corals being overrun by algae

[fishiee]

It seems that my corals are being overrun by algae!

one of my zoos is being covered by dark red coraline algae, 1/2 gone

my leather has a defense mechanism, but i don't know how long it would last

my tube worm is always in its tube and does not come out now

the rest of my zoos are only 1/2 open

my 1/2 star polyp colony have been overrun by brown algae

mushrooms opening, but retract a lot at night

clam is ok for now

i am planning to get more coral next week (mushroom, open brain and possibly candy cane)

any solutions?

i have a boyu protein skimmer

my tank is 2 feet (14 inches deep), 4 months old and has a lot of brown and green algae

lights: t5, 24x4.

any solutions? preferably not chemical such as nitrate and phosphate absorbers as they cost. i was thinking of chemo algae/seaweed. do they sell it in singapore? another option would be a surgeonfish, turbosnails and hermit crabs. any recommendations of solutions and HOW TO SAVE MY CORALS???

[TayHongSiang]

bro, how come so late then take action?

Is it that irritating brown algae?

[TayHongSiang]

bro, how come so late then take action?

Is it that irritating brown algae?

1. Can't advice you on zoas...need experts here to help you.

2. Tube worm probably gone case liao...you can change its position to see whether next few days will come out.

3. Hard to salvage green star polyps...mine also facing same problem. I use an old toothbrush to gently rub off the brown algae.

4. Mushies will close up or shrink when lights are off...this is normal. Use toothbrush to scrub off the algae gently.

Solution 1: You need to remove yr live rocks and use a toothbrush to scrub off these brown and green algae. After that a 20-30% water change to reduce nutrients and siphon out those dead algae.

Solution 2: Daily maintenance required. Scrub yr tank...glass and rocks.

Solution 3: Algae remover like algone. Sold at Blk 328 Clementi, 24hrs.

Solution 4: Get nature cleaners like Sea hares, turbo snails, algae blennies, hermit crabs

[fishiee]

by the way, it is chaetomorpha macro algae, not chemo algae. sorry for the mistake. I was pretty busy over the past week and had no time to monitor - only feed and top up water. do you know where i can find that maco-algae or any other like it? that idea seems to appeal most to me now.

[finbir]

It seems that my corals are being overrun by algae!

one of my zoos is being covered by dark red coraline algae, 1/2 gone

my leather has a defense mechanism, but i don't know how long it would last

my tube worm is always in its tube and does not come out now

the rest of my zoos are only 1/2 open

my 1/2 star polyp colony have been overrun by brown algae

mushrooms opening, but retract a lot at night

clam is ok for now

i am planning to get more coral next week (mushroom, open brain and possibly candy cane)

any solutions?

i have a boyu protein skimmer

my tank is 2 feet (14 inches deep), 4 months old and has a lot of brown and green algae

lights: t5, 24x4.

any solutions? preferably not chemical such as nitrate and phosphate absorbers as they cost. i was thinking of chemo algae/seaweed. do they sell it in singapore? another option would be a surgeonfish, turbosnails and hermit crabs. any recommendations of solutions and HOW TO SAVE MY CORALS???

What I did was to use phosphate remover chemical to clean tank water after siphoning it from the tank n placing in plastic rectangular container. Mine's a

90g tank n I clean 30g at a go. The algae just die off on their own n the rocks n corals have bounced back to life.

BTW this method was first mentioned n illus in detail last yr by fellow reefer Nakazoru.

Cheap n good,

Finbir.

[TayHongSiang]

What I did was to use phosphate remover chemical to clean tank water after siphoning it from the tank n placing in plastic rectangular container. Mine's a

90g tank n I clean 30g at a go. The algae just die off on their own n the rocks n corals have bounced back to life.

BTW this method was first mentioned n illus in detail last yr by fellow reefer Nakazoru.

Cheap n good,

Finbir.

