Now what....

[henryd]

I keep hearing in my head - nothing good happens fast and nothing bad happens slow.....
My tank was a fish-only for 6 years. It's 180gal, ETSS Reef Devil Skimmer, sump. I had to break it down for some remodeling and now I am trying to set it up as a reef. I added 3 250w MH, and 4 39w atinic lights. About 9 months ago, the tank became covered in green hair algea. My phosphates are testing as 0 but I assume the hair algea is comsuming it as fast as the enters the water stream. I added a phosphate reactor and have been running it for about 3 months. Amonia, Nitrate, Nitrite test 0. I think I must have nitrates to that is feeding the algea. My water is RO/DI, 0 TDS. Alk 3.4meq and Calc 390. Ph 8.1, temp 82-83.
The algea is dying back - lots of brown. 1-2 small patch of green. I have taken all of the rock out and scrubbed it once.
The fish are fine - 2 mating clarkies, 1 royal gamma, 4 chromis, 1 potters angel, one algea blenny, 1 cleaner shrimp. Two dozen astrea snails, 1 dozen turbo snails, 1 rock anenomie, 4 clumps of xenia.
I am very tired of the brown. Each day I scrape the glass. I move live rock and stir it up as much as I can. When any algea floats free, I net it.

How do I get it finally clean? Or should I shut it down for a few months?:frustrat::frustrat::frustrat:

 

[reeffreak]

You seem to be doing everything right yet still have algae problems.You have all the right/good equipment.Your not even overstocked and it seems like you have plenty of a cleaners.Hopefully you're doing regular water changes.My guess is to reduce feeding,clean fiter socks/sponges once a week and reduce the lighting for awhile.Maybe even leave the lights off for a couple of days.The fish and corals will be fine.

I recommend a fuge or even possibly a UV.Chaeto and other macro algae in the fuge can out compete the other algae growing in your DT.My last resort would be a UV but not directly on the return water from the fuge.You don't want to kill the pods returning to the DT.

Good luck...I hope this helps some.

 

[Bifferwine]

Algae can take forever to get rid of. Like, months and months and months! It's frustrating, but there isn't much more you can do except what you've already been doing.

 

[jhnrb]

I would add a tominie tang and a dwarft sea hare. Now the sea hare can release a toxic ink but is well worth the risk for the great job they do. The tominie tang is a algae eating machine. Ive been very pleased with mine compared to the other tangs.

 

[Doc]

Biff. I am shocked you didn't mention your sea hare??? Grab one of those, I am also a fan of Mexican Turbo Snails. Grab 8-10 for your 180. Do you have a sand sifter? I cannot remember if you said you had brown (diatoms I assume) on the sand bed. The patience thing has always not been my friend. Best of luck

-Dr Marco :sfish:

 

[Bifferwine]

Yes. Sea hares rule! They are beautiful, too.

 

[joeman]

I had exactly the same issue / experience with my 90. Phosphates (Nitrates too) at zero but still an outbreak of algae. It's a few months later and the Sea Hare I bought keeps the algae trimmed but I know that without him/her the algae would grow back. When I first added Phosban I got a significant die-off but now the new stuff that tries to grow back is healthy and green.... I still haven't figured out the basic cause of the Phosphates / issue, but in the meantime the Sea Hare is keeping things respectable :-)

The algae eating machine:

 

[Alexander]

I don't think ill ever buck up to getting another sea hare after my horrible sea hare aka sea lemon experience. its kinda like biff with her goby, except I didn't even give the sea hare a second chance.

I understand how frustrating it can be. algae is my biggest hassle with all 3 tanks. seems like I spend all my time on them just trying to resolve algae problems

 

[henryd]

I like the idea of the sea hare...I saw one at my LFS but they warned me that they can get to be 15" AND they like to go into powerheads.
I feed every other day and a small pinch of flake or a cube of frozen, rinsed.
I do not have space for a fuge. I did add some halimeda to the tank and was growing like crazy, but has slowed up alot and now just catches algea that flows past.
I am trying to figure out if I have enough flow. I have 4 powerheads and the return pump right now.

