help! algae bloom

[vulkum]

hi everyone i seem to be having a weird sorta bloom. i used to run just 2 vho's and had no problems since adding my 250 MH it seems everthings starting to get covered in green algae,not hair algae. it's almost a neon green ok i've got 2 wooley mammoth snails with bad hair but the hermits seem to keep the croped pretty good. the only thing about the algae that bothers me is it takes over the glass so fast and is impossible to remove unless i take a razor blade and scrape it off. i have a sump full of culerpra and 6 mangroves ,figured they would handel all the nutrient export. so why the algae? and what is it? i've also had an out break of pods and plankton that cover the glass anywhere theres algae but i'd really like to have purple(coralline)rock instead of green rock! anybody else experiance this problem? does high temps in the tank and high intensity light cause the algae? i watch the snails on the glass cruising around like their eating but when they move on the algaes still there. any help would be great
aaron

[Drew]

Hi AAron,

How new is your tank? If it is fairly new, then your tank is just balancing out. I would recommend getting some more snails, and try using a credit card to clean the glass. Eventually the micro algae growth will slow, and thiings will be more normal. Some species of snails son't do as thorough a cleaning job as other, but instead the cover a greater distance. I have never heard of high temps causing an algae bloom, but bright lighting will promote it. HTH

Drew

[Reef Rat]

Vulkum,

IME, *neon* green algae that's as hard to scrape off as "normal" coralline algae, is itself a form of coralline, albeit a bit rarer than the typical pink/purple/red corallines that we're all used to. I have some in my tank as well...although it's not nearly as prolific as the other species. Maybe it's my lighting! I'll see if I can dig up a link to an image of this kind of coralline for you.

-Steve

[FishDaddy]

Hi Vulkum,
The algae bloom can be triggered by increase in lighting but the root cause is generally high nutrient levels. Protein skimming; use of Kalkwasser to help bind the Phosphate ions for export via skimmer; reduced feeding; good source water; good variety of snails; water movement and surface agitation; are all factors for controlling algae. Scraping is necessary to keep the growth in check but eliminating the cause is important for long term control.
What are you using for source water and what are your test readings?
HTH
Dick

[vulkum]

hey guys heres the scoop. this tank is 5 months old and i had vhos at first now i have vhos and mh.
tank:29gal aga 3"dsb
sump/refugium:10gal 4"dsb/chamber full of feather culerpra and 6 mangroves
equipment: maddog 410 HOB skimmer/maxijet1200
4 powerheads,rio 1700 return pump,small powerfilter for running carbon ect. i
lighting: DIY canopy with 2 75watt actinic vhos and 250watt iwasaki on an icecap
i use ro water for top off and as of late i've been dripping kalk everyday
PH:latley 8.4-8.6
alk:1.7-2.3
nitrites:0
nitrates:20ppm
ammonia:.25
calcium:300ppm
heres a pic of algae bloom and if you look at other pics there are some of my tank before MH upgrade and algae problem.
http://communities.msn.com/vulkumsreefpics/picsofmyreef.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=34

[Reef Rat]

Hi Vulkum,

Well, a picture is indeed worth a thousand words! Based on your specs and the pic, I'd say you've got a normal green algae bloom. I'd try adding some Cerith and Nerite snails, both of which do a great job of eating this kind of algae.

Regards,
Steve

[FishDaddy]

Hey Vulkum,
Thanks for the specs and picture; details really help in trying to figure things out.
Two things that are out of whack in your parameters are Nitrates and Ammonia. The algae is feeding off the high Nitrates and there should be no Ammonia at this stage in your tank's maturity. Could something have died that you haven't seen? I had a bad episode once from a large Turbo snail that died in the rocks where the hermits couldn't get to him; triggering an Ammonia spike; algae bloom; etc. Alk and Ca are low but that alone shouldn't cause an algae bloom.
Because of the Ammonia, I would recommend a series of 10-15% water changes daily for a few days; run some fresh Carbon; cut back on feeding and photoperiod; see if you can determine anything missing, especially large snails; and check your Ammonia daily.
HTH
Dick

[vulkum]

i did have a xxgrande! turbo die about a week ago and didn't find him until i noticed him missing after 3days. but a week gone and 1 snail dead and i still have high nitrates? i have 14 astria snail 3 cerith snails and 2 blue legs and 2 scarlet hermits but the snails will be on the algae thats covering glass looking like they eat it but it's still there. uhhh! frusterated!
ps as we speak i'm making a ruturn spray bar out of pvc and was wondering if it was sake to use regular pvc glue and primer? i have a tube of weld-on 16 but it doesn't say anything about pvc. anybody?
aaron

[Doug1]

Test the RO for nitrate, you might try running it thru a Tap Water Purifier. You have to get nutrient free water to make SW and for replacing evap, other wise you will never get rid of the algae, esp with decent lighting.
By thge way I talked to my friend and he said send whatever you want to get rid of. I will answer your email later