Awesome reef tanks with algae issues?

[kimoyo]

I know algae (not macro) is a broad term but I'm curious if anyone has seen reef tanks with algae issues (phytoplankton rich water) but awesome corals, sps for example. I was reading a thread over on RC and someone posted this article, Coral Death Results from Bacteria Fed by Algae. I'm not sure about the validity of the article but I did start thinking about things I've seen in the past in my tank. I usually get a greenish skimmate that has always made me believe that I'm skimming mostly dissolved algae or phytoplankton. Green algae grows on rock surfaces that don't have coralline algae on. Green algae grows on dead corals.

Some people seem to be having a lot of success with limiting nutrients by encouraging bacterial growth. I wonder if this success is the result of an underlying process where the increased bacteria outcompetes the dissolve algae.

 

[cali_reef]

This should be in the Advance Forum....

Too deep for newbies like me!

 

[kimoyo]

Pierce,

How's the prodibo going? Do you have algae issues with your 150G?

 

[spykes]

paul for the first 2 months my tank was completely brown because of the base rocks i've used. After the 2nd month coraline started to grow after i started skimming really wet. I do notice once the rocks mature coraline started to grow and the brown diatomic algae started to die off. I think bacteria and nutrient level balance kills off the diatomic algae.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

i have a bad coralline algae problem :lol2:

 

[kimoyo]

Dave,

That's interesting because since I just got my tank set backup a few weeks ago, the places where my liverock didn't have coralline got taken over by my green algae. Maybe coralline and red turf algae (for example) are similar and don't have long planktonic (free swimming) stages or sequester nutrients (nitrates, phosphates) as much, so reef tanks can still do well with them in the tank.

I've seen corals kill coralline as they spread and coralline kill off my green algae as it spreads. And when I was losing a coral slowly, it sometimes seemed like it was being overtaken by the green algae.

But on the other hand, bacteria actually feed the coral. And maybe coralline has a benefical relationship or none at all with the bacteria. I remember Solbby saying he didn't know how much bacteria was being skimmed out and others saying that not much bacteria is found in the water column. I’m really curious to see Solbby's skimmate study if he's still doing it.

Also, while I've read on RC that skimming was extremely important in regards to vodka/prodibo, other seemingly knowledgeable people theorize that it wasn't (skimming does help with oxygen levels though). I remember Iwan saying to me that he didn't notice an increase in skimming with prodibo. To add to this I've always heard people say your tank should be established before putting corals in. Like you said, maybe its a combination of getting your bacteria to a certain population while getting phytoplankton level down (thru skimming, water changes, bacterial growth etc.).

A lot of what I'm saying is probably just BS but I'm just trying to see others thoughts.

 

[kimoyo]

I've always wondered about how reefs like Cali-reef's & Jhale's can have a lot of nitrates and still do well. Nitrates at certain level's aren't good for corals but they can obviously survive. But both Pierce and Jon use phosban or rowa to reduce phosphate which could be keeping the algae / phytoplankton growth in check. In a way kinda like those little swarming dinosaurs from Jurassic Park. With one or two you could survive, maybe even kill them and eat them. But when a whole bunch come thru they wreck you.

 

[cali_reef]

Pierce,

How's the prodibo going? Do you have algae issues with your 150G?

I always have issues.. That is what makes this a HOBBY:biggrin: .

Hair algae and red slim started when some of my larger tangs died six months ago, I am still looking for few good tangs to combat the hair algae problem. I think prevention is important but removal is more effective.

Can't really comment on the Prodibio, I have never dosed on schedule per their instruction(or lack of). So far I have not seen a dramatic change in the tank and the No3 is still at 25ppm.

 

[kimoyo]

Pierce,

Didn't you have 50 ppm nitrates before ? :scratchch

 

[cali_reef]

That went down to 25ppm when I took the reef tank off the main sump and have a BK300 skimming it 24/7.

 

[meschaefer]

That went down to 25ppm when I took the reef tank off the main sump and have a BK300 skimming it 24/7.

If I hadn't seen your tank, I wouldn't think you could have much success with Nitrates in the 25ppm, let alone 50ppm!

 

[jhale]

I'm not running anything to soak up the Po4 anymore, it's been 0 for a while.

My nitrates were off the charts, some large water changes brought them back down to 10 or so.

Even with crazy high No3 I had no algae growing. I have such little growing I'm afraid my clean up crew may starve. The one place i had any kind of macro or hair algae growing was in the overflow by the durso's.

 

[ShaunW]

I know algae (not macro) is a broad term but I'm curious if anyone has seen reef tanks with algae issues (phytoplankton rich water) but awesome corals, sps for example.

I don't think this happens often in aquariums unless the aquarist grows his/her own phytoplankton and adds it.

I would think this is the ideal, . The problem is the other algaes that come about over time through introduction.

Personally, I think that algae should almost be treated as a "pest (like Redbugs for example)" in that one should quarantine additions to ones display tank such that certain algae is not introduced. Since once the addition occurs they are extremely hard to remove, i.e. bubble algae, hair algae, etc.... Rock cooking is the answer, and lots of patience.

Bacteria are a different story all together.

 

[ShaunW]

The secret to this hobby IMHO is that it requires time and attention to detail. Doing water changes, spending the money to acquire the proper equipment for your tank, keeping temperature constant, etc..

The best aquarists have said it before, the key to success is stability.

Maintaining a constant environment requires time and effort, to deal with the food intake/waste added, and the stresses placed on the aquariums internal environment by the external environment. Nature deals with this by having TRILLIONS of gallons of water to dilute the effects of the external environment.

Algae problems stem from instability in a semi-mature tank and/or the addition of pest algae.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

and/or the addition of pest algae.

Doesn't most algae, including pest algae, die when introduced in a tank with poor nutrient in the water column?

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

My nitrates were off the charts, some large water changes brought them back down to 10 or so.

Even with crazy high No3 I had no algae growing. I have such little growing I'm afraid my clean up crew may starve.

One of my tank has a similar situation-there is nirtrate but no algae growth.

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

Phytoplankton should not be an issue in most reef aquariums. Skimming, water changes, filter socks and of course corals suck up most of the "plankton" produced in our enclosed systems.

What is being described in this thread as "green water" is more than likely DOC (Disolved Organic Compounds) that are discoloring the water. The only things that can correct this are: Water changes, agressive skimming and activated carbon.

Most of the algae problems reef aquarists face are micro and macro algaes and many are actually bacteria. (Blue green "slime" and red slime are actually cyanobacteria) Right now I am having a small problem with bubble algae (I had not noticed it until a few weeks ago) and every once in a while a small patch of hair algae appears. But this is normal and that is what the critters are for. (Snails, hermits, tangs, etc.)

-Alfred