Algae

golby46

New Member
I need help

I have a 15 gallon with 25 lbs of live rock...i get brown diatom algae on the glass and sand..and recently i have noticed red algae on my live rock. It's not coraline algae because it scrapes off..this tank has been up and running for 3 months...

water parameters are
ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 0
ph 8.2
phosphates 0
calicum 450

should i be concerned..i have read that diatom algae will go away on its own but what do i do about the red algae.

i have 2 clowns for fish

corals are
1 green bubble tip anomme
1 mushroom
1 frag of red zoa's

the live rock has coraline algae growing on it..

what should i do for this algae

i do a 3 gallon water change a week..

thanks for your input in advance
 

skinson

New Member
Where are you getting the water for your changes? Is it tap water? 3 gallon changes sounds a lot I would think 1 1/2-2 gall would be ample. Do you have a clean up crew? So many possibles mate. It should go with time though.
Dave
 

johnanddawn

New Member
need more info.......... but my first instinct is:
try adding flow with heavy mech filtration - cleaning daily. diatom blooms generally clear up on their own and the cyano is a indication of heavy nutrients.
suck as much of the algae out as you can during your water changes, and be patient
 

golby46

New Member
ok i will cut back on the water changes to 1 1/2 gallons..by heavy flow do you mean power heads or a bigger filter.. thanks for your replies
 

KidNano

New Member
I've never heard that you could change too much water during a water change. I don't think he meant you should cut back just that you could if you wanted to.
Answer a few questions for us.
Where are you getting the water for your changes? Is it tap water?
Do you have a clean up crew?

How much/often do you feed?

I think John was suggesting that you create more flow with more filtration not power heads. what kind of pumps and filtration do you have going right now?
 

golby46

New Member
ok here are some answers

water-RO water- no tap water
cleanup crew- 1 sandsifter starfish
feeding- i feed 2 ml out of a syringe of live brine shrimp 1 time a day
anemmoe gets 2 mysis shrimp 1 time a day.
filtration- Aquaclear 20 with live rock rubble instead of bio balls

i also have 2 Rio 50 powerheads in the tank

I hope i got everyones questions answered..

i really want a crystal clear tank
 

Trogdor

New Member
Well first off we need to explain a few things first. Diatoms are more a bacteria than an algae. Their cells are actually made of silica. They will normally come in at the beginning of a tank (within months of setting it up) and usually last up to around 3-4 months, depending on conditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatom

Coraline (a form of red sea algae) is something that we strive for. It's a good indication of a healthy (at least healthy enough to grow coraline) tank. There are quite a few different types of red algae so it might be better to post a photo and let us try and figure out what type it is.

a little about red sea algae
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_alga


Now lets address your tank mates. The sandsifting starfish isn't an adequate clean up crew. These guys eat the good amphipods & copeopods that help break down various detritus and food in the tank. They will clean out a sand bed then starve to death due to lack of food left. Personally I wouldn't put them in anything smaller than a 100g tank due to the devastation that they can cause in the sand bed. Once they do die, they will decompose in your sand bed and possibly cause an ammonia spike.

Your tank will do much better with some snails, crabs and a shrimp. I would strive for 1 snail per gallon rule. I like a good mix of Astraea, Cerith and Nassarius snails (2-3 Astraea, 2-3 Cerith, 9-11 Nassarius) The Astraea snails will clean mostly the glass and the live rocks. The Ceriths will bury themselves in the sand bed and stir the sand and they also help clean the glass. The Nassarius snails like to roam around a lot and eat mostly left over food and detritus. They do go under the sand bed but not for as of period of time as the Ceriths. The Ceriths and Nassarius snails will help keep the upper layers of your sand bed stirred up, which is a good thing to have.

If you like hermit crabs then try and get the Blue-Legged Hermit Crabs. These guys are the more tame and are less likely to interfere with other tank mates. Be sure to get 3-4 extra shells per crab so that they are grow into them as they get larger. Depending on the temperament of the crab, they may go after snails for their shells if there aren't adequate extras laying around.

The flow in your tank is probably adequate. If I recall correctly, the AC 20 puts out like 125gph with the 2 Rio pumps will give you a total around 260gph. This should be fairly adequate for a 15g tank with 25lbs of live rock. Speaking of live rock, I have no idea how you squeezed 25lbs into a 15g tank. I have roughly that in my 29g and it feels pretty tight in there. Be sure to position the power heads and filter outlets in your tank in a manner that provides turbulence and reaches all areas of the tank. I know this isn't easy and may take some time to figure out but you don't want any dead spots because that's where left over food and detritus will settle. If this happens then it might not decompose in the best manner and cause ammonia and nitrite levels to rise.

