Algae relief and lights?

[postie]

I'm working on a 55-gal reef, set up approx. 8 months. (I've been at this awhile (10+ years), but never had MH lighting until now. I always used PC's. In setting up this 55, I purchased a dual 250-watt system with batwing reflectors and also purchased pendants in which to mount them (the tank is open).

As time went on, more and more red algae appeared...dust like, covering everything in site. I've battled it for weeks and weeks. Ran carbon, phosphate sponges, water changes, etc....nothing worked. By the next morning, everything was once again covered in red.

I kept complaining that my lights didn't have enough "blue" color and that they weren't what I expected.....NOW I KNOW WHY! Evidently the bulbs were bad (although shipped with the system in new packaging)...they were always a white, yellowish color (supposedly 20K's). I was ready to go back to PC's....but I went ahead and changed the bulbs out with new ones. I had not used the MH's on this tank until about 3-4 months ago so the old bulbs were not old from MY use.

The new bulbs are now what I expected...excellent color, very very nice! Now...how to get rid of all the red? Turkey baster blows most of it away, but leaves it in suspension just to fall back down on everything. Any suggestions, ideas would be appreciated. I will be doing yet another water change tomorrow.

SG 1.023-1.024
temp 80-82 (yes, I know...just a bit too warm)
alkalinity/ph/calcium all at excellent levels
Some coralline trying to start (a few dots here and there)...if I can get this red out, the coralline should take off....
Fish doing excellent, zoos excellent, other corals either unhappy or dead (leathers, mostly), snails all dead, but hermits thriving (probably due to all the snails they ate), sea cucumbers (3) thriving, Sally's and peppermints thriving.

What next???

 

[Cichlidius]

Sounds like diatoms. Do you use RO/DI water? I had a lot of trouble with algae and diatoms and when my tank hit the one year mark it cleared up and has been good ever since. I feel it really takes about a year before a SW tank really settles in and matures.


Good luck
Steve

 

[Meloco14]

Well I am assuming you are testing for nitrate and phosphate, both algae fuels. But Cichlidius is right in that most new tanks will go through phases of algae blooms. All you can do it try to limit their fuel, clean what you can and do regular water changes. Eventually it will die off. If you have a regular power filter or something to throw on there temporarily it can help take some out of suspension. Other than that...make sure you are using RO water as mentioned, and good luck.

 

[postie]

Thank you so much for the help. At first, I suspected cyano, but this is not a film, just particles.....everywhere! I believe you're right that it is diatoms....I just always have brown on my mind and had forgotten there are other colors of diatoms...After taking down all my tanks and selling my 90-gallon, I almost feel like a newbie starting over.

My water is distilled for now (I've moved) but I have an RO system waiting to be installed. Normally I would do this myself, but the plumbing at my new place is a bit strange, so I'll probably hire it done while I'm getting some other plumbing changes done at the same time.

I do have a great skimmer and a canister filter that I can put whatever I need in, so I'll keep plugging along. When I do the water change today, I'll blow up a bunch of red, then change out the water....that will remove lots of particles. I am just amazed....totally amazed at the difference in the new lights. I hate it when someone sells me a bad product...now I know why the MH are so sought after!

Again thanks and all suggestions are welcomed!!!!!!

 

[Sponge_Bob]

Postie,

Just a quick remark on what you said about the temperature of your tank being a little high at 81-82°F. You will be quite happy to hear that it is not too hot at all. In fact, it's a bit cold. Your salinity is a bit low as well. Let me explain why I say that.

If there is one region where you can find a wide diversity of corals it's in the Indo-Pacific reefs. The water conditions there explain why it has so much diversity. The average temperature is about 84°F and the salinity is between 35 and 37ppt (1.026 to 1.0275 sp. gr.). I keep my tank at 83.5°F and around 36ppt salinity. One of the main factor that prevents aquarists from keeping some corals alive and thriving is simply due to the fact that the water is just too cold for them.

On another note, please be aware that although this setup is quite good for corals, some marine creatures may not be able to thrive or even live in there. For example, the blood-red (fire) shrimp. It lives deeper than some other shrimps (600ft or just about) and will not tolerate a temperature over 79°F for a long time. At the very least, it will not be "happy". So you have to pay attention to what you put in there.

That's about it. Hope that helps you a bit.

 

[postie]

That's an excellent reply Sponge and I totally agree....I like around 80 degrees, but I don't fall apart if it gets warmer. But, as you said, you have to choose species that can tolerate the temps you keep. I mentioned in my post that all my snails were gone...well, those were carribean snails...cooler water....and while I'm sure the hermits (there are only a few hermits) had their share of snail meat, I'm sure some perished due to a change of environment. Interesting that the caribbean sea cucumbers are healthy as horses. (I promised myself I would NOT add anything caribbean....oh well). I hope to have proper corals for a higher temp, they are pretty and it's much easier to maintain the tank.

Also, I think my previous bad lighting contributed hugely to the algae bloom....after only two days with the new bulbs, the algae is subsiding....just a tiny bit...but when brushed away from the glass, equipment, etc....it does not immediately cover everything again. I hope to get this tank straightened out by the time it's a year into maturity....I've taken it slowly...but also am anxious to add some color. Boy, those toadstools can take some punishment...lol Zoos too.

Thanks again....keep all the advice coming!!