New Algae Phase???

[andysgirl8800]

I am so sorry for continuing to post about this stooooopid algae issue!! :frustrat: I've been reading and reading and more reading. I **think** I've gone from my hair algae plague to either a cyano outbreak or a diatom algae outbreak.:grumble:



Quick summary, just to cover the bases.

1. yes, I admit it :chair: I started my 125 with good ol' tap water. and continued to use it for the first 4 months.
2. I use only RO\DI water now for the past 9 months.
3. I have an 9 h photo period from 10a-7p (actinic) and 2.5 h period from 1p-3:30p (MH)
4. I have a sump/fuge with chaeto
5. I have an algea scrubber
6. I target feed every 3 days, sparingly, with mysis and/or algae sheets for the tangs

Recent changes:

1. just converted my sand/chaeto only fuge (and way too much red slime, hair algae, diatoms, and cyano too) to adding 4-5 pounds of live rock (fully cured), 17 hermits, 5 turbos, and a tiny dragon goby (M.I.A.) and cleaning out all the gunk. I was careful not to disturb the DSB
2. I added 2 pieces (about 5 pounds) of fully cured live rock to the DT and moved around several larger pieces of rock, disturbing the 1-2" sand bed.
3. Did a 30 gallon water change this past Friday (the 28th), which involved removing some of the upper rocks to scrub them in separate buckets to rid them of some more HA.
4. I added a new fish on Saturday.
5. Removed a dying/dead kenya tree from the DT today (cut from the rock after removing the rock from the tank). Same rock has had some smaller aiuptasia on it that I have been treating with AiptasiaX OUTSIDE of the DT.
6. 400w heater was overheating the tank, even at its lowest setting. Don't jump up here fellas! I consider "overheating" to be anything over my ordinary 76.5-79 temp range. I was getting to 81 BEFORE my MHs came on and WITH a hood fan running. I replaced the heater.
7. about 2 weeks ago, I replaced the VHO bulbs and rehooked them to an Icecap 430 ballast

Current Parameters:

1. Salinity...........1.024
2. Temp .............78.7
3. Phosphates.....0ppm
4. NitrATES .......15ppm (down from 20ppm)
5. Ammonia .......0ppm
6. NitrITES .........0ppm
7. Ph .................8.6

OK, so here is the new problem...although I cannot really detect a regrowth of the hair algae, I now have what I can only describe as reddish-brownish-maroonish *L* web-like growth on my rocks, sand and glass. It's almost like a film. It has carpeted my rocks and suffacted my pipe organ corals. Longer pieces look like thin floss in individual strands. I don't see any bubbles, so I don't think it is dinos. The photos below do show some sand particles on it because of my ever industrius railway goby working his little tail off in the tank. These are not bubbles.

I've attached some pictures, so please help me ID.

I am considering a brief blackout period...however, if this is diatoms, which rely on sillicates for their survival, then lights-out won't help me much. I am concerned with overstressing my tank inhabitants too.

On the other hand, is this a sign that I have either entered a new algae stage, OR is this :pooh::pooh::pooh::pooh: FINALLY starting to go away!!?? I am so stinking sick of algae at this point! Will I ever have a nice looking reef? :frustrat::frustrat::frustrat: Sorry for the rant. Thanks for listenting.

 

[Reefrookie]

Just a thought......are you sure you have enough flow over and around the rocks. Every time I had algae problems, after checking everything else, I redirected the tank flow over the rocks and it definitely helped

 

[andysgirl8800]

Thanks Reefrookie. I have two K3s that point opposite each other across the rocks. At first, the flow was contributing to the hair algae. I've pointed them back across the rocks for now.

 

[Smitty]

Its gonna take some time to go thru and get rid of the algae stages, especially since you started with tap water. The nutrients from the tap is in the rocks, and that takes awhile to leach back out...you can try running some various media to help pull it out your water quicker.

 

[andysgirl8800]

Thanks Smitty! What kind of media would you recommend?

 

[Smitty]

Some ppl run GFO, I personally run chemi-guard(sp). Whatever you choose, just make sure it removes nitrates and phosphates, because that is what's fueling your algae.

 

[andysgirl8800]

GFO? SInce I don't currently run any media on my system, I'm not familiar with them. Could you please tell me a little about what it is supposed to do?

 

[andysgirl8800]

If my phospates aren't registering on my tests, is it still safe to run a phosphate remover?

 

[Bifferwine]

Your phosphates aren't registering on your test because the algae uses them up so quickly that they don't stay in the water long enough to show up on a test kit. It's estimated that phosphates stay in the water column for only 7 seconds before being taken up by algae. So you can have a phosphate level of 0, but have a huge phosphate problem. The algae is just consuming it as fast as its being produced.

 

[andysgirl8800]

Thanks Biff, I kinda thought that was the case. So, I don't have a reactor...how does this stuff work?

 

[Bifferwine]

It's easy. A reactor costs about $40. You add the phosphate media to the reactor chamber, and the water flows through it upside down, which forces the water to have more contact with the media than if it just flowed down through it.

 

[andysgirl8800]

Oh dear. My hubby just said "not another piece of equipment!?" *L* Am I going to have to spend another 3 hours in the pumbing section of Lowes to figure out how to hook this sucker up? :)

 

[Bifferwine]

No it's super easy! It's a chamber that comes with a pump (usually a MaxiJet powerhead) on one side, and a hose on the other. You put the pump in your tank (or sump) and the hose back in the tank (or sump). Voila! It's done! The pump takes water from the tank, moves it through the chamber, and back out the hose into the tank.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...log_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CA4Q8gIwAA#

 

[andysgirl8800]

Will this actually help? Hubby wants to empty out the tank of all the livestock (fish and corals) turn off all the lights, do a 90% water change, and call it all good.

 

[andysgirl8800]

Of course, he's entertaining Yote's idea of a gallon of bleach too! *LOL*

 

[yote]

What are you running along with those K3s for flow?
If you just have the 2 K3s,I'd suggest adding a couple of #4s at least.
I actually have 4 of the #4s and 4 #3s in my 125.Of course I got all but 3 hidden back in the rock.

 

[SeattleDarko]

Personally with a tank that size I would look at this Dual BRS GFO and Carbon Reactor - English

It is the same one that Dennis runs on his tank, it has a section for GFO and one for carbon.

 

[andysgirl8800]

Personally with a tank that size I would look at this Dual BRS GFO and Carbon Reactor - English

It is the same one that Dennis runs on his tank, it has a section for GFO and one for carbon.

So you'd run both at the same time??

 

[andysgirl8800]

Is there an advantage to running them both?

 

[SeattleDarko]

The carbon will be help with water quality/clarity, I run both carbon/gfo I have the single version but with a tank your size I would get the 2. I have been running GFO from day one and I really think that has helped my system I have never had any big algae issue. (knock on wood) There are a few other reactors you can get but this one is really the easiest to use IMO.