to me, no offense. A good amount of water changes, decent skimmer, fuge with chaeto(natural nitrate/phos export), and some manual removal will get you back to where you should be. GL!

buford
06/08/2011, 08:16 AM
I thought about taking the rock out into a container and using a plastic brush to srub off the algae. Opinions? Also if I wrap the tank to cut out light for 3 days will this cause any problems with the fish/coral? What would be the suggstin of a clean up crew for the 75 gallon. I have a skimmer would I benefit from a wetter skim. And what is a GFO?

reyom10
06/08/2011, 08:22 AM
you can use a small hose and siphone 75 percent of that out i did. then water changes. once a week about 20 gal at a time it will be a long process but it is worth it.

SaltwaterAdict
06/08/2011, 08:23 AM
I thought about taking the rock out into a container and using a plastic brush to srub off the algae. Opinions? Also if I wrap the tank to cut out light for 3 days will this cause any problems with the fish/coral? What would be the suggstin of a clean up crew for the 75 gallon. I have a skimmer would I benefit from a wetter skim. And what is a GFO?

Cutting your lights will not solve the problem. You will still have the nutrient issue present. The solution would be getting your nutrient levels under control. I don't believe your phos are testing zero. Usually those test kit give inaccurate reading and also the algae is masking the levels as well. I could indeed show up zero when in fact it's really not. Same thing can happen with nitrates, but more phos if anything. If it were me and I wanted my tank to get back to where it should be I would proceed in at least a 30-50% water change and then next week do the same thing. It would do more good than bad! imo

SaltwaterAdict
06/08/2011, 08:25 AM
you can use a small hose and siphone 75 percent of that out i did. then water changes. once a week about 20 gal at a time it will be a long process but it is worth it.

Considering the corals, he could change out more water at a time to speed up the process..

thebkramer
06/08/2011, 08:29 AM
Cutting your lights will not solve the problem. You will still have the nutrient issue present. The solution would be getting your nutrient levels under control. I don't believe your phos are testing zero. Usually those test kit give inaccurate reading and also the algae is masking the levels as well. I could indeed show up zero when in fact it's really not. Same thing can happen with nitrates, but more phos if anything. If it were me and I wanted my tank to get back to where it should be I would proceed in at least a 30-50% water change and then next week do the same thing. It would do more good than bad! imo

+1

Manually remove as much Hair Algae as you can too :)
Do you have hermits or snails in there?? If not.. I would add just a few to help with maintaining algae once its gone.. (I'm not saying add critters to take care of the current problem, but to help with the maintenance in the future ;) )
IMO.. taking some rock out and removing algae is a good plan too!

Good Luck!! and please keep us up-to-date!! :bounce3:

Edit: also what lights are you currently running? how old are bulbs?? what water are you using to top-off??

buford
06/08/2011, 08:29 AM
Can this problem be the result of bad lighting? I run (2) 4x55 watt Compact Fluorescent lights and the bulbs are getting old, can this be a major factor?

SaltwaterAdict
06/08/2011, 08:30 AM
Hair algae. Remove as much as you can manually, get a decent cleaner crew and drop your nitrates through regular water changes. Keep at it until the algae is gone.

Jeff


Text mangled by iPhone spell check...

Clean up crews only do so much. If you change out your water and get some chaeto(macro algae) which starves the display tank hair algae you would be golden in a matter of a few weeks. The fuge would probably be the best addition. You could try gfo, but tends to be very messy and can drop your ph suddenly if you add too much. I'd go the natural route if it were me. I tried gfo with mixed results..

Sk8r
06/08/2011, 08:42 AM
Your excess phosphate is through the roof. Your nitrate may also be higher than should be. Correct your water conditions, run a GFO reactor, and use only ro/di.

buford
06/08/2011, 08:47 AM
I have a 20 gallon fuge. I had cheato in the fuge, but it became full of hair algae so I moved in into an empty tank I had, it looks like most of the hair algae is out of it now. I can move it back. I have tested the phospate with 2 different test, both from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals- is theere another brand better?

