|
02/06/2016, 11:14 PM | #1 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 69
|
Battling Brown Algae on Glass
Hello,
I have a 8 gallon nano that has been setup for about a year now. For the past two months I have been battling a constant buildup of brown algae that only shows up on the glass. By the end of the week if I haven't scrapped it down every day it completly covers every part of the glass. I never find it on the sand or rock only the glass. I am running an ai prime with an 8 hour photo period. I use red sea salt and do a 1 gallon water change ever week. I run purigen and chemipure blue as well as filter floss normally. For the past month I have also been using phosban and activated carbon to try to combat the algae but that doesn't seem to have any effect. I feed very lightly ensuring my clown fish finishes what I put in. I forgot to measure my water params before I did my water change today but will measure over the next few days. I use ro water. Here are some pictures of the algae in question and help would be greatly appreciated as it has been getting worse each week. |
02/06/2016, 11:28 PM | #2 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Peoria, AZ
Posts: 492
|
What are your phosphates/nitrates?
You are doing ~12.5 % WC per week so that could potentially be increased to 20% doing 1.6 gallons (round down to 1.5 for ease). If you are not using RODI water I would suggest switching to that and doing a large WC with it. What do you have stocked in the tank?
__________________
( 0 \ l / 0 ) & no tanks for now |
02/08/2016, 09:15 AM | #3 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 69
|
I do use RODI water, I will measure my water params tonight. The tank is stocked with one young clown fish and one neon blue goby. For corals the tank is mostly full of zoas.
|
02/08/2016, 11:40 AM | #4 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Australia
Posts: 171
|
+1 on the increase water change. If anything in your water is causing the algae that'll help get it out.
A 3 day blackout might help get rid of the algae. Although that's just to get rid of it not to manage the underlying cause. Do you use a media reactor? Also, your chemi pure might not be getting enough flow through it. If it's sitting in your sump the water will go around not through and that'll hinder its efficiency at removing phosphates etc |
02/08/2016, 11:51 AM | #5 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 69
|
I can get rid of the algae by scrapping the glass but it always comes back. The purigen and the chemipure are in a small c-80 canister filter by themselves to ensure good flow.
|
02/08/2016, 07:08 PM | #6 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Penetang Ontario
Posts: 60
|
Try running GFO in your canister filter or even better a reactor if you can. I was at the point where I needed to clean my glass daily after running GFO in my reactor for a week Im cleaning my glass every 7-10 days now.
|
02/08/2016, 08:06 PM | #7 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Garden Grove, Ca
Posts: 17,023
|
Some algae growth is not such a bad thing. If your tank is too clean the corals will be undernourished and become dull in color. I need to clean the glass of my mixed reef every three to four days.
|
02/09/2016, 03:05 PM | #8 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 69
|
I have always had some algae that would start showing up around day 5 but now it is showing up much earlier and much thicker.
Doesn't chemipure server the same purpose as GFO? Thanks, Nathan |
02/14/2016, 12:57 PM | #9 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 69
|
Another update, I am still having really bad algae problems. The algae gets longer in some parts where it actually is like gooey strings waving in the current. I just measured some water params before my water change and they all looked good see picture below.
I also had over the last week multiple zoa colonies close up and on has turned to mush and completely dissolved. This colony has been growing for months now and was one of my healthiest looking colonies. |
02/14/2016, 01:18 PM | #10 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Garden Grove, Ca
Posts: 17,023
|
One of the issues with tests when you have strong algae growth is that the algae itself absorbs so much of the nitrates and phosphates that it makes the test results look much better than the water really is. You may need to run a phosphate /GFO reactor and make more frequent water changes to get a handle on the algae. .
|
02/14/2016, 01:34 PM | #11 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 69
|
Any idea about what might be happening to the zoas?
Also here is a video of the algae. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLHqHZeSKH0 |
02/15/2016, 12:57 PM | #12 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 1,761
|
bad zoas = bad water.
