Concern about algae

[tightvpkid]

I just resently start putting calcium into my tank to help the live rock and sand. The effects are algae stuck on the glass of my tank. I even bought the magnet scrubber and tried taking it off but its like solid stuck onto the glass. I was wondering if this algae(green) was common and is there some type of method of getting ride of it. Its only on my glass and its like embeded on there hard.

 

[Anonymous]

Take a clean new razor blade, and you can scrape it off.

 

[elreydelospesces]

How new is your tank? Algae blooms are common until the tank is fully established. Some things to check are phosphate and nitrate levels, they can create algae blooms. I have battled algae for some time but think I now have it under control with stable water parameters and a good cleaning crew.

 

[tightvpkid]

i had my tank for about 3 months about. There is no other way to clean it like buy some sort of medication or algae thing? How do you stablize the water do i just wait it out because i change my water every two weeks. About 5 gallons each time and my tank is about 30 gal

 

[Anonymous]

Reefers are deeply suspicious of "medication or algae thing" type of fixes. Much better to scrape it off until you have the source of the problem under control.

 

[elreydelospesces]

The source of the problem is key. Could be excess sunlight or excess phosphates and/or nitrates. Have you tested for these? Do you have a protein skimmer? Test for these things and someone here can probably help you. I'm fairly new too (current tank about 1 1/2 years) and I battled algae for a long time. I finally realized that I was overfeeding, leading to excess nutrients, and using tap water high in phosphates. Your water changes should be done with RO/DI water which you can make or purchase. You should also have a protein skimmer and cut back on feeding your fish to how much they can eat in about three minutes every two to three days. They won't starve. Your tank is still very new and it may not yet be stable (probably not). Test and report.