5 month ALGAE ISSUE !!!!! Help help help

[Jus4pd11417]

My non rr tank has been setup since dec 2013 and for the past 4/5 mths I've been battling green algae. Equipment: 55 gallon non rr tank, HOB BH 100, fluval 406, aqua clear 110, BRS dual reactors running high gfo, aquatic life 4 lamp T-5 light run approx 8 hrs (420037
Light 48" T5 HO 4 Lamp 4 Lunar (2) 48" T5 HO 54W 420/460 run from 10am-4pm (1) 48" T5 HO 54W 10K (run 9am-4pm) (1) 48" T5 HO 54W Purple (4) 1W Lunar LED's run 4-6pm .... I have approx 8 turbo snails who eat a lot ....

Aquatic life : 3 anemones, 1 clown, 2 damsels, 1 tang, 1 algae blemmy


Problem .... W/in a day or 2 of cleaning I start to see brown algae in the glass and going crazy in the sand. My phosphates are at the min if not 0 and all my other readings are w/in range. However, I recently discovered my calcium was at 300 working to bring it up to the proper level, And my nitrates are 40 ppm. Why is this stuff growing ?????

 

[Nandez13]

What brand test kits are you using for phosphate, nitrate, calcium? Your nitrate is high and even though you're not reading positive phosphate levels it's obviously in the system if you have algae.

what saltmix are you using? 300 seems very low for calcium. Be sure to understand the relationship between calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. Dosing calcium without monitoring the other two can lead to further problems.

Have you been doing regular (~ 1/wk) water changes with RODI water? Manually removing the algae and doing water changes to remove unwanted nutrients always helps.

 

[duke62]

If your seeing algae your po4 is not zero.

 

[Justin_NY]

Fluvial and aqua clear is a source of nitrate.
Do u use Rodi water??
Need to re do u filter
Sump and skimmer we'd be nice

 

[Jus4pd11417]

Test kits API salt mix instant ocean don't under stand the relationship bet salt alkalinity and magnesium (I'm n trouble) , and water chgs no I don't because my water evaporates so quickly very 1-2 weeks I add in 5 plus gallons and for water I'm using a filtration system that brings my TDS 3-12 w/a TDS meter, since my tank is non rr I'm afraid to try hob to the sump (4got what it's called) I heard it's known to cause overflows and spillage and I live on the 3rd floor of a 3 family home all wood floors I have a ton of equipment what do I do ?

 

[Moneymaks24]

TDS should be 0, ther wise your adding fuel to fire, clean the sand blow off detritus weekly from rocks and ditch the aqua clear filters, at least the pads portion of it, u don't need it's just nitrate traps. Keep it simple WC and skimmer and don't overfeed.

 

[Sanchez2896]

Less feeding .. Use chemi pure elite carbon bags and also seachem purigen , will help run it super super clean man ... Best $30 you can invest

 

[Sanchez2896]

Add hermits crabs and nasarius snails

 

[duromega]

#1 get RO/DI Unit
#2 get rid of fluval
#2 get rid of aquaclear
#3 get a sump
#4 get a skimmer
#5 you will need overflow box
#6 ...and some money

 

[Jus4pd11417]

Love the last post yes yes yes unfortunately I don't have the money it's either I sell everything and start over when I get some money just don't know been trying to make what I have work but bet the skimmer dual reactors and the filtration units (flu/aqua) no good so no good don't know what to do sell and start over later or what

 

[duromega]

Keep the tank like that
and get equipment little by little like when you building a house lol and get a new tank
Reef ready if possible

 

[Nandez13]

The hobby can get very frustrating at times and I myself have thought about starting over when I started but I agree with duromega to stick it out for a bit. Patience, research and hard work can get you through it and will help you have a better tank with the one you have now or with any future tanks you start.

Chemical filtration like GFO can help reduce nitrate/phosphate in your tank which will help control the algae. Running carbon can be beneficial but it's meant more for binding particles, not so much removing unwanted nutrients. Clean up crews like hermit crabs and snails can help remove algae but they are just a bandaid and are not a solution to the problem. I personally don't like hermit crabs too much as I find they always wind up killing each other or other snails or knocking my frags of rocks. Snails can help control the algae but research any snail you're considering purchasing as they do not all feed on the same things. Nassarius snails do not eat algae, they are scavengers and will prey more on dead matter or uneaten food.

The reason I asked which test kits you are using is because they all have different levels of accuracy. API is a popular choice for beginners because of its overall good reviews and low cost but I would not use them for parameters other than ammonia and nitrite. Phosphate is difficult to read on test kits and like others mentioned before, if you see algae, you have phosphate. The reason you are not detecting these levels (apart from inaccurate test kit) is that it is bound in the algae that you see and not in the water column that you are testing.

As far as the relationship between calcium, alkalinity and magnesium, it is not something that can be explained in a couple sentences but it is something you want to research as you delve more into corals (especially SPS). Dosing calcium can lead to reduced alkalinity levels which will have a negative effect on your corals. I started with an API calcium test kit and was getting readings that were 40-60 ppm lower when compared to more accurate test kits from Salifert. Once you stabilize your parameters and establish a good maintenance routine, you should not need to test as often which will justify the extra cost of the more accurate test kits.

You mentioned that you are waiting for your tank to evaporate 5 gallons before you top off; also not a good idea. I don't think this is playing a role in your algae issues but you are allowing your salinity to have constant large swings which will stress out your fish as well. It's better to top off small amounts more frequently (with RODI water) rather than large amounts infrequently.

Good luck

 

[jhm5378]

put a gfo reactor

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

#1 get RO/DI Unit
#2 get rid of fluval
#2 get rid of aquaclear
#3 get a sump
#4 get a skimmer
#5 you will need overflow box
#6 ...and some money

This sums it all up , unfortunately running a reef at minimal cost can in fact and most often does run these negative effects , your bio load must be stabilized and you need a good skimmer , a sump you can make yourself from another tank and save a few bucks but the skimmer should always be a good one and the feeding and lighting should always be on a steady and balanced regimen .

Good luck.

 

[cono]

+1 and if you can look for a lifereef overflow box they don't drain on floor