Are my LEDs to strong..

[Brooklyn48]

I have a 72 gallon bow front mix reef. 20 gallon wet dry sump. I use a uv sterilizer biopellet reactor and reef octopus skimmer rated for 100 gallons. The water goes thru double layers of filter pads and 4 100 micron filter socks that get replaced regularly. I do not dose and I do weekly 10% water changes. Most of the time I just use nutri seawater, However sometimes I use tropic marin bio actif reef salt mix with ro water that is purchased from a water depot. LEDs are flush ontop of the tank 72 *3 watt cree LEDs.
white 10000k 36pcs
bule 460nm 24pcs,
moon light blue 453nm 12pcs.

80 pounds of real reef purple rock
100 pounds of live sand.
In June the tank will mark it's two year anniversary.

The lights mimic sunrise sunset and moonlight. I run them at peak for 5 hours. All parameters are on point nitrates are the only thing I struggle with btw 5 and 10 ppm. I also have 7 fish
Yellow belly hippo 5"
Yellow tang 4"
Pair of snowflake clowns 2"/3"
Flame angle 3"
Male and female lyertail anthais 4"/2"
Butt load of snails and crabs
I feed a mix of diffrent frozen cube 1 thru out the day and a nori sheet maybe 2 times a week.

So my concern is that I keep getting green alage patches on the live sand is it cuz my lights are mounted to low and any suggestions on how to resolve this issue. Any recommendations will be much appericated.

 

[Ponyboy]

.....
I was wrong

 

[Tonyscoots84]

What size pump any power heads

What does that have to do with his less being to strong :sigh: :iamwithst :lol2:

 

[Ponyboy]

Not enough flow and he is getting algy

 

[Tonyscoots84]

you have alot to learn my friend.....

 

[Ponyboy]

Yes I do

 

[Brooklyn48]

Hey sorry I forgot to add I have hydor korlila's 1 1500 and 1 1150 my return pump and my return aqueon 4500 rated 1189 gallons per hour dialed back a little with a ball valve

 

[Tonyscoots84]

just pm us we are here for everyone

 

[empire]

You feed 1 cube per day? What are you doing for phosphate removal?

 

[Brooklyn48]

Eshopps overflow dual bulkhead rated for 1000 gph

 

[Brooklyn48]

I use phosphate removal pads in the sump. Biopellets and I use chemipure elite.

 

[strgazr27]

Phosphates should be checked as I didn't see them mentioned. Now I'm probably going to get beat up but that's fine. I had a 60 cube with a 250w 20K ushio and Reefbrite strip. Looked gorgeous. Swapped to an AI sol blue and 3 weeks later began a battle with algea. Nothing else changed. 3 more members/friends here have almost identical setups to you so far as filtration using pellets etc. 1 has 2 Sol blues over a anemone tank in his basement sump setup, 1 has an AI Nano over his frag section and 1 had an AI sol
Blue over his frag section. None of their Dt's are lit by LEDs. The only areas to have algea issues are all those tanks running the AI sol blues. Something to think about.

 

[Brooklyn48]

Phosphate are checked with a dinky api test kit. I don't know how reliable that is but should be btw .25 and .5.. Any input on maybe raising the lights off the tank would that help or are we screwed regardless..

 

[strgazr27]

That API Phos kit is useless. And Phosphates should be around .03. A hannah low range colorimeter will give you more accurate results. A cheaper way to check is by watching how often you need to clean the glass. Any less than 2-3 days and your P04 levels are too high.

 

[Brooklyn48]

I have to invest in one of those I guess.. However I barely have to clean my glass I just do it when I change my water just for the hell of it but never any algae build up on the glass.. I guess I will try to lower my photo period and I raised the lights three inches off the tank. I did a nutri seawater 4.4 gallon water change and syphoned the sand lets see how long it stays clean ..