GHA Blow again

[minsmarine]

I was away for 3 days and now I can't remember it's my tank. The whole tank filled with GHA AGAIN. Some of them are long as 2". All the TOP part of glass cover with brown algae.

There was GHA blown afew week back, however after I added Carbon Reactor and Phosphate Reactor than all GHA become brown and die off ( but not totally die off when I left Singapore ). Now like no1 business there are everywhere.

So tested water,

Anemoneia 0

NO2 0

NO3 0

PO4 between 0 and 0.03 very difficult to know since almost no color

Used Salifert test kit.

Photo periods of 10hr ( 4 x 10k + 2 x 20k T5 )

5L of topup tapwater ( no trace of NO3, PO4 ).

No LS loss.

What is the other parameter that I don't know ?

[iewnehz]

anything died?

[minsmarine]

No LS loss.

Could that be other parameter that I don't know ?

[neokn]

That sea hare isn't eating fast enough?

[minsmarine]

u better get him out of my tank, he is too slow, GHA is growing very fast................................

[giantbicycle]

hey bro , i tot u got the new P04 remover not long ago?

[minsmarine]

hey bro , i tot u got the new P04 remover not long ago?

PO4 reading almost ZERO but GHA growing after PO4 remover. ( Down to almost 0 from 1.0 in 4 days )

Was reading chemical forum and told that PO4 enter and GHA consume before PO4 reactor react.

So finding way how to remove PO4 b4 consumed by GHA.........................

[neokn]

May be you can convert your SPS tank to planted marine tank.

[SBS_Transit]

May be you can convert your SPS tank to planted marine tank.

but no reason algae grow so much n so fast.

[giantbicycle]

wha, seems bad....try a water change with RO/DI water ar,not tap water

[kareen]

How's about cutting back on photosysnthesis time to 8 hours or less

[cmswong]

Bro minsmarine,

Did you check your skimmer?if is working properly

than my advice is to upgrade better skimmer.I had battle GHA for

couple of month in the begining of the year.Until I upgrade my skimmer

than I won over and I did not use any PO4 remover ,just change water with

tap water.Hope it help.

[minsmarine]

Thank for all your guys contributions.

But you know what, all you said here are done, did....

Ok here it's

Upgrade Skimmer, my Macro AS300 is giving mud skimate, need to clean ( the whole ) collection cup every 3 days. So guy u think I need to upgrade skimmer ? Unless u tell me there is a skimmer need to clean collection cup everyday.

Water Change,

I'd change water so many time that for my small little 3' tank, I already burned 300G salt.

Tap Water

Tested so many time, no trace of NO2, NO3, PO4, all clear. Test Kits Salifert ( No exipred )

Actived Carbon

In Place

PO4 Absorber

In Place

Both are driven by 2,800L/hr pump which mean whatever flow to the sump all gone through Carbon and PO4 absorber.

Read in Chemical forum saying that PO4 already bounded to either sand or LR. They become producer and they release slowly. So b4 reach to PO4 absorber, GHA consumed. So this is my conclution.

Now my tank has no light at all. I am trying to have no light for 2-3 days than slowly increase back to 10hr by 3-4 weeks. Hope it's help otherwise I might need to throw aways all my LR.

[Ekia]

Yup minsmarine, I think you are right. I'm having the exact same problem as you. My GHA is growing though not as fast as yours. Nitrate 2ppm and PO4 almost 0. Sighz.

[typrobin]

upgrade skimmer?? :eyebrow:

[SBS_Transit]

upgrade skimmer?? :eyebrow:

u r waiting only

wiat a few days n update us on how the GHA is doing

[minsmarine]

upgrade skimmer?? :eyebrow:

to fund ur new project hah

Will upgrade only for new project, for this project I'd spent enough.

Should know when to stop mah

[typrobin]

to fund ur new project hah

Will upgrade only for new project, for this project I'd spent enough.

Should know when to stop mah

buy!

go straight for it!!

that's wat u said when neokn was thinkin of whether to get TUNZE right??hahahaha

[ZeRoC00l]

Thank for all your guys contributions.

But you know what, all you said here are done, did....

Ok here it's

Upgrade Skimmer, my Macro AS300 is giving mud skimate, need to clean ( the whole ) collection cup every 3 days. So guy u think I need to upgrade skimmer ? Unless u tell me there is a skimmer need to clean collection cup everyday.

Water Change,

I'd change water so many time that for my small little 3' tank, I already burned 300G salt.

Tap Water

Tested so many time, no trace of NO2, NO3, PO4, all clear. Test Kits Salifert ( No exipred )

Actived Carbon

In Place

PO4 Absorber

In Place

Both are driven by 2,800L/hr pump which mean whatever flow to the sump all gone through Carbon and PO4 absorber.

