Prevent Algae bloom?

[clancaster23]

Well some may know that I jsut had to replace my 40 gallon after the other one broke a seal. Now that I have it all set up, after having nice crystal clear water since filling up, it's now just starting to get that tinge to it that tells me it's going to start an algae bloom. I'm wondering if there is either a way to speed it up or prevent it altogether? I'm guessing the altogether part would be to do a large water change but the wife is already on me about the water bill so I want to avoid that if possible. Any tips on overcoming this initial bloom? I have two lights over the tank, T5's. Together they equal 312 watts of light into the tank. Would turning these off now for several days but not doing a total blackout help the process?


By the way, my two clowns, my feather duster and my torch look great after the transfer :)

 

[little_fish]

Its kinda hard to do much without doing a water change because the algae that dies off will just rot to fuel another algae bloom. What other stuff do you have for filtration on this tank?

But congrats on the successful transfer!

 

[clancaster23]

Just my Reef Octopus bh-100

 

[fmjeff]

Well some may know that I jsut had to replace my 40 gallon after the other one broke a seal. Now that I have it all set up, after having nice crystal clear water since filling up, it's now just starting to get that tinge to it that tells me it's going to start an algae bloom. I'm wondering if there is either a way to speed it up or prevent it altogether? I'm guessing the altogether part would be to do a large water change but the wife is already on me about the water bill so I want to avoid that if possible. Any tips on overcoming this initial bloom? I have two lights over the tank, T5's. Together they equal 312 watts of light into the tank. Would turning these off now for several days but not doing a total blackout help the process?


By the way, my two clowns, my feather duster and my torch look great after the transfer :)

good uv sterilizer goes a long way

 

[clancaster23]

Who makes the better ones? Reccommendations?

 

[fmjeff]

Who makes the better ones? Reccommendations?

I use the mean green killing machine. it's a self contained unit and includes a powerhead. Good UVS on a budget. You can buy it from petco or amazon for around 50-100 bucks. Comes in 9W and 24W, depending on the size of your tank. 24W is for around 100 gallons. 9W for about half that. Make sure you replace the bulb every 4-6 months or so and keep the unit clean. Best to have it after your mechanical filtration and not before to avoid clogging the filter.