Algae problem after MH upgrade

[Jason Fitzgerald]

About 2 months ago I upgraded the lighting on my aquarium to a Metal
Halide\Power Compact combination. A few days later my tank was covered in
diatom algea, hair algea, and red slime algae. I have tried everything to
get rid of the algea.....but it just comes right back! My setup is as
follows:

Tank: 54 gallon All-Glass corner aguarium
Filtration: Magnum 350 Deluxe Canister Filter (currently not using
Bio-Wheel), Prizm Delux Protein Skimmer, 65 lbs of live rock and 130 lbs of
live sand.
Inhabitants: The only thing still alive since the algae attack are a few
Blue leg hermit crabs.....everything else died despite my best efforts! :-(

I have been doing 20% water changes about once a week using purified NSW
from the Pacific Ocean (phosphate/silicate free), which I purchase at a
local Petco in my area, in an attempt to get the tank back to "normal". This
has been going on for about two months now and the Alae is worse than ever!

I leave the (2) 65w PC Actinics on for 12 hours a day and the (1) 175w
10,000K MH for 10 hours a day.....which is setup on a timer. The water temp
is 78 degrees and the salinity is at 1.025.

Can someone please help me slove my algea problem? I would really like to
get some fish and corals back in the tank!

THANKS !!!

- Jason

[CapFusion]

"Jason Fitzgerald" > wrote in message
...

*****************
> About 2 months ago I upgraded the lighting on my aquarium to a Metal
> Halide\Power Compact combination. A few days later my tank was covered in
> diatom algea, hair algea, and red slime algae. I have tried everything to
> get rid of the algea.....but it just comes right back! My setup is as
> follows:

*****************
Can you provide your water parameter?
You just upgrade to MH from PC? How about the lamp?
Do you have any circulation through your tank like water pump etc... Other
than your canister?

If you have a water pump. Can you point that current close to that algae
spot?

*****************
> Tank: 54 gallon All-Glass corner aguarium
> Filtration: Magnum 350 Deluxe Canister Filter (currently not using
> Bio-Wheel), Prizm Delux Protein Skimmer, 65 lbs of live rock and 130 lbs
of
> live sand.
> Inhabitants: The only thing still alive since the algae attack are a few
> Blue leg hermit crabs.....everything else died despite my best efforts!
:-(
>
*****************
What is in your Canister? Does it have any media? How the PS performing? Do
you see alot of foam or atleast smell pretty badly?

What LS do you have? Crush Coral?
Can you stir abit and see if any particle(s) float out, if any?

Can you remove the Canister? Since you only inhabitant is just a few crabs.

*****************
> I have been doing 20% water changes about once a week using purified NSW
> from the Pacific Ocean (phosphate/silicate free), which I purchase at a
> local Petco in my area, in an attempt to get the tank back to "normal".
This
> has been going on for about two months now and the Alae is worse than
ever!
>
*****************
Check your "Purified... NSW [Pacific Ocean]" for it parameter? What reading
do you have on it? Did you use some kit to test the Phosphate?

Continue with water changes. Maybe 50%. Are those algae on a rock? If
nothing is on it [dead], take it out and rinse with very HOT/COLD water and
scrub. If it a LR and good stuff in occuppying it, manually prune with your
and and at the same time have something suck it out so it will not spread to
other places.

*****************
> I leave the (2) 65w PC Actinics on for 12 hours a day and the (1) 175w
> 10,000K MH for 10 hours a day.....which is setup on a timer. The water
temp
> is 78 degrees and the salinity is at 1.025.
>
*****************
I do not think you need to have light on that long since nothing really
benefit from those light beside the algae. Unless you want those algae to
obsorb nutrient. This sound like this tank you have is new and just
starting. If so, again, can you provide your water parameter?

*****************
> Can someone please help me slove my algea problem? I would really like to
> get some fish and corals back in the tank!
>
*****************
You can, if you can find the source of the extra nutrient in your tank.
Unless you feel you are up to the war with algae.

Other Q:
- By any chances, you are adding something your tank?
- What have you done to battle your algae other than water changes and light
on for 10hrs or so?
- Before upgrading to MH from PC, this problem did not occur? [old lamp?]

My assumption cause or source is your "Purified" water you got from Petco.

CapFusion,...

[skozzy]

What are the brands of the lights ?

And have you tried reducing the time per day the bulbs are on ?

