Algae

SSalty

Team Liquid Force
Yeah I am sure there are 100's of post related to this. But here is mine. I included a few pics to help ID.

What is this? And what are the causes as well as ways to get rid of it?
I am not terribly concerned as of now because this tank will be completely torn down and transfered over to a drilled 55. Also all of the sand will be thrown out as I am getting all new. So I am sure this will be a recurring problem down the road. Thanks in advanced.
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Looks like regular ole run a the mill green algae to me.Caused by high nitrates and phosphates.
The best way to get rid of it and keep it gone is be careful about over feeding,do regular 10% water changes,and do every thing you can to keep phosphates down to 0.
I noticed that when I stopped feeding flake and pellet foods that mine went away.Flakes and pellets are high in both nitrates and phosphates.
 
I agree with Yote. I stopped using flakes and pellets and switched to frozen and haven't had nitrate or phosphate problems since. Work on getting your water quality to where you want it to be and it should clear up. How long do you run your lights for? You can also temporarily decrease your photoperiod to help get it under control.
 
Yeah, I was wondering about the lights. I have them on for 10 hours, 1pm to 10pm. Is it bad to have the lights off in the tank when it is light outside? Should my blinds be completely closed until the lights go on in the tank?
 
No I wouldn't think it'd matter much. If you don't have any corals on your tank, you can decrease the photoperiod to 8 hours and see if it helps.
 
I had a major brown algae bloom/infestation shortly after my cycle was done. I did a 50% water change, bought a di filter for make up water, and I cut my lights back to 5 hrs per day. I had always used frozen food so didn't need to switch food. It took less than a week before the algae was mostly gone and corraline started growing. I didn't have any corals and only a few small damsels at the time. There are some great articles in the articles section of the forum that deal with algae and how to get rid of it. Now the algae is very much under control and the tank has been clean for a few weeks. I'm pretty new to reef aquariums and still getting the hang of maintaining my water quality but hope this helps some.
 
being near the window you have the right Idea my lights dont come one untill 10am due to the light from the window natural light is the best k rating however it is hard to harness. I would cut back on my feedings do regular water changes check and or clean your filter media it should start lightening up. Hope this helps you.
 
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