Feeding will be our next topic. (I know this is becoming a novel) I would cut back on the brine shrimp to once or twice a week. Brine shrimp doesn't contain much nutritional value for a fish. I would get some small pellets (if your clowns are small try and get pellets as small as you can) and check their nutritional information. Compare the labels and I try to get food with as little moisture as possible. Protein and vitamins (A, D & E) are what I look for most. To give you an idea, I'm using Spectrum Grow by New Life. I feed my 2 clowns a pinch per day. You can keep spot feeding the anemone daily if you want, but I would rotate different types of food so they get a variety of nutrition.

The anemone might be a touchy topic for some. Usually you will want to wait to get one until the tank has matured and settled down (6-12 months). Since you have one, just watch your intakes for your power heads and filters. They can get sucked into them and wipe out a nano tank pretty quickly.

Lastly the filtration. You may want to look into a hang-on the back filter. I have a Magnum HOT filter and have ran it on a 20g and it worked great. It uses the same principal as the AC-20 filter but with better results. I'm not saying that you need to switch but it wouldn't hurt to put it on a wish list for later. Just be sure that you are changing your medium in it every 1-2 weeks for best results. You have a choice to run carbon or not but personally I believe that it will only help clear up your water quicker if you do.

I know that there is a lot here to digest. Most of what I wrote is from personal experience from what has worked on my nano tanks. Results may vary so don't take it for the only way to run a tank. Patience is the number 1 ingredient. Nothing good happens fast in your tank fast. If you need to raise a parameter (ie pH, salinity, calcium...etc) do it slowly. Marine fish are more sensitive to conditions than fresh water.

I was going to list a few key things to keep in mind but this article does a good job at it. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/12/tips

Hope that helps a bit. Oh and before I forget, what kind of lighting are you using?
 

golby46

New Member
Trogdor

Thanks for that useful information..

I am using 65 watts PC lighting

I do have coraline growth but that is purple and with tweezers you cant scrape it off..this red algae comes off just by touching it with the tweezers..so im not sure that is coraline algae..
 

Trogdor

New Member
Has the red algae started to form strands like almost look like hair algae? It sounds more like cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria is something that I would recommend to just let it run its course. It is something that many new tanks will experience, much like diatoms. My outbreak started around 1 month mark and continued for about 3-4 months. Try to keep your nutrients down and feed just enough that your fish can consume in 5 minutes then remove excess food. Keep up on your filter media. My rule when checking mine bi-weekly is this: if you run water over the carbon and it still has good crackling sound then check it in another week. When active carbon expires, you won't hear (or very faintly) the crackling noises. Try to pull as much of the cyano out as often as possible and blow it off of the rocks with a turkey baster. If it is cyanobacteria, then it will like to hang out mostly on top of the sand bed. If this is the case then just stir up the sand and try to pull it out of the tank. Mine just suddenly went away after a few months and hasn't returned.
 

golby46

New Member
ok i juat got back from the lfs with a piece of rubble i had this stuff covered in..they identified it as red slim bacteria..it doesnt have strands like hair algae does and it covers mostly live rock..
 

johnanddawn

New Member
johnanddawn said:
need more info.......... but my first instinct is:
try adding flow with heavy mech filtration - cleaning daily. diatom blooms generally clear up on their own and the cyano is a indication of heavy nutrients.
suck as much of the algae out as you can during your water changes, and be patient
i don't generally quote myself but ............. do this and be patient and it should clear up - you have basic new tank syndrome combined with a shortage of mechanical filtration
stir up the sand surface, blow the cyano (your "red slime algae") off the rock or better yet suck it out with a hose during your water changes, mech filter heavy and clean the filter sponge daily, and feed much less
BTW an AC 20 is tiny for any tank and get the LR rubble out of there - all it is doing is taking up space in already to small of filter - use the sponge or some filter floss or better yet some poly filter or PO4 pads like these
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/P ... 004+113810
and use it as it is intended as a mechanical/chemical filter!
putting rubble in a filter is one of those bad reef mythologies that keeps getting passed along as a rule. other then a few special case systems and HOB to refuge convertions - its total nonsense - you have more then adaquete bio filtration in your LR in the tank - think about it you have 25 lbs of LR in your tank is a 1/2 pound more of rubble of any use?
you need mech/chem filtration!
i agree about the sand sifting star too - it will surely starve and die in your tank, and a few snails would be good in your system but they will not eat cyano
hope this helps we all want crystal clear tanks
 

Trogdor

New Member
it's definitely cyanobacteria. Do what John says above and it will clear itself eventually. I know how unsightly it can look but it will be over before you know it. Remember that it's only bacteria. One more thing, don't ever put any chemicals that claim to kill bacteria/algae in your tank. It will do more harm than good. It's better to take it slow and let your tank kill it off.
 

golby46

New Member
ok thanks everyone..i will try and find a home for the sand sifter..i have room for another aquaclear 20 on the other side of the tank so i will put that on there..i just pulled the rubble out of the filter..i will let you all know how it goes.you have been a big help.
 
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