I reallyneed some help here.
PROBLEM: I just got back from a two week road trip to the Grand Canyon to find two of my fish dead and a large algae problem. I was seeing the beginning of a problem before I left but it’s escalated into a larger problem. I had an experienced salt water person stop by to top off the tank and clean the glass when I was gone but my aquarium still has gone down hill. Before I left on my vacation I had a green hair algae problem and was getting a pink residue on the bottom of the tank but it wasn’t as thick as it is now.
PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: I’m now noticing green bubble algae forming on the live rock. The Red algae is now forming small blankets on top of the live sand. The green hair algae are attached to the live rock but mainly near the bottom of the tank. Some of the hairs are about 2 inches in length.
My water chemistry looks to be spot on (see below) so I’m at a loss to figure out why I’m having this algae problem as well as the loss of two of my fish. I was told the flame fish was good one day and dead the next day.
Water parameters
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0
Calcium = Don’t know
Alk = 300
PH = 8
SG = 1.022
Temperature = 77 degrees
System parameters
Tank size – 45 gallons
Lighting – Current Extreme Pro (five T5 bulbs, 2 blue & 3 white). I have the all five bulbs on from 12 noon to 7 pm and I have just the blue bulbs on from 7 pm to 10 pm and also from 7 am to 12 noon.
Power Heads – (2) Koralia 600 GPH Turbo pumps
Filtration – Aquaclear 70
Skimmer – I just purchased a Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Skimmer but haven’t installed it yet.
Amount of live rock/live sand – 53lbs live rock & 60lbs of fine sand
How long the tank has been set up? Tank has been set up since January 08, 2010.
Inhabitant listing
How long were they in the tank? I presently have the following in the tank
I have also seen a Bristol worm in the tank. It’s reddish in color, about 3” long and looks similar to a caterpillar
Was the animal eating at the LFS? I did see the Flame angle nipping at the corals once but other than that I didn’t notice.
PROBLEM: I just got back from a two week road trip to the Grand Canyon to find two of my fish dead and a large algae problem. I was seeing the beginning of a problem before I left but it’s escalated into a larger problem. I had an experienced salt water person stop by to top off the tank and clean the glass when I was gone but my aquarium still has gone down hill. Before I left on my vacation I had a green hair algae problem and was getting a pink residue on the bottom of the tank but it wasn’t as thick as it is now.
PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: I’m now noticing green bubble algae forming on the live rock. The Red algae is now forming small blankets on top of the live sand. The green hair algae are attached to the live rock but mainly near the bottom of the tank. Some of the hairs are about 2 inches in length.
My water chemistry looks to be spot on (see below) so I’m at a loss to figure out why I’m having this algae problem as well as the loss of two of my fish. I was told the flame fish was good one day and dead the next day.
Water parameters
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0
Calcium = Don’t know
Alk = 300
PH = 8
SG = 1.022
Temperature = 77 degrees
System parameters
Tank size – 45 gallons
Lighting – Current Extreme Pro (five T5 bulbs, 2 blue & 3 white). I have the all five bulbs on from 12 noon to 7 pm and I have just the blue bulbs on from 7 pm to 10 pm and also from 7 am to 12 noon.
Power Heads – (2) Koralia 600 GPH Turbo pumps
Filtration – Aquaclear 70
Skimmer – I just purchased a Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Skimmer but haven’t installed it yet.
Amount of live rock/live sand – 53lbs live rock & 60lbs of fine sand
How long the tank has been set up? Tank has been set up since January 08, 2010.
Inhabitant listing
How long were they in the tank? I presently have the following in the tank
- Frog Spawn Coral, purchased on January 31, 2010 & doing well
- Bubble Coral, purchased on January 31, 2010 & doing well
- Purple Mushroom Coral, purchased on January 31, 2010 & doing well
- Brain Coral, purchased on February 11, 2010 & doing well
- Pink Tipped Coral, purchased on February 11, 2010 & doing well
- Coral Banded Shrimp, purchased on February 11, 2010 & doing well
- Flame Angle Fish, purchased on February 11, 2010 & past away last week
- 3 Chromis, purchased on February 19, 2010 & two doing well one dead
- 10 small Hermit crabs, purchased on January 31, 2010 & doing well can’t tell if there all alive
- 10 small snails, purchased on January 31, 2010 & I do see several shells in the sand, seems like some are dead
- 2 Mexican Turbo Snails, purchased on February 20, 2010 & doing well
I have also seen a Bristol worm in the tank. It’s reddish in color, about 3” long and looks similar to a caterpillar
Was the animal eating at the LFS? I did see the Flame angle nipping at the corals once but other than that I didn’t notice.