I had a bad start-up experience and was told to dump the rocks and start
again, but I couldn't bring myself to do that, so I stopped using the big
lights and went to a fluro for 8 hours a day untill it settled down and
stopped dieing off, I managed to save <1/2 of the corals.

Filtration was my main problem, after that, I set-up a spare tank and moved
it all to that and put on extra filters, even filters I used for my fresh
water tanks.

I must also admit I was going once a week to the ocean and getting 300
litres of new sea water too, as my water was stinking up very badly in no
time. It's 7 months later now and the tank is looking awsome.

What do your test kits report ?

"Jason Fitzgerald" > wrote in message
...
> About 2 months ago I upgraded the lighting on my aquarium to a Metal
> Halide\Power Compact combination. A few days later my tank was covered in
> diatom algea, hair algea, and red slime algae. I have tried everything to
> get rid of the algea.....but it just comes right back! My setup is as
> follows:
>
> Tank: 54 gallon All-Glass corner aguarium
> Filtration: Magnum 350 Deluxe Canister Filter (currently not using
> Bio-Wheel), Prizm Delux Protein Skimmer, 65 lbs of live rock and 130 lbs
of
> live sand.
> Inhabitants: The only thing still alive since the algae attack are a few
> Blue leg hermit crabs.....everything else died despite my best efforts!
:-(
>
> I have been doing 20% water changes about once a week using purified NSW
> from the Pacific Ocean (phosphate/silicate free), which I purchase at a
> local Petco in my area, in an attempt to get the tank back to "normal".
This
> has been going on for about two months now and the Alae is worse than
ever!
>
> I leave the (2) 65w PC Actinics on for 12 hours a day and the (1) 175w
> 10,000K MH for 10 hours a day.....which is setup on a timer. The water
temp
> is 78 degrees and the salinity is at 1.025.
>
> Can someone please help me slove my algea problem? I would really like to
> get some fish and corals back in the tank!
>
> THANKS !!!
>
> - Jason
>
>

[Matt Awbrey]

Have you checked the phosphate, silicate and especially the nitrate levels
of both the tank water and for the "purified" NSW that you get from Petco.
Red slime algae blooms is sometimes associated with excessive levels of
organics. It may be that your skimmer is out of adjustment or perhaps
inadequate for your system. It maybe the "purified" water contains excessive
amounts of organics and/or nitrates, phosphates, ect ect. Or a combination
of poor quality water and inadequate or improper filtration. The growth
rate of any organism, beit flora or fauna is by and large, controlled by the
amount of nutrients available and the conditions in which it must cope
with. Also, have you checked the other water parameters such as calcium
levels as well as alkalinity and pH. If all your animals are dying this
should be a sign to you that something is drastically wrong. Without
providing more information on the parameters of your water and the "efforts"
you have implemented, it makes narrowing down the specific problem/s more
difficult to do.


"Jason Fitzgerald" > wrote in message
...
> About 2 months ago I upgraded the lighting on my aquarium to a Metal
> Halide\Power Compact combination. A few days later my tank was covered in
> diatom algea, hair algea, and red slime algae. I have tried everything to
> get rid of the algea.....but it just comes right back! My setup is as
> follows:
>
> Tank: 54 gallon All-Glass corner aguarium
> Filtration: Magnum 350 Deluxe Canister Filter (currently not using
> Bio-Wheel), Prizm Delux Protein Skimmer, 65 lbs of live rock and 130 lbs
of
> live sand.
> Inhabitants: The only thing still alive since the algae attack are a few
> Blue leg hermit crabs.....everything else died despite my best efforts!
:-(
>
> I have been doing 20% water changes about once a week using purified NSW
> from the Pacific Ocean (phosphate/silicate free), which I purchase at a
> local Petco in my area, in an attempt to get the tank back to "normal".
This
> has been going on for about two months now and the Alae is worse than
ever!
>
> I leave the (2) 65w PC Actinics on for 12 hours a day and the (1) 175w
> 10,000K MH for 10 hours a day.....which is setup on a timer. The water
temp
> is 78 degrees and the salinity is at 1.025.
>
> Can someone please help me slove my algea problem? I would really like to
> get some fish and corals back in the tank!
>
> THANKS !!!
>
> - Jason
>
>

[gialitt]

> Have you checked the phosphate, silicate and especially the nitrate levels
> of both the tank water and for the "purified" NSW that you get from Petco.
> Red slime algae blooms is sometimes associated with excessive levels of
> organics. It may be that your skimmer is out of adjustment or perhaps
> inadequate for your system. It maybe the "purified" water contains excessive
> amounts of organics and/or nitrates, phosphates, ect ect. Or a combination
> of poor quality water and inadequate or improper filtration. The growth
> rate of any organism, beit flora or fauna is by and large, controlled by the
> amount of nutrients available and the conditions in which it must cope
> with. Also, have you checked the other water parameters such as calcium
> levels as well as alkalinity and pH. If all your animals are dying this
> should be a sign to you that something is drastically wrong. Without
> providing more information on the parameters of your water and the "efforts"
> you have implemented, it makes narrowing down the specific problem/s more
> difficult to do.