For me..the back of my tank has a lot of brown algae...damn irritating...i just use a sponge to scrub them off and do a water change immediately.

Last week i remove 2 pieces of my liverocks and scrub them in a pail of sea water using toothbrush like brushing teeth like that...now my tank looks better and the coraline algae are growing.

[yellowtanker]

If u haven't invested time reading about the algae scrubber, please spend sometime there.... "Mega Nitrate/Phosphate Remove" by Santa Monica under "General Reefing"...... save you lots of hassle going forward.

Cheers,

[ReDDeviLs]

ur situation is quite critical now..

do some water change, and run a FR

would like to know wat u feed also.

after ur situation is much controlled, must tackle the root of the problem.

[fishiee]

I have just removed 3 corals - 2 zoos - one was not opening and the other were partially overrun by coraline algae. they were both pretty soft, i sign that i take that they were dying. The other coral was a jewel coral which does not really open up at all. This was done on the rationale that the corals were dying slowly and contributing to the nitrate and phosphate spike.

My clam has also been giving problems. It seems to have small depressions, like holes on its mantle. the depressions reveal pearly-white flesh. there are around 6 such small depressions. Is my clam going to die? if it is, i will take it out

I use Dr. Basslet's fish food. Good quality stuff. i feed max. once a day and most of the time forget to feed anyway.

My tube worm has opened up again and my mushroom corals seem to be doing fine for the moment. One mushroom has detached itself from the rock. My leather coral is opening up again, its slime covering gone. Could the slime covering have caused the nirtate spike? Another question - i am buying some LPS this sat - open brain and candy cane. i heard that leather corals exude a toxin that affects LPS.

The rest of my zoos are still closed. could the toxin from the leather coral be affecting them as well?

I am debating about a water change, i have only a bit f salt left and am saving that for an emergency. I am under the impression that the nitrate and phosphate levels will go down as my skimmer removes more algae everyday.... i still think the best method is cheato macroalgae. i will be seeing if i can get some this saturday. I will also get turbo snails as well as an algae blenny and possibly hermit crabs to help with the problem.

[fishiee]

I have also noticed that some of you say that topping up with tap water will lead to increased nitrate levels. I top up my tank with around 1/2 a litre to 1 litire of tap water everyday. Is this the real cause of the problem? my lights are placed like 5 cm away from the water and i use a fan to keep the temp down, so water evaporates like crazy. What is teh solution for adding what, 'deionised or distilled' water? how do you get it? i suspect that you all have a device to carry out the process. how much does it cost? i am a student upkeeping a marine tank on my allowance and i do nat have much to spare.

[fishiee]

by the way, the clam is doing fine, its opening up as usual and responds to light changes. its even drilled itseelf onto the shell its was given. its just the small depressions bit

[TayHongSiang]

I have also noticed that some of you say that topping up with tap water will lead to increased nitrate levels. I top up my tank with around 1/2 a litre to 1 litire of tap water everyday. Is this the real cause of the problem? my lights are placed like 5 cm away from the water and i use a fan to keep the temp down, so water evaporates like crazy. What is teh solution for adding what, 'deionised or distilled' water? how do you get it? i suspect that you all have a device to carry out the process. how much does it cost? i am a student upkeeping a marine tank on my allowance and i do nat have much to spare.

I m using treated tap water to change water, but realised it promotes brown algae in my tank bcoz of silicate and phosphate found in tap water. So, i have added seachem phosguard to absorb these chemicals and other metals in the water.

For top up, i will used distilled water.

In the LR, you can purchase a RO..think it is abt $90 plus from JM@west coast. Crystal pro will be a bit expensive for u.

[TayHongSiang]

I have also noticed that some of you say that topping up with tap water will lead to increased nitrate levels. I top up my tank with around 1/2 a litre to 1 litire of tap water everyday. Is this the real cause of the problem? my lights are placed like 5 cm away from the water and i use a fan to keep the temp down, so water evaporates like crazy. What is teh solution for adding what, 'deionised or distilled' water? how do you get it? i suspect that you all have a device to carry out the process. how much does it cost? i am a student upkeeping a marine tank on my allowance and i do nat have much to spare.