Read in Chemical forum saying that PO4 already bounded to either sand or LR. They become producer and they release slowly. So b4 reach to PO4 absorber, GHA consumed. So this is my conclution.

Now my tank has no light at all. I am trying to have no light for 2-3 days than slowly increase back to 10hr by 3-4 weeks. Hope it's help otherwise I might need to throw aways all my LR.

Technically speaking our tap water is actually quite high in nitrate, and have traces of PO4 and Silicate/silica, not to mention chromine and a few other chemicals

Even if you're not getting a reading (assuming testkit is alright), your adding more of these with each water change.

Suggest you first upgrade your skimmer, and get hold of some distilled water. Or get a DI or a RO/DI unit for water change.

If desperate to clear the GHA, you can mechanically clean them by scrubbing under freshwater.

And for the serious ones, a splash of hotwater and somemore serious scrubbing. ** WILL have die off

my $0.02

[minsmarine]

Well , so far all of us here think inside the box, no1 here thinks outside the box equtation.

Here is what I analyzed.

1. Test Kit Accuracy

I am using Salifert test kit. I don't think I am doubt with quaility of the kit. However for the sake of urging, I use this method to test kit's creditability.

There are three water sample involved in test. 1st water from main tank taken 2 week ago, 2nd sample is water from Tap, 3rd sample is current water from the main tank.

Run 2 tests each for sample. And all the time I get the same result for each sample. And result for all the samples are different. So there is no doubt in test kit's creditability.

2. Tap Water's quaility

Using same test kit, which I am so sure about quaility of the kit, tested the tap water so many time, every time I get this reading.

NO2 0

NO3 0

PO4 0.

So I trust PUB. And since 10 months back I am topping up Tap water. Never has any problem.

3. Skimmer

I am currently overdriving Marcro AS300 with 5,000L/hr pump. Every 3 days I need to clean collection cup cause whole collection cup's neck is filled with MUD. So I have no doubt that my skimmer is doing very well. So far I'd visited so many skimmer result none of them can't compare to my skimmer's result yet. And don't forget my tank has very low bioload and small tank.

4. FR

Active Carbon and PO4 absorber in place. Driven by 2,800L/hr pump. Since I'd added these 2 FRs, all my reading down to 0. I'd no doubt in quaility of chemical stuff since both are well know German brand.

Based on that, I didn't believe that none of them caused the problem. So I think back what I did.

Yes there was something I changed which is very important.

My Lighting.

Switched from 2 x 150w 20K MH to 6 x 39w T5. I choose 10k for T5 so definatly more PAR and it's caused the problem.

Therefore I switched to 4 x 20k and 2 x 10k T5 configuration and reduced photo period to 6 hrs from 10 hrs.

NOW GHA is slowly dying. Some starts changed to transperant color and some already become brown.

Conclution, we need out of the box thinking.

Have a nice day guy.

[Reefbum]

Bro, had the same problems with GHA.My solution is bare bottom tank.

[RAV-65]

Bro, told u to change ur skimmer liao.....

I had a H&S before and I thought it was good enough, until I wanted to have pristine water condition and I changed to beckett, u would be surprised the amount of gunk it pulls out, despite feeding only once every 2-3 days, the skimmer never stops skimming... unlike my H&S which stopped skimming...

Get a beckett, you'll be convinced!!

Anyway, if ur realise that ur SPS still turning brown, means the DOC in the water still high.... IME, the no. 1 factor why SPS turn brown is becoz of nutrients in the water...

Juz my $0.02...

[minsmarine]

The problem here is just GHA.

My SPSs are coloring very well and growing. All polys are extending like hell. So I don't see problem of DOC.

My 100$ skimmer is skiming like hell, every 3 days need to clear the whole collection cup. In the chamber I get nothing but just MUD. Don't expect me to get 6' tall skimmer for my small little 45G tank right.

I have very low LS. Gobys and Blenny and I feed them only 1/2 cub of brain shrimp aday.

I believe it's the LR releasing PO4 slowly, and b4 my PO4 remover absorb than GHA get it.

Well thank for all your guys contribution. So far my life is back to normal. As long as all my SPSs coloring ( except 1 colony brown , the rest are beautiful ) and growing. I am happy with that

just not happy to see those GHA

[jc85]

Dun feed ur fishes for the next few days. They can survive fine without food 4 at least 3-4 days.

Since u have SPS, guess black out period is not possible but try to reduce it to maybe 6hrs? Also on lights, how old are ur bulbs. Read somewhere that old blubs tend to cause algae outbreak also.

Juz my 2cts.

JC

[minsmarine]

Ok some out of the box thinking At least.

My bulbs are less than one month Changed from MH to T5. I believe it's the main reason to blow GHA. My 6x T5 is already on 6hrs photoperiods.

Tried black out for 2 days, some of my SPS loss color a bit, take a few day to recover. I will not try again as loss is too much compare to gain.

Any other thinking ?