Bingo. Best thing is to Invest in RO/DI filtration in order to best
control what goess into your tank. The stuff you get from Petco is
suspect without testing and is certainly way overpriced.

And what on earth are you doing with a canister filter in a reef tank?
This is o.k. for fish only rig but any kind of filter, even a small
sponge filter found in some protein skimmers for example, quickly
become nitrate factories when particulate absolutely positively
accumulates. A wet/dry or a canister works fine up the point where
ammonia is coverted to nitrite, and then to nitrate, however the
nitrate is never removed from the water column since nitrate is not
converted to harmless nitrogen gas in these kinds of filters. They
quickly become nitrate factories. This impedes the full nitorgen cycle
that does occur in your live rock and DSB. Only use the canister to
filter with carbon. Then after trhee days remove the carbon and all
other contents, including foam and sponge filter material and dreaded
bio balls. It's ok to use the canister for water movement only.
However nitrate should not exist in a reef tank as your corals are
extremely sensitive to it's present.

In the same vein your Prizm protein skimmer is widely regarded as one
of the wimpier lines and probably is best left to micro rigs and fish
only. Upgrade to something as least as good as the Remora and Remora
Pro models. Chances are very good that your dissolved organic levels
are high since not enough is being skimmed.

Test for phosphates and put some phosphate resin in the canister and
certainly remove it quickly when the resin is exhausted.

Some alagae blooms are be expected as your tank matures and will go
away on it's own up until your tank is toxin free for about a year.

[Jason Fitzgerald]

Thanks for all your help! I am in the process of switching to a sump and
following the Berlin method of filtration. I plan to keep the canister
filter, but will remove the mechanical filtration and use it simply as an
addition means of water filtration. Also, I do have a 4-stage Kent Maxxima
Hi-S RO/DI unit that I normally use to filter my water, but I have to
replace the membranes. Anyway, thanks again for your help!

- Jason

"gialitt" > wrote in message
om...
> > Have you checked the phosphate, silicate and especially the nitrate
levels
> > of both the tank water and for the "purified" NSW that you get from
Petco.
> > Red slime algae blooms is sometimes associated with excessive levels of
> > organics. It may be that your skimmer is out of adjustment or perhaps
> > inadequate for your system. It maybe the "purified" water contains
excessive
> > amounts of organics and/or nitrates, phosphates, ect ect. Or a
combination
> > of poor quality water and inadequate or improper filtration. The growth
> > rate of any organism, beit flora or fauna is by and large, controlled by
the
> > amount of nutrients available and the conditions in which it must cope
> > with. Also, have you checked the other water parameters such as calcium
> > levels as well as alkalinity and pH. If all your animals are dying this
> > should be a sign to you that something is drastically wrong. Without
> > providing more information on the parameters of your water and the
"efforts"
> > you have implemented, it makes narrowing down the specific problem/s
more
> > difficult to do.
>
> Bingo. Best thing is to Invest in RO/DI filtration in order to best
> control what goess into your tank. The stuff you get from Petco is
> suspect without testing and is certainly way overpriced.
>
> And what on earth are you doing with a canister filter in a reef tank?
> This is o.k. for fish only rig but any kind of filter, even a small
> sponge filter found in some protein skimmers for example, quickly
> become nitrate factories when particulate absolutely positively
> accumulates. A wet/dry or a canister works fine up the point where
> ammonia is coverted to nitrite, and then to nitrate, however the
> nitrate is never removed from the water column since nitrate is not
> converted to harmless nitrogen gas in these kinds of filters. They
> quickly become nitrate factories. This impedes the full nitorgen cycle
> that does occur in your live rock and DSB. Only use the canister to
> filter with carbon. Then after trhee days remove the carbon and all
> other contents, including foam and sponge filter material and dreaded
> bio balls. It's ok to use the canister for water movement only.
> However nitrate should not exist in a reef tank as your corals are
> extremely sensitive to it's present.
>
> In the same vein your Prizm protein skimmer is widely regarded as one
> of the wimpier lines and probably is best left to micro rigs and fish
> only. Upgrade to something as least as good as the Remora and Remora
> Pro models. Chances are very good that your dissolved organic levels
> are high since not enough is being skimmed.
>
> Test for phosphates and put some phosphate resin in the canister and
> certainly remove it quickly when the resin is exhausted.
>
> Some alagae blooms are be expected as your tank matures and will go
> away on it's own up until your tank is toxin free for about a year.