Jon_Hewett_85
06/08/2011, 08:51 AM
Old bulbs would definately be a contributer. I would change your bulbs, cut the light cycle way back (4-6 hours a day). Manually remove as much hair algae as you can. I would also suggest doing as many water changes as you can. I wouldn't consider daily water changes excessive if you are able to. Dilution is the solution to polution. Also agree on carbon, skimmer, gfo. No one has mentioned feeding yet. I can't see pics on here so I don't know if you have any fish in the tank. If you do have fish I would cut back feedings to 2-3 light feedings per week.

A temporary blackout as mentioned earlier can help a lot as well. If you decide to go this route make sure you do a LARGE water change immediately upon turning the lights back on to remove any nutrients released by dying algae, otherwise it will be back...and in greater numbers. Your nitrates are VERY high as well, water changes will help with this. It is likely that you do have phosphates in the tank, but the algae is absorbing it as fast as it is introduced. Also no one has mentioned your source water. I consider high quality RODI water to be a must, and I only use what I make myself. When I switched from LFS water to a home unit I saw a drastic improvement.

thebkramer
06/08/2011, 08:53 AM
I would trim some of the macro & put it back..
I think Salifert tests are one of the best!!

like others have said.. the algae you have now is def masking your tests anyways!!
once you get the HA trimmed back.. then test your water.. I'm sure you'll get different results :)

I'm no pro when it comes to lighting.. but from what I read.. florescents are among the worst to have :sad2: and bad lighting can also contribute to algae

SaltwaterAdict
06/08/2011, 08:53 AM
I have a 20 gallon fuge. I had cheato in the fuge, but it became full of hair algae so I moved in into an empty tank I had, it looks like most of the hair algae is out of it now. I can move it back. I have tested the phospate with 2 different test, both from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals- is theere another brand better?

I wouldn't worry about testing for it. If you have algae like what's in the pic there is no doubt you have phos. Incorporating the macro algae with a good flood light will starve the algae in short time. I would do the gfo later down the road if you really need it. Too many changes at once could be bad..

thebkramer
06/08/2011, 08:54 AM
Also no one has mentioned your source water.

I did!!! :bounce3: :lmao: :lol2:

SaltwaterAdict
06/08/2011, 09:00 AM
Can this problem be the result of bad lighting? I run (2) 4x55 watt Compact Fluorescent lights and the bulbs are getting old, can this be a major factor?

Yes, you need to replace the bulbs! It is recommended every 6-8 months for fluorescents. I wouldn't say this is a bad lighting source. Make sure you balance the white with blues so you don't have all 10k bulbs.

RO/DI water is a must! Cutting back feeding will help also like Jon said.

GOOD LUCK!

SaltwaterAdict
06/08/2011, 09:06 AM
I did!!! :bounce3: :lmao: :lol2:

LOL your right!

Looks like Sk8er did as well..

sporto0
06/08/2011, 10:38 AM
i have had this problem as well, imo the way your tank looks now, removing the rocks to a container & scrubbing them is the way too go, it's nearly impossible to manually remove enough of the gha while the rock is still in the tank to make a difference. a good clean up crew will not be able to dent that much gha, especially since it has grown out so much, once you get most of it out, snails & hermits will work great as they prefer the soft new growth. everyone has given you great advice as to what the source of your problem is, phospahtes, nutrients & nitrates, if you don't run a refugium, you should look into it, the macro algae (cheato) compete for the same stuff as the gha & usually win. the only thing i would do differently than has been proposed to you is run a phosphate sponge (i use kent marine) in your reactor for the first couple of weeks as opposed to gfo & the reason is this, the sponge, which in reality are just bits of ceramic, will absorb phosphates at a faster rate & can be re-used twice but you must keep up with changing it out every 2 days or the possibility for the phos to leach back into your sytem exists. after you get a handle on it, you should run the gfo on a regular basis, it will last weeks if not a month once your phosphates are under control. also of course more frequent water changes while you are battling this is a must. good luck, the battle can be won, my problem was more severe & i did not neglect my tank at all.

Lynnmw1208
06/08/2011, 10:47 AM
Your excess phosphate is through the roof. Your nitrate may also be higher than should be. Correct your water conditions, run a GFO reactor, and use only ro/di.

+1 use GFO and when the algae starts dying, you can use a new toothbrush to brush it off the rocks to help the CUC. I did this and it worked great.

jbachert
06/08/2011, 01:42 PM
When my tank was just coming off it's cycle it had a bunch of hair algae (not that much, but a lot).

