new lighting?

[kevvin27]

I have had an aglea problem since June. It started out with green hair algea growing in a couple places and then red slime algea started growing everywhere. It's even been growing over some of my polyps and they aren't doing so good anymore. I'm wondering if I need to replace my t5ho bulbs. They've been in since I set the tank up. The water parameters are all good. Could there be any other explanation?

 

[cageburn]

Test for nitrates and phosphate, chances are though if theres alot of the algae in your tank it will hide it from the test. Clean as much of the algae off as you can and do a few nice water changes.Wouldnt hurt to change the bulbs either. Hope that helps.

 

[bjohanson1234]

What are the actual tests results? Like Cageburn said, it is most likely due to high phosphates and nitrates.

Are you using RO or tap water? That can make a big difference.

You can get rid of red slime by increasing the flow around the effected areas.

What kind of filtration do you use? If you have a HOB filter or a canister, if it is not cleaned out weekly or more frequently, it can lead to water quality issues.

 

[andysgirl8800]

BJ's addressed the main concern here...the cause of the algae. Many things can combine to create the ideal conditions for algae outbreaks. It may be overfeeding, poor water flow, infrequent water changes, sudden die-offs, use of tap water, poor fuge maintenance, old light bulbs, inadequate CUC, and so forth. It may be just one of these elements, or a combination of several. Finding and resolving the problem will start to eliminate the algae in your tank, and there are many things you can do to evict it.