new tank, algae problems

[ItzJustinN]

my tank is about 2 months old and algae is taking over. i have green hair, red slime, pink cotton candy, brown algae on rocks, and diatoms on sand. i know this is normal, but im tired of looking at it. took my water to lfs and phosphate tested at <.25 sand was prestine a week ago and algae was minimal after siphoning most of it out. now it is all coming back. what can i do to help get this under control. im not interested in buying more cuc or something that is just gonna starve once the algae is under contol although im thinkin about getting 1 mexican turbo to help out, and trade him in later.

[javimarino]

I use RO/DI, no phospate ever. Use carbon media, chemi pure elite. If you have phosphate your feeding the algea. To much food also add to the problem...

[ItzJustinN]

i shouldve added thaat i use ro/di with tds reading 0 out of di.

[javimarino]

It'll sound crazy, but try these. Cover your tank with black trash bags, so there no ligth entering the tank, give it around three days. You'll be impress...just beleve me, try it...

[andrewey]

the trash bags will kill lots of stuff, but get to the heart of the problem- phosphates. either your sand, or your rock is leaching phosphates, or it is your water source. If its not your water, just wait it out and you will exhaust the phosphates with water changes.

[ItzJustinN]

must be coming from my sand i guess,... my rock is 100% live and came cured from lfs and didnt have algae on it. i feel i didnt rinse my sand 100% but probably around 80%. i guess ill just do water change and siphon it out again once it getsw worse. as far as i know its not astually harming anything right? so i can let it get bigger to consume more phosphate and then siphon it out again.


anything else i can do ????

[oklahoma11]

just make sure you are using DI water maybe put some prime in it. Also keep close eye on the pH because that is a big reason for algae. Also your lights may be old.

[ItzJustinN]

my lights are not old, like i said this is a 2 month old tank, everything new.

my ph is super stable. it has stayed 8.0-8.2 since day 1.

i might try running carbon. not surrently running any chemical media. nitrites staying @ 30 i know algae can feed off of nitrate but i also using chaeto for nitrate control so it should help compete against the nussiance algae.

[REEFCANDY]

do u have flow in your tank make sure do diet spot. did u do a open rock work make sure the water flow past buy the rock. and maybe add some clean crew.

[Thisseemsfishy]

Its still relatively new. Lights off will help, but as stated you have to find the root of the problem. I'll say that it may still be cycling.

[ItzJustinN]

Nah. Not cycling. Tested water with seperate test kits. Ammonia/nitrite 0. Rock cured from lfs. Clownfish in dt and same readings still. I'm thinking nitrates high enough to feed algae ( correct if im wrong ) and sand leeching phosphate


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[schroder_reef]

This happens. If parameters are reading ok, it's no fun but you have to wait it out. I am going through the same thing. I think my LR is leeching phosphates and I have cyano pretty bad. I tried 3 days no lights. It did help for 1 day, not worth it in a new tank imo. Keep doing at least weekly water changes and it will get better. No magic answer.

[schroder_reef]

BTW, is it getting better?