I am having a algae problem , there is brown algae all over my rocks, sand and then green algae on my glass, i have done two 5 gallon water change within two weeks, i just did one about 4 days ago by sucking all the algae off my rocks and moving the sand around it as well as cleaned the glass. its all back, i have a dual compact florescent light that runs from 9 am to 9 pm the one dual bulb has one burnt out actinic bulb and it still is growing this fast, i have changed my canister filter about 2and a half weeks ago and rinsed it all out no change anywhere, any ideas
algae problem
- Thread starter cichlidman1888
- Start date
canister filters are nitrate factories in saltwater tanks
do you have a sump?
do you have a protein skimmer?
do you use reverse osmosis water?
these are all things that you could look into
do you have a sump?
do you have a protein skimmer?
do you use reverse osmosis water?
these are all things that you could look into
By freshwater do you mean tap? Regular tap water will spur on algae, especially with 12hrs of light. If using a canister you should probably rinse the media weekly as buildup will turn into nitrates and also fuel algae.
The best defense I have found in combating algae once excess nutrients are taken care of is margarita snails those guys are amazing. They leave a clearly visible path over live rock and glass while waging war on algae.
The best defense I have found in combating algae once excess nutrients are taken care of is margarita snails those guys are amazing. They leave a clearly visible path over live rock and glass while waging war on algae.
yeah tap water i have a r.o unit i just need to find the replacement filters for it , cheap that is! it has the three canisters on it.
cichlidman1888;3163781; said:
How big of a tank? how long has it been setup? what do you feed and how much? filtration?
mr.reef24
Any snails, or clean-up crew?
29 gallon its been set up for atleast 5 years, i feed brine shrimp and a saltwater flake , filtration is a magnum 350
cichlidman1888;3163781; said:
The algae needs excess nutrients to grow, test for phosphates they will most likely be high. Another thing to consider is how is the flow thought the tank, what is your turnover? If your lights are old the spectrum that they give off will actually help fuel the algae also so look into some new bulbs. You also have your lights on for way to long if this is a fish only tank you don't need any more than 6-8 hours of lights being on. If your rinsing out filter pads in your canister then make sure that you are rinsing them off in tank water not tap water. Another good thing to do at least once a week is get a turkey baster or use a power head and blow off the rocks to clear up trapped detritus and get it in the water column for you filter to clean up so its not sitting in the live rock.
ive got a rotating powerhead that blows across the tank i have mushrooms and an anemone as well is why i have my lights on for that period of time
i think much of it has to do with being tap water, which combined with the fact that your lighting cycle is high, and the fact that your running canisters just making it worse. Also, your replacing it with just more and more tap water doesn't help either, as your just replenishing the dissolved solids that you don't want in the first place.