[Marc Levenson]

Jason, just a point of clarification. The membrane is only one, and it is
inside the RO cylinder. You probably meant you need to replace the filters
(Sediment, Carbon Block, and DI cartridge), right?

Marc


Jason Fitzgerald wrote:

> Thanks for all your help! I am in the process of switching to a sump and
> following the Berlin method of filtration. I plan to keep the canister
> filter, but will remove the mechanical filtration and use it simply as an
> addition means of water filtration. Also, I do have a 4-stage Kent Maxxima
> Hi-S RO/DI unit that I normally use to filter my water, but I have to
> replace the membranes. Anyway, thanks again for your help!
>
> - Jason
>
> "gialitt" > wrote in message
> om...
> > > Have you checked the phosphate, silicate and especially the nitrate
> levels
> > > of both the tank water and for the "purified" NSW that you get from
> Petco.
> > > Red slime algae blooms is sometimes associated with excessive levels of
> > > organics. It may be that your skimmer is out of adjustment or perhaps
> > > inadequate for your system. It maybe the "purified" water contains
> excessive
> > > amounts of organics and/or nitrates, phosphates, ect ect. Or a
> combination
> > > of poor quality water and inadequate or improper filtration. The growth
> > > rate of any organism, beit flora or fauna is by and large, controlled by
> the
> > > amount of nutrients available and the conditions in which it must cope
> > > with. Also, have you checked the other water parameters such as calcium
> > > levels as well as alkalinity and pH. If all your animals are dying this
> > > should be a sign to you that something is drastically wrong. Without
> > > providing more information on the parameters of your water and the
> "efforts"
> > > you have implemented, it makes narrowing down the specific problem/s
> more
> > > difficult to do.
> >
> > Bingo. Best thing is to Invest in RO/DI filtration in order to best
> > control what goess into your tank. The stuff you get from Petco is
> > suspect without testing and is certainly way overpriced.
> >
> > And what on earth are you doing with a canister filter in a reef tank?
> > This is o.k. for fish only rig but any kind of filter, even a small
> > sponge filter found in some protein skimmers for example, quickly
> > become nitrate factories when particulate absolutely positively
> > accumulates. A wet/dry or a canister works fine up the point where
> > ammonia is coverted to nitrite, and then to nitrate, however the
> > nitrate is never removed from the water column since nitrate is not
> > converted to harmless nitrogen gas in these kinds of filters. They
> > quickly become nitrate factories. This impedes the full nitorgen cycle
> > that does occur in your live rock and DSB. Only use the canister to
> > filter with carbon. Then after trhee days remove the carbon and all
> > other contents, including foam and sponge filter material and dreaded
> > bio balls. It's ok to use the canister for water movement only.
> > However nitrate should not exist in a reef tank as your corals are
> > extremely sensitive to it's present.
> >
> > In the same vein your Prizm protein skimmer is widely regarded as one
> > of the wimpier lines and probably is best left to micro rigs and fish
> > only. Upgrade to something as least as good as the Remora and Remora
> > Pro models. Chances are very good that your dissolved organic levels
> > are high since not enough is being skimmed.
> >
> > Test for phosphates and put some phosphate resin in the canister and
> > certainly remove it quickly when the resin is exhausted.
> >
> > Some alagae blooms are be expected as your tank matures and will go
> > away on it's own up until your tank is toxin free for about a year.

--
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[Wayne Sallee]

It's not that unusual for there to be an algae bloom after a big increase in
lighting. Your tank was in ballance before, and now with the increased
lighting, it will have to reach a new ballance. Of course that dosn't mean that
you ignore the regular methods of algae controle, and getting things back to
where they should be. But for anyone considering a big increase in lighting,
just be prenotifyed that you might have some time of getting things in
ballance. That's not to say that anyone that inceases lighing will get an algae
bloom, but one should not be supprized when it happens.

Wayne Sallee
http://members.aol.com/waynesallee/weblink.htm