 

[reeffreak]

For me,the risk outweighs the benefits when it comes to sea hares.As you mentioned,getting sucked into a powerhead and the toxic ink thing.Its very rare with the ink but it would always be in my mind if I ever got one.

Wow,you have a 180g and no room for a fuge.Maybe you can incorporate a fuge inside the sump.What kind of powerheads and return pump(gph) are you running?Whenever you get things in order or not,join some of us in the ''Tank Showcase'' thread.Got luck with the battle,it isn't easy,I know.

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah they can get to 15" -- after years and years and years! In a tank your size, there is no issue with a sea hare outgrowing it any time soon.

I'd take out the halimeda, that stuff sucks up calcium like crazy. Instead add some chaetomorpha.

 

[yote]

If you've got halimeda and its stopped growing,check your calcium.
Halmeda requires calcium as well as other nutrients and it will stop growing if your calcium level is low.

 

[henryd]

I am using a Americle 300 as a sump and with the skimmer and phos reactor, the area under the stand is full. I really want to run plumbing to the basement, use a 55gal as a sump and setup a 30-40gal fuge under the DT. Wife is nervous about the plumbing. The tank is using a overflow. If I go with basement plumbing, I will drill the tank. My return pump is a Mag 12, I have 2 AquaClear 110s, 1 AguaClear 70 and a Maxi-Jet 900 in the tank. Right now I have a HOB Whisper 4 with just pads in it to catch algea.

 

[henryd]

Ok...Halimeda will leave tonight!

 

[reeffreak]

By chance,is that Americle sump a wet/dry?

 

[henryd]

Reeffreak,
It WAS a wet/dry. I took out the bio-balls and the tray, now the overflow comes in one side, the water goes over the first wall, and on other side of the sump, the return pump sends the water back to the tank. In the middle are two pumps - one sends water to the phosphate reactor and the other pumps water to the skimmer.

 

[reeffreak]

Gotcha Henryd.

I just wanted to throw out the idea about removing the bio-balls.Your not running any which is smart move.Have you really been in the hobby for 30 years?I just saw that now,I thought you sounded knowledgeable about this hobby.Sorry,I'm at a lost to help you out.

 

[henryd]

Yeah...you would not know it by my tank right now but I have been in and out of tanks for years. I have always had something running. I had several smaller salt tanks years ago with undergravel filters and never did reef, always fish only. About 7 yrs ago moved from a 55, to a 180 and then last year decieded to go reef and bought the lights and skimmer. I have seriously considered draining this one and starting it over but I am sure I will just get back to the same spot so I am trying to just keep plugging along.

 

[Bifferwine]

I can't remember if we covered this already, but what kind and how much substrate are you using?

 

[fishbait]

i have had the exact same problem you are describing. i got off to a bad start with my tank thanks to crappy advice from a crappy lfs. used tap water, didn't do regular water changes etc. once i learned better, (mostly from the people in here) i started using good water and doing water changes like crazy, stocked up on cleaner crew and up-ed the flow. it took a while to get everything in check. but, even with everything in check the algae was wasent going away on it's own.so, i took all the rock out and scrubbed it. a few weeks later started getting some more hair algae. so,took the rocks out and scrubbed it again. the last time seemed to be the trick.but, and as soon as the hair algae was gone i started getting the the brown algae on the glass. with tons of regular water changes, and cutting back on lighting now and then.( i have even left the lights off for three days) the brown is now gone! it just seemed to happen overnight. now i have a sparkling clean tank with only two little scraglers of hair algae about the size of a nickle, which i prune during a water change. so, don't drain that tank just yet! algae takes some time to cure, which with 30 years in the hobby i'm sure you have experienced it! if i can clean up an algea filled tank anyone can.