ive had a saltwater tank for a few months and the sand, rocks and decor is covered in algae and crap. obviously i dont wanna clean the live rock but if i hit the sand with a syphon like freshwater would that stur up too much for my fish to handle? or should i just go for it?
saltwater newb. please help
- Thread starter INDK617
- Start date
What kind of algae? often a good phosphate remover and 3 day blackout does the trick.
Try adding some snails too, they will be like the vacuum and get what the blackout didin't.
Try adding some snails too, they will be like the vacuum and get what the blackout didin't.
most algae cycles in aquariums are normal. When they show up, changes between all tanks depending on how they were cycled and there stability.
to confirm any assumptions always test your water. first look at your NITRATE and PHOSPHATE. this will help determine the kind of algae you might have, and an obviouse description from you will help more then anything.
Also what source of water are you using. Tap, well, RO. RO water is by far the best water to use for any aquarium IMHO, and water is usually the most common cause behind algae issues. the amount of fish you have, to the size tank you have, feeding to much, and a lack of current are other possible causes.
to confirm any assumptions always test your water. first look at your NITRATE and PHOSPHATE. this will help determine the kind of algae you might have, and an obviouse description from you will help more then anything.
Also what source of water are you using. Tap, well, RO. RO water is by far the best water to use for any aquarium IMHO, and water is usually the most common cause behind algae issues. the amount of fish you have, to the size tank you have, feeding to much, and a lack of current are other possible causes.
Agreed with the snails. If you are fish only turn the lights on less often, that is where the algae is coming from. You could also switch to ro water if your not on it, but if your fish only I think the lighting is your main cause, try that, back down the lights and see how it goes, you should see improvement.
I'd say it deals more with the water, which the growth of algae is then worsened by the lights. Reguardless of what type of tank it is, I'd say water is the main cause, so that would be my concern before lighting. RO or distilled would be a good option, and as stated above, your nitrate and phosphate levels are the concern. If you are running RO, lack of water changes could be the concern as by not doing so can help build nitrates, as they can't be broken down by beneficial bacterias like ammonia and nitrite are.
I made the mistake of not using RO at first, and I strongly believe thats where a bunch of my algae came from.
I made the mistake of not using RO at first, and I strongly believe thats where a bunch of my algae came from.
I would look at a few areas. First I would check nitrates and phosphates in the water if those are high that would be the problem. Second how much lighting are you using...a high excess of lighting when not needed could cause the problem as well and finally I would look at what you have for a clean up crew...if you dont' have one at all or an inadequate crew this could be causing the problem. Take a look at these and if any are out of wake fix um and the problem should go away.
i think the most important qiestion is what type of algea is it?
if it's like diatoms or cyano it's pretty normal for a tank to go through that in it's early stages, the silicates and such running from the substrate etc...
if everything's covered in some type of macro algea or a thick mat of green algea then there's an actual problem
PO4, NO3, and lighting specs would help
if it's like diatoms or cyano it's pretty normal for a tank to go through that in it's early stages, the silicates and such running from the substrate etc...
if everything's covered in some type of macro algea or a thick mat of green algea then there's an actual problem
PO4, NO3, and lighting specs would help