SRC Member May&Bruce Posted December 5, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted December 5, 2005 The back glass on our 5 foot reef tank is covered with a layer of green algae - the tank has been running for about 4-5 months and most of the algae grew in the first month or two. It is stuck on but can be scraped off, if I wanted to remove it. My question is, should I remeove it or leave it? My tendency is to leave it as some algae like that is good for removing phosphates, ya? But....to me it is unsightly. My wife says to leave it. If I was to scrape it off, there would be a lot of green algae floating around in the tank until I etiehr scooped it out with a net and/or it was filtered out. Would it create a problem to have this algae floating around (it would be difficult to scoop it all out. What to do? Keep or remove? Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member ervine Posted December 5, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted December 5, 2005 lots of us scrape algae off the glass... it will just become like "dust" and float away to be filtered off or better still eaten by corals, pods or whatever... If you want phosphate/nitrate removal you are better off using macro algae... If you looking at scraping off, one of the favourite tools we reefers use is a credit card (expired of course!) or similar hard card.. I use a plastic ruler... For more "hardcore" algae that has been "baked" onto the glass, you can try using a razor blade, just be careful of your fingers and the glass silicone... If you have just a light coating of algae can buy a magnetic cleaner also.. i use that quite often, don't even have to get my hands wet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member nakazoru Posted December 5, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted December 5, 2005 Try Algae bleenie or snail for a start. Natural way. Quote Equipment: 30G Corner Tank with 10G Sump, 2 x 24W artinic T5, 1 x 24W 10K, 1x 24W 20K, 3" Grade 0 sand & Live rocks, Activated Carbon, Bio-home, 2 x Seio M620, Hailea 1/2HP Chiller, Redsea Pro Skimmer Live Stock: Turbo Snail x 1, Green Mandarin Dragonet X 2, Blue Tang X 2, True percular x 2, 1 x Algae Bleenie, Clarke clown x 2 Reef: 1 x 2" Blue maxima, Red/Brown/Purple Mushroom (Discosoma), Pink Ricordea yuma, A little colony Brown/Green common Zoanthus, Red/Pink/Green US Zoanthus, Eagle-eye Zoathus, 14 Branch Goniopora Pandoraensis, 1 Starburst Polyps, 3 + 2 Branch Frogspawn, 4 Blasto, palythoa, Cheato RIPs (Since June 2005): 1. Sabae clown (KO by Clarke clown) 2. 1 branch melted frogspawn 4 branch 3. Golden maxima (Ripe the base off rock by me) 4. Algae Bleenie x 2 (Starvation) 5. Blue Maxima x 1, 2 x Maxima, 1 x frogspawn, rics (Overtemp...) Old 30G Corner Tank. Restarted 30G Corner Tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member Dazza Posted December 6, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted December 6, 2005 yeah get snails lah. Get 10-20 of those n u see the thick film of alage will be gonzo in no time. Can easily get at the seaside(turbo, trochus, nerite & bumblebee or frm lfs (think abt $1 each, not too sure as never buy b4 as I collect all my snails and little hermits). Just make sure if get frm seaside, dont get the drills as those are very common or all yr clams n bivalves will be gonzo. Quote Main Tank : 48 inch by 36 inch by 28 inch (2 sides starphire glass)Sump Tank :Return Pump :Chiller : Starmax Compressor 1 HP Drop coilChiller Return Pump Protein Skimmer :Wave Maker :Fluidised Reactor : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted December 6, 2005 Author SRC Member Share Posted December 6, 2005 already have about 10 snails, but the algae is really stuck on hard and they wont move it at all. Will have to scrape it off then Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member zarkon Posted December 6, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted December 6, 2005 I heard that when your phosphate level hits zero, this algae will be gone. Anyway a little algae is good for the tank... they add oxygen into the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted December 6, 2005 Author SRC Member Share Posted December 6, 2005 Have just started scraping off the green algae...wow some is hard to remove. Now the tank is murly with green algae, but some of the fish are loving the new food source . Wont do it all at once, just in case it causes some sort of imbalance.... Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member ervine Posted December 6, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted December 6, 2005 Have just started scraping off the green algae...wow some is hard to remove. Now the tank is murly with green algae, but some of the fish are loving the new food source . Wont do it all at once, just in case it causes some sort of imbalance.... wah.. how thick is your algae? I usually scrape mine off once it becomes too obvious.. I think yours must look like one coating of paint already? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member gods_angel77 Posted December 6, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted December 6, 2005 HI BRO U CAN USE KENT MARINE RAZOR IT COST $10 BUT SUPER GOOD CAN EVEN REMOVE CORLIN/ A EASILY. U CAN PURCHASE IT FROM SEA LIFE & REBOND I THINK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member gods_angel77 Posted December 6, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted December 6, 2005 HI BRO U CAN USE KENT MARINE RAZOR IT COST $10 BUT SUPER GOOD CAN EVEN REMOVE CORLIN/ A EASILY. U CAN PURCHASE IT FROM SEA LIFE & REBOND I THINK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted December 8, 2005 Author SRC Member Share Posted December 8, 2005 Now have a Kent Marine scraper...bought from ML Have removed most algae now and the tank looks so much nicer Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member ervine Posted December 8, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted December 8, 2005 Now have a Kent Marine scraper...bought from ML Have removed most algae now and the tank looks so much nicer Great... just give it a while and it will all come back.. haha... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted December 8, 2005 Author SRC Member Share Posted December 8, 2005 yeah yeah, but this time i wont leave it 4 months before doing anything about it Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member madmac Posted December 8, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted December 8, 2005 Do tune your skimmer wet, you'll see that the resulting skimmate will be unusually green. .... my does so each time I clean the glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted December 8, 2005 Author SRC Member Share Posted December 8, 2005 madmac...I have a largish becket skimmer and it sure went haywire....skimmed a litre within an hour or so - dark green Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member madmac Posted December 8, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted December 8, 2005 haywire??... isn't the way its suppose to work! You're doing great, mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted December 8, 2005 Author SRC Member Share Posted December 8, 2005 sure is - the becket is the best investment that i have made for this tank! Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.