Brown algae everywhere !

[donato103]

I started a new 55 gallon tank 2 months ago. So far it has 55lbs of live rock and i use crush coral and i have a fluval with blue t5 lighting. There is too much algae growing on the crush coral surface and brown algae hair on the live rocks. What can i do to stop the growth. Does my tank need anything else for live corals. I have two damsels and a fire shrimp in the tank. Need some advice please thanks!

[stevem]

Algae can be caused from several things. let try to go over some of them.
First algae need 2 things to grow, one is light and the second is food.
Overfeeding your fish is usually the main cause, or not doing enough water changes.
Lighting is also a cause, but in a reef you need alot of light. You do not say how many watts of light you have or how long you keep them on. The amount of light you need depends on the coral you keep. Soft corals or even lps do not need as much light as sps corals do.
Another thing that is overlooked is water flow, to little water flow(dead spots) will let detrtus settle, and this will cause algae.
First try adding another powerhead or 2 make sure there is plenty of circulation. Second feed sparingly, feed only what they consume in a minute or two. Vacuum all uneaten food after. Third make sure you have a good cleanup crew. Hermit crabs, Snails etc. In a 55 gal tank you should have atleast 15-20 hermits, and 10- 15 snails. The last is doing your water changes, you should be doing atleast 10 - 20 gals every 2 weeks.
You can increase that to every week untill it clears up. Let me know how this works.

[xoomer]

I'd say do couple of water changes, cut back on light and increase your water flow through your tank. As steve already said, feed less....much less.

[JoeyG]

I started a new 55 gallon tank 2 months ago. So far it has 55lbs of live rock and i use crush coral and i have a fluval with blue t5 lighting. There is too much algae growing on the crush coral surface and brown algae hair on the live rocks. What can i do to stop the growth. Does my tank need anything else for live corals. I have two damsels and a fire shrimp in the tank. Need some advice please thanks!

To rid the tank of algae requires a combination of snails that devour that type of algae and fish that eat that type of algae. Brown algae usually means not enough light. I would extend the time period the lights are on by 2 hours and see if this has a desired effect. Initially use a scrub brush or pad to remove the majority of the algae and perform a water change.

Good luck

[xoomer]

To rid the tank of algae requires a combination of snails that devour that type of algae and fish that eat that type of algae. Brown algae usually means not enough light. I would extend the time period the lights are on by 2 hours and see if this has a desired effect. Initially use a scrub brush or pad to remove the majority of the algae and perform a water change.

Good luck


This is in a saltwater section and increasing lights on a saltwater tank with algea problem spells disaster. :shock2: If the tank has no corals or any other inverts that require lights, take out the lights completely.

If the brown algea is in fact a cyano bacteria and there are no corals in the tank just take out the lights completely and cover the tank wth dark cloth for 3 days. Monitor pH while doing that to make sure there are no sudden drops.

When you are ready to uncover the tank, do it in the eve as not to freak out its inhabitants.

[donato103]

If i do a water change won't that affect my tank since its new (3 months)? What kind of lighting does my tank need for soft corals.

[xoomer]

If i do a water change won't that affect my tank since its new (3 months)? What kind of lighting does my tank need for soft corals.


Well, water changes do affect your tank but if done properly your water changes should only have a postitive effect. Who told you you can't do water changes on a 3 month old tank? Matter of fact is that water changes should be more frequent on a newer tank and possibly less frequent on a well established tank.

[stevem]

start doing water changes, atleast 10-15 gal on a 55 gal tank. repeat this every week until it clears up.
You have to tell more about your tank for more of an answer.
What kind if filter,what kind of flow,your lighting period, how many watts, even what you have in the tank(coral, fish,cleanup crew, snails, hermit )let us know so we can help more. keep a light hand feeding, I even skip a day a week of no feeding.

[donato103]

I have a 55 gallon tank with a glow light t5 light blue. A fluval 405 one power head and 55 lbs of live rock with crush coral and 2 damsels and a fire shrimp. I did a water change 20%. I put some cycle and stress coat. Is there anything I need for live corals. Should I have a sump for a wet dry and a protein skimmer? If so what size tank ?

[xoomer]

You should certainly have a sump/skimmer or better yet refugium and skimer combo on your saltwater tank. Canister filters are very efficient and are essentially NITRATE factories in any setup. In freshwater setup it is easy to export NITRATES out of the tank by doing water changes. It would be very expensive to do massive water changes in saltwater tank and saltwater inhabitants require much lower nitrates levels than freshwater counterparts in order to survive and prosper. I think you should rething your setup or as long as your nitrates are above 10-20 ppm you'll have problems with algea in a well lit reef tank.

Again, if there are no corals in the tank switch off the lights completely!

[stevem]

I agree with most, I am not a fan of a canister filter on a reef tank. they work great on fresh water tanks, even on a fish only salt tank. On reefs I like either a wet/dry or refug. refugium being better in my opion. I also feel a skimmer is very important. There are some good skimmers out there that you don't have to spend a lot on for a 55 gal. Bak pak is good, also prism, stay away from seaclone.
If you want spend more I like the turboflotter 1000, very easy to use and setup.
You do not have to use cycle, continue to use stress coat to declorinate. I would not leave the light off if you have live rock. Start putting in coral, you should be fine. first i would do another water change, and check your levels.