Its BACK!!!!

[Big.Gmunoz]

I've had this tank living for 1 1/2 years and never had a problem til a couple of weeks ago. thought i had gotten rid of it with multiple water changes. it wasnt there until my wife bought me a new fish, then i got rid of it. Last night she got me another new fish and this morning it is back. Can it be the fish??? I put up pics it seems to cloud up the bottom half the most. WTF!!! what should i do?????? 715-529-7723 Greg

[motownmego]

sorry to hear that is the water just green tinted again?

[Big.Gmunoz]

yeah just tinted but it drives me nuts cause I thought it was gone. and Its not something that I have had to deal with in the last year.

[schneijt]

When you put in the new fish, did you put in the water from the bag the fish came home in? It's possible that some algae was in the water with that fish, and it thrived in your tank when you introduced the new fish. That said, it's really really REALLY unlikely that's the case.

Algae is always about nutrients. If the nutrients aren't there, the algae can't thrive and will stay at low, very manageable levels. Like I said before, I think your biggest problem right now is tap water. Tap water will almost always cause algae problems for people, whether the algae pops up right away or slowly gets worse over the course of months or years. Usually water changes are suggested for algae problems like yours, but you'd just be putting tap water with salt mix back into the tank... So that just keeps the cycle going.

The best you can hope for is to reduce feedings to as little food as possible while still keeping your fish healthy. Fish can do well on much less food than you'd think, so keep that in mind when you're wondering how much more you can cut back on your feedings. Then you need to do several small water changes with RO water. Even RO water from the grocery store will help you, though RO (or RO/DI) water from a trusted source such as a personal RO/DI system would be better. Until you reduce nutrients, you're going to keep having algae problems.

-Joe

p.s. No matter how many frantic posts you make about your algae issue, this will always be my answer.

[motownmego]

where did u put up those pics?

[D.J.]

ya i still agree with the tap water.....try gettin RO water from walgreens,walmart or even a pet store...some pet stores will give away water and others sell it....

if it keeps coming back and back its gota be the water not helping things....

you could also try skimming wet..cant remember if you had a skimmer or not....so that it takes more of the nutrients outa the water....

i havent run into GREEN WATER in my sw tanks...just fresh....are you sure its the water and not a film on the glass??

[Big.Gmunoz]

definitely a clouded water. no slime or residue. Big thanks goes out to The Reef Tank again!!!! I showed up with a problem and once again have found a new resource through this community of Salt water lovers. a guy that lives here in Menomonie msgd me to say he does have an ro/di filter and could make the water for me for free. which seems to be the only plausible answer at this point. so is nutritious water really a bad thing ?other then the algae?

[Big.Gmunoz]

the pics i posted are in my profile here just click on my name.

[ReefLuvR]

Yep. Tap water will eventually get every tank. You'll be ok for awhile, then it all starts to accumulate and BAM, issue after issue. Glad you asked for help before giving up. Lots of folks end up that route. Stick with the frequent water changes and it will clear up for you. Patience.

[D.J.]

AGREED......tap water is a big NO NO.....i got gripped at for using well water...but my well water runs thru a ro filter now.....so no worries here....you have to worry about all the phosphates,nitrates and other chemicals used to clean the water....over time youll have a SEPTIC CRASH from build of all the nasties in the water...may take years and may take months....but why risk everything in your tank that youve worked so hard at getting and keeping alive....

i still get algea in the tank..but i also have no snails or anything in there to eat it other than 2 turbos and they just cant keep up......so i just keep the glass clean as i can....i have alil emerald crab that keeps the hair algea in check as well....which he does a DANG good job at that...if i see any...the next day its gone!!! LOL

[schneijt]

D.J., we "gripped" at you for using well water? Did we use velcro, or was it just glue???

When you say "nutritious" water, I think you mean "Is it good to have all the minerals and such from tap water in my tank?". Everything that you need in your water is in your salt mix, which is why it's so incredibly important to use 100% pure water to mix your salt with. Using tap water puts silicates, phosphates, bad minerals, etc into your tank. Eventually one or more things will reach "Doomsday" levels and cause massive algae issues.

I'm glad you found a source for some RO/DI water until you can get a unit of your own. With frequent water changes you'll eventually get rid of the algae problem 100%. Also, you might want to go online and order some Poly-Filter to help remove possible heavy metals from your tank that shouldn't be there, since the tap water has likely accumulated some bad metals in the tank, which would leach out from your sand and rocks over time.

-Joe

[D.J.]

GRIPPED OR GRIPED.....one of the 2.....LOL....but i got it!!! LOL

[Big.Gmunoz]

Poly filters? Are they the ones that kinda look like ceramic beads or stones. I had this idea in my head a while back about putting one of those stainless steel cow magnets in the sump some where to try and attract any access mineral deposits from my tap water use. does anyone have any theories on that?

[schneijt]

Poly Filter: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=4335

Putting a magnet in your sump will not remove heavy metals; I can just about guarantee that. They are not chunks of metal floating around or anything--they're small amounts that are actually dissolved into the water, so you can't attract them to a magnet like you would with paperclips. Poly Filter would be good to run, since it will change colors as it absorbs heavy metals and organics, and the color change(s) will show you what it is absorbing because different things make it turn different colors.

-Joe

[schneijt]

Oh, also, putting stainless steel in your tank is a bad idea. It'll rust eventually, as saltwater is unbelievably corrosive and takes its toll on even the most "rust-proof" metals over time.