Ohh ya...cheaper alternative is to prepare yr water in a pail and throw in a bag of carbon and allow yr prepared water to settle down for 1-2 days before using. There are a lot of brands available...can check out reef depot website.

[iskay]

..... Another question - i am buying some LPS this sat - open brain and candy cane. i heard that leather corals exude a toxin that affects LPS......

Your tank is experiencing algae bloom with corals dying and yet you are thinking of buying new corals?! Don't know your logic here, bro. Buy them to kill them? Better spend the money on more salt (for more frequent partial water changes) or something that will help control your algae problem first. BTW, my hammer and frogspawn are right next to a leather and they all co-exist well. The key is good water parameters. That's what you should be focusing on, not what's the next LS to buy.

Also, skimmers don't remove algae, they removes dissolved organics.

Nothing personal. Just good reefing practices.

[fishiee]

I think i will buy

- either a DI/RO unit or 'carbon' as suguessted.

- I will also use cheato and

- buy a wavemaker to increase the flow of water in my tank.

- I will also get snails.

- I will do a partial water change today to prepare for my corals coming in tomorrow. this should help to improve the water conditions. (i can't resist it, waited a month for this. anyway, my policy for my tanks is to keep the water parameters a little on the bad side. I feel that exposing livestock to a utopian environment will decrease their adatibility to changing conditions, for example, if my protein skimmer breaks down. Anyway, i do need a little nitrate for my clam.)

- . Will using mineral water (ice mountain) to top up be good for the tank? I will read the label to find out if it is worth it. I am thinking of using it as a short term measure (a few days) until i get my DI/RO unit or carbon.

- I think that should kill all the problems within a few days. A nano tank is small. Nitrates and phosphates can be removed quickly, if you get what i mean.

[onizukaa]

its always best to settle your water issue before buying, even you can't resist and buy, your water condition is not good, you will only be wasting your time to buy, your time to maintain, your $$ and the innocent coral that is going to suffer in your tank..

hope your tank will be ok.

[iskay]

Distilled Water. Don't use mineral water.

Well, it's none of our business if you decide to buy LS. We just feel sorry for the LS to needlessly suffer.

[fishiee]

how do nano reefers keep their nitrate under control? (besides frequent water changes and other expensive methods) if i do want to get rid of some fish, how do i do it? Is it true that most of the nitrate in your tank comes from your fish (corals, clams, inverts, live rock all secrete a minimal ammount of nitrate)? If that is so, how many fish do you recommend for a 2 foot nano? I am thinking of reducing the fish count to 3 or 4 or even 2. 1 fish would be nice, but i would have to find a nice one.

[fishiee]

ok. i bought a crystal pro DI unit. hopefully it would work.

[onizukaa]

cool, but be sure on how to use it, if you destroy the membrane (the last filter), its good as none. try to read on the guide.

nice effort there getting a DI, all the best to you!

[fishiee]

the DI has only 1 canister containing the mixed resin. could not afford more than $125. funding this tank out of my own pocket money! It reduces the TDS reading from 67 to 0, i pass the water through quite slowly. thanks for the advice anyway. hope this works. if it does not.....don't want to think about it.

[fishiee]

ok. looks like my algae problem has resolved itself. thanks to everyone for their help.

[iskay]

Good to hear that. just keep your water in good condition and algae will not bother you.

[VelvetAirwaves]

try using additives like algone , really good product ,kept all my water parameters under control. pwnzorz. eh dude ,also if you keep a nano tank, water changes are usually a must, cause nitrites and nitrates build up damn fast in a small volume of water. experts do correct me if im wrong

[sherman]

Can also try to have a algae scrubber

Cheers