I've got some green algae growing in my main tank

by **newbie916** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 5:51 am

I've had quit a bit of green algae growing on my rocks and along the back of my tank. I thought it was green hair algae, but it doesn't look like anything that I've seen online. It look like cotton balls growing on my rock and my tangs and cleaning crew haven't even put a dent in it. That's why I started my refugium to reduce my nitrates. They are currently at 10 ppm, but the alge bloom happened when a toadstool died and my phosphates and nitrates jumped. That was over a month ago and I can't get rid of the damn green crap.

by **saltwaterpimp** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:19 pm

newbi,
you probably need to up you filtration, protien skimmer,waterflow, also if you are looking for a denitrafing sump you should have 4 inches of sand atleast,. do you use phosban or anything like it ?

by **saltwaterpimp** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:20 pm

do you use ro water ?

by **newbie916** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:34 pm

Hey Saltwater pimp,

I use RO water and do 10-15 gallon weekly water changes on my 100 gallon. I also have a phosphate reactor and run phosban. I have a protien skimmer and use two 8200 Rio powerheads in the front and have two koralia 4's in th back. I have a total of 160 lbs of live rock in my main tank and refugium. and about 125 lbs of live sand total. So what do you think the problem could be? I know I had a huge phosphate and nitrate jump a little while ago because Empire Reef told me to put in a half dead toadstool and dead brain coral in my tank to try and save them. It's been a pain trying to get everything back to normal. Also, my tanks has been running for about 4 months, but it was established for 18 months before I bought it from a guy on e-bay. I also have a large cleaning crew and have some more on the way. Any advice will help.

Thanks,
newbie

by **saltwaterpimp** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:26 pm

where did you buy it from (what state) ? could it be possible that all the living sand died in transit,or all orginisms died on rock ? why did the seller sell his stuff ? i was given a huge yellow toadstool that was sick big chunks where falling off of it,it was nasty,any way i left it in my sump,low light and current well a week later it was gone not once did i have a spike in anything and i only had a 65 with a 20 gallon sump 45lbs of live sand and close to a hundred pounds of rock at the time.
So it seems to me mabie the tank needed to cycle some more , it doesent seem like the rock/sand is doing the job with the nitrate part.

by **saltwaterpimp** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:40 pm

http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic59558-13-1.aspx
read this from my buddy calfo, about your sand bed

by **schigara** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:48 am

hey pimp,

Thanks for that link. I have not read it before. Very informative.

Currently , my Xenia scrubber is working very well at keeping nitrates at 0 but sometime in the future, I might try incorporating a true deep sand bed remotely. I was thinking of something like a 32g can filled about half way up with fine aragonite sand.

by **dick_headers** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:55 am

Took me a couple of years to realize that algae blooms are just happens. Sometimes you just change the light bulb, and a week later there's a hair algae bloom. It'll go away by nature if you have a healthy set up. Some nuisance algaes doesn't neccessary means bad house hold. If it stays for a long time and won't dissapear you still can find the source and cure it.
The above article is just awesome about sand bads. Calfo rules!

by **dick_headers** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:00 am

I set up a Med. size Aquafuge with 4" DSB, caulerpa and chateo on my 10G nano. It was a bout 3 month ago. Nitrates are undedictable, I have a great natural source of copepods, and all my corals are beautiful and wide open all day long.
Just a thought.

by **newbie916** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 4:54 am

I'll check out the deep sandbed and maybe add a few bags of live sand to it. I bought all of my stuff locally and had the tank up and running within four hours of taking it down. I think the tank is still cycling a little and my nitrates and phosphates are pretty much under control. However, my nitrates did read 10 ppm a few days ago. That's why I set up the refugium and I'm starting the mangroves and macro algae. I also have to Xenia's growing in my main tank. Hopefully, growing the macro algae and mangroves will eliminate my nitrates and the green stuff will gradually go away.

The toadstool and brain coral were bought online from a guy in Southern CA. He shipped it with a dead mussel attached to it and when I got it, the water slimy and smelled like a dead fish that's been sitting in the sun for a week. The toadstool and brain coral had the dead mussel flesh still on it. I thought my cleaning crew would eat it all, but when I took out the toadstool and brain coral it smelled like shit. Anyways, everything survived in my tank, but I had that crazy algae bloom afterward and a huge nitrate and phosphate spike. I'll definitely look into the deep sand bed.
Thanks

I've got some green algae growing in my main tank

10 posts