__________________
135g mixed reef (retired) http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2132815 Current 40g reef http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2483250 Current Tank Info: 40g bare bottom reef |
02/15/2016, 02:32 PM | #13 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Foothills of SC
Posts: 2,010
|
__________________
120 gal mixed tank. Lightly stocked now but.... |
02/15/2016, 02:40 PM | #14 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 517
|
Too much phosphate..Lower PO4 with GFO and run your skimmer til stops skimming on the dry side,,might take days... Also run some carbon in a reactor too..
Whats your water change schedule ?? Are you feeding the tank ,,fish and or corals regulary?? |
02/15/2016, 07:24 PM | #15 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 69
|
I don't have a skimmer, no sump and the tank is too small for a skimmer in it. I feed lightly to ensure little goes to waste. I do run carbon, purigen and chemipure blue. I change water every Sunday 1-2 gallons.
|
02/15/2016, 07:24 PM | #16 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 69
|
Quote:
|
|
02/16/2016, 04:14 AM | #17 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NW Iowa
Posts: 8,823
|
So your tank is one year old and you now have this algae problem. What kind of lights do you have and have you changed the bulbs since you've owned them? I'm thinking you need new light bulbs, but I do also agree with everything that's been said in relation to nitrates and phosphates. The light bulbs don't last forever and most are good for 10 months to a year before they need replacing, algae blooms are one of the signs they need to be changed.
__________________
Previous tanks: 200 gal fowlr 9" Emperor Angel and many different butterfly fish 4" maroon clown and several other fish, 50 gal sump, 40 gal mixed reef/fish mostly softies and LPS. Current Tank Info: 40b 750 gph 45 lbs lr, 2"-3" sand, 165w full spectrum dimable LED, 20 gal sump/refugium 30 lbs lr, Bak Pak 2 skimmer, 4" sock temp 79-80, sg 1.026, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <10, ph 8.2, calc 400, mag 1300 |
02/16/2016, 10:25 AM | #18 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 69
|
Quote:
|
|
02/16/2016, 01:11 PM | #19 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NW Iowa
Posts: 8,823
|
Great, then no worry about changing bulbs
__________________
Previous tanks: 200 gal fowlr 9" Emperor Angel and many different butterfly fish 4" maroon clown and several other fish, 50 gal sump, 40 gal mixed reef/fish mostly softies and LPS. Current Tank Info: 40b 750 gph 45 lbs lr, 2"-3" sand, 165w full spectrum dimable LED, 20 gal sump/refugium 30 lbs lr, Bak Pak 2 skimmer, 4" sock temp 79-80, sg 1.026, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <10, ph 8.2, calc 400, mag 1300 |
02/21/2016, 12:57 PM | #20 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 69
|
I am going to try uping my water changes to twice weekly. I hesitate to do that since it seems to upset my zoas but the algae is getting out of control.
|
02/21/2016, 01:36 PM | #21 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Foothills of SC
Posts: 2,010
|
Urchins wiped the growth I had in about 4 days just in time for my display room to flood.
__________________
120 gal mixed tank. Lightly stocked now but.... |
02/21/2016, 03:48 PM | #22 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 2,354
|
I would do a daily water change. 1 cup out 1 cup in every day. You wont get the big swings and the export will be constant.
|
03/03/2016, 10:02 AM | #23 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 69
|
I will hopefully have a sump plumbed this weekend which should double my water volume.
|
03/03/2016, 02:30 PM | #24 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Queens, NY
Posts: 701
|
How often do you change your filter floss? I don't use a skimmer either, so my floss gets very dirty very quick. I change it every 2-3 days.
Also, what is your flow situation? Maybe you need to bump it up a bit. |
03/03/2016, 04:56 PM | #25 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: abq,nm
Posts: 290
|
Quote:
|
|
Tags |
brown algae, nano, slimy algae |
|
|