I had a clean up crew of hermit crabs and margarita snails. They did nothing. I got 5 turbo snails and they destroyed the algae in 2 weeks or so.

buford
06/10/2011, 06:21 AM
I pulled out the rock and brushed it off to remove as much hair algae as possible. Here is a picture of what it looks like now. I also removed the pc lights and went with the LED Marineland reef capatable light. At this point I think I will wrap the tank for a blackout for the 3 days. Does the hair algae feed off of actinic light? I also noticed most of my cleanup crew was MIA- suggestions on a new cleanup crew?
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm71/buford_011/Picture075.jpg

SaltwaterAdict
06/10/2011, 07:39 AM
I pulled out the rock and brushed it off to remove as much hair algae as possible. Here is a picture of what it looks like now. I also removed the pc lights and went with the LED Marineland reef capatable light. At this point I think I will wrap the tank for a blackout for the 3 days. Does the hair algae feed off of actinic light? I also noticed most of my cleanup crew was MIA- suggestions on a new cleanup crew?
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm71/buford_011/Picture075.jpg

Looks like a 'new' tank! Nice job. :celeb1:

thebkramer
06/10/2011, 07:47 AM
Looking Good!! :bounce3:

Why are you doing a blackout?? I would vote against it..
If you continue with maintenance and find the source of the growth.. you should be just fine!! ;)

as for a CUC.. I personally would go with some Astreas, a turbo or two, couple hermits, and a bunch of nassarius snails (great for the sandbed) maybe a shrimp or two of your choice :bounce3:

that toadstool isn't looking so happy, hows it doing??

Edit:
Have you tested since the recent cleanup??

buford
06/10/2011, 11:28 AM
I just tested every kit I have- here are the results:
Nitrate 5ppm
Phosphate 0
Calcium 360
dKH 8
PH 7.8-8.0

I was going to do the blackout to rid the tank of anythin I may have missed. The light were not on but a second before I snapped the shop, but the toad stool still looks unhappy.

thebkramer
06/10/2011, 01:36 PM
I would leave lights on for sure.. your coral will thank you ;)

your calcium is low.. should be between 380 - 450.. I like to keep my Ca around 420..that may be upsetting the toadstool too.. your alk is also on the lower side IMO corals can be happy on the lower end but corals can also flourish more closer to 9.0 to 9.3
I think a few wc's would fix this though.. when was your last water change?? do you have an lfs close to you? maybe go to them and test for ammonia & nitrites to be on safe side :)

IMO.. I would def go a few days with lights on.. and just keep an eye on any blooms. but you've seem to have gotten the worst of it!! maybe pick up a few cucs to keep it down to the minimum :lol2:

Just my 2 cents :thumbsup:

buford
06/10/2011, 03:38 PM
The water change yesterday was about 40 gallons. I tested the Ammonia and Nitrites both are at 0. I made the formula for the Calcium, PH, and Magnesium found in the Chemistry section and have started dosing according to their suggestins so maybe in a few days these levels will come up. My sump/fuge looked a lot like the display with hair algae so I cleaned it up the best I could, added a solftball size ball of cheato and a power head to circulate the sump until I get everything moving. I apprciated all the help and suggestions and please feel free to comment on anyting which may help keep me on the right track.

thebkramer
06/10/2011, 04:56 PM
:bounce3:
Sounds like you are well on your way!!! Keep us updated!!!! :lol2:

buford
07/01/2011, 01:01 PM
Here is an update as of 6/30 the stats are
Nitrate 5ppm
Ammonia 0
PH 8-8.2
Nitrite 0
Clacium 380
dkh 11
Phosphate 0
Starting to get some algae back, try to remove as much as possible manually here is a pic.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm71/buford_011/CameraPics321.jpg

SaltwaterAdict
07/01/2011, 08:18 PM
Scrumptious, almost at the point where you can start eating off them!! :lol:

SaltwaterAdict
07/01/2011, 08:21 PM
that toadstool isn't looking so happy, hows it doing??


I think the leather was looking how it was because he gave it a scrub down, probably not the most fun thing to go through if you were a coral!! lol