Algae

[mling]

OK, I know Algae is always a problem with aquatics. But I have had to scrap the glass of my 45 Gallon tank every day just to keep up with new Algae growth.
I already have about 20 snails, combination of Turbo, crown, etc. I also have about 20 plus hermit crabs. The only live stock are crabs and shrimp.
I know my 200 watts of compact lights sure helps in Algae growth but that is need for corals and eventually an anemone,I don’t have any fishes yet since my tank is only 1 month old.

Any suggestions or is this just a fact of live for a reef tank ?

 

[Anonymous]

mling,
Your tank is still new and will go threw many different algea blooms. Keep up with weekly water changes using RO/DI, syphon out as much algea as you can, and don't feed until you have something to feed, ie fish, and then only lightly every other day or so.
HTH

 

[liquid]

Are you using:

A skimmer?
RO/DI water?
Water changes?
How much are you feeding?

Shane

 

[mling]

I have a skimmer and don't feed much other than some small pallets for the 2 crabs I have. Don't have RO water yet, still in the market for a good one.

Someone told me cut down on the times my light stays on. It currently stays on from 6am to 8pm. Too long I guess...
Any suggestions on how long the tank should stay lighted ?

 

[WannaBeReefer]

I would bet its your water, have you tested it ? I would test for silica and phosphate. These 2 nasties (Some silica is good, but not 12PPM) did me in for a long time in my freshwater tanks. Now I use RO/DI and no more dang problems! What a relief....

my 2 cents!

 

[buoymarker28]

if your using tap water then i'm with wannabe. You're much better off finding a water store or Kroger etc and filling 5 gal bottles for like .38 a gal until you get a RO filter. At least that water is RO, DI, and Ultra light filetered. Adding tap water, even using the dechlorine stuff is horrible for your tank.

 

[Anonymous]

On the same token... you still will go through some stages.. a 1 month old tank is "babah".... diatom (brown), then green... it's all stages...grab a reef book. If you check the newbie links it's all in there. It will come around for ya too. Just have fun, and don't treat it like a science project!
~wings~

 

[ricky1414]

I have a skimmer and don't feed much other than some small pallets for the 2 crabs I have.

dont feed the crabs anymore. they will eat the algae. they are omnivores. Good Luck!

 

[ricky1414]

i try to shoot for 10 hours of light.