remove algae--need tips!

[Always J]

My tank is 55 gals, with a big white rock (decorational purpose only) in the middle as a center piece. The white rock is covered with algae (i'm guessing the brown kind, cause that's what hte color is!)

I've tried removing it and cleaning it but it's hard, because of all those little ridges . . besides, the anemones love it, and i hate getting them off of it! I have 10 snails (probably not enough for a 55 gal) but even so, the snails only stick to the glass sides of the walls, not on the big rock itself. . . plus, my mom hates the snails--thinks they're hideous! lol

The light is on every night because I have 3 anemones, but i was wondering if you have any tips (other than snails) to get rid of algae on that rock? it's a big gorgeous piece, that looks awesome only when it's actually white . . .

thanks a lot!
~jamie~

 

[Anonymous]

The only way that I am aware of to keep a white rock white is to scrub it. You may be able to do it in the tank with a toothbrush, or you may have to take it out.

What do you mean by 'the light is on every night'?

 

[Always J]

Thanks for the reply, Righty. Oh, as for the light being on every night, I meant that I have the aquarium lights on for about 4-5 hours at night (usually when it's dark outside, the tank lights go on). Lights are for the anemones. Is this a problem?

[/quote]

 

[Anonymous]

Shouldn't be a problem. What kind of lights and what kind of anemones? How long has the tank been set up?

 

[myreeef]

What kind of filtration system(s) are you running? How long has the tank been up? How much do you feed?

 

[Always J]

Ok, here are the facts about my set up..I hope this helps you guys come up w/more tips!

In short, the entire aquarium was donated to me by a neighbor who lives 2 doors away from us (had to move away). (They've had it established for years), and now I have had it for about 3 months.

The tank came with a BTA anemone, an LTA anemone and a condy (sounds kinda ridiculous, now that i thnk about it . .but he's had them for a few months before he moved and he assured me that they got a long fine . . .)

The fish include: 2 clowns (ocellaris), 2 blue/yellow damsels, 1 black and white damsel, and a firefish that i just added. . . also, 10 snails and a flame shrimp. . this is in a 55 gal tank. Inhabitants are perfectly healthy (some nipping between the damsels sometimes)

As for the lighting . .y'know what? i'm not really sure . . i always assumed that they were the "right" ones because the anemones always look so great! I'm looking at them, and there are 2 long tubes that say "aqua glow" and they're flourescent. . .unfortunately, there wasn't a manual left behind . .

oh! and the filtration is a fluval 304, i believe . .

in any case, if you have any tips for me (even if they aren't algae-related) please let me know. . everything seems great, except for the small algae bloom

I aplogize for this being so long!

 

[myreeef]

How often do you clean the fluval canister?
How often do you replace the charcoal in the fluval?
Do you have Live Rock?
Do you have a sump/refugium?
How deep is your sandbed?
What kind of sand is it? fine white/beige sugar sized grains? or larger lumps of crushed coral?

When the tank was moved 3 months ago, the sand bed and the canister would have been shaken and stirred, which may have upset their ability to filter wastes in your tank. Less filtration equals more nutrients and waste which in turn promotes blooms. Clean your fluval, change half of your charcoal, do a 5-10% daily water change; and your nutrient levels should drop --> and your bloom should slowly recede.

I have one (1) friend that until recently used a canister for filtration on his reef tank. But of the 60 to 80 other reefers I know, nobody else uses a canister. This doesn't mean the fluval is bad, but if you don't clean it often and regularly, I think it will become a nitrate factory.

Anemonees love lots of light. If they are looking healthy, you probably have sufficient lighting to meet or exceed the lower bound of their lighting requirements.

 

[Always J]

thanks for the tips, myreef. . . i change the spongy parts of the canister (partially) once a month, as for the charcoal part, i haven't changed it yet (been 3 months now) and the sand grains are kinda white/beige and very grainy like you described. . . i will do what you said, and hopefully there will not be such a prob anymore.

 

[myreeef]

You may want to clean your fluval once a week and change half of you charcoal once a month. You could also look into getting a skimmer. If money is tight, even a cheap skimmer will help.