Hey guys havnt been on in a long time , I have a question. I have been having issues with a red algae on my rocks also green hair algae on the glass and powerheads.. The only thing ive changed is I replaced my actinic bulb but I cut down the time its on..ive been doing 5gallon water changes every two weeks or more. With r.o water I have coral that are being covered with this green and red algae ...i cant stop it what should I do
ALGAE WILL NOT GO AWAY!!
- Thread starter cichlidman1888
- Start date
Algae grows as a result of nitrates, phosphates, poor flow, and light. Red slime or cyanobacteria grows as a result of the same things, but is a bit trickier as it can produce its own food via light.
What are you using as filtration?
What do you have for water movement?
What size is your tank?
What are your water parameters?
What is your lighting?
What is your stock list?
What are you using as filtration?
What do you have for water movement?
What size is your tank?
What are your water parameters?
What is your lighting?
What is your stock list?
Its a 29 gallon Filter was a magnum 350 took it out cuz its a nitrate bomb. I now have a whisper 20-40 filter one powerhead that blows from left to right.. I also have a large protein skimmer..lights are dual compact florescents the actinic is brand new..perameters were good last week that was 6 days after waterchange
is the whisper all u have for filtration? what is the gph flow on that filter?
how long has the tank been setup?
when u say the water parameters are good, what are they?
i will give u an example of the water flow on my 29gal reef tank.
i have 2-260gph powerheads and a mp10 vortech wavemaker set to about 400 gph.
that is almost 1000 gph compared to the 200 of your whisper.
im not saying that is your problem but it seems to me u lack water movement. that can definately cause algea problems.
here is what i would do.
1) add a 400gph powerhead. the korelia nano 420 would be perfect.
2) double check your nitrate and phosphate levels. nitrate needs to be under 10ppm and phos need to be close to 0.
3) possibly add some phosban. im sure your phosphate is higher then it should be.
i had the same problem a while back. it turned out to be a combo of not enough water flow and phosphate was too high.
how long has the tank been setup?
when u say the water parameters are good, what are they?
i will give u an example of the water flow on my 29gal reef tank.
i have 2-260gph powerheads and a mp10 vortech wavemaker set to about 400 gph.
that is almost 1000 gph compared to the 200 of your whisper.
im not saying that is your problem but it seems to me u lack water movement. that can definately cause algea problems.
here is what i would do.
1) add a 400gph powerhead. the korelia nano 420 would be perfect.
2) double check your nitrate and phosphate levels. nitrate needs to be under 10ppm and phos need to be close to 0.
3) possibly add some phosban. im sure your phosphate is higher then it should be.
i had the same problem a while back. it turned out to be a combo of not enough water flow and phosphate was too high.
forgot to add.
when i had my algae problem i also purchaced an algea blenny. he is 1 of my favorite fish, smart and fun to watch. he ate all my algae in 2 weeks. its to the point now i have to feed him algae wafers or dried algae. no algae in the tank at all.
heathd asked about your stock. we still dont have that info. it makes a difference.
when i had my algae problem i also purchaced an algea blenny. he is 1 of my favorite fish, smart and fun to watch. he ate all my algae in 2 weeks. its to the point now i have to feed him algae wafers or dried algae. no algae in the tank at all.
heathd asked about your stock. we still dont have that info. it makes a difference.
2 things I suggest. More flow as stated, but also more water changes! I do 4 gallons, once a week on my 20 gallon tank. I never get any bad algae. It's all about your water params for sure.
I gave up my marine due to these issues
I suspect you're not keeping Nitrates in check with your WC
the red algae is a classic sign of low flow rates
I suspect you're not keeping Nitrates in check with your WC
the red algae is a classic sign of low flow rates