Low skimmate and algae issue...

[ckusnierek]

So my tank is going GREAT after 6 months!!! total volume 125g. Just started adding SPS a few weeks ago and am already seeing growth. But there are a few things that keep bugging me!

I produce VERY little skim. I have a 2qt bottle and I only fill it about 1/3-1/2 way in a month. I have a low bio load with only 5 fish and I siphion the sand 2x/month. Is it normal to get as little skim as I do? I started with a 3" sand bed then decided to go BB when I converted I skimmed 3g in one day. but after that nothing. after a while I decided that I liked the 3" SB so I put sand back in. does the SB absorb that much? When it was BB There was no increase in skim except for the 1st day or so.


Also If I dont clean my glass EVERY DAY I can hardly see through it. I check my phosphates weekly and have never measured any at all. so why all this algae? I feed the fish only a pinch of flakes nightly and do not feed the corals at all.

[luvmylo]

This may be a dumb question but, Have you cleaned your collection cup lately. I've found that when organics build up inside the tube your skimmate has a hard time rising. What Kind of flow do you have??? Is it enough to keep the detritus and food afloat to go into your sump??? What do your bubbles look like in the skimmer, are they dark on top or still white. I would guess that if they are still white you're not getting the stuff up into the column to be skimmed. I would also guess that your phosphate test isn't very accurate if ur getting this much algae. That's from excess nutrients. I have a heavy bioload on my 55 (7 fish) and I only clean my glass about once per week, maybe everyother if things are going good. How about your light cycle. I only run my lights about 9 hrs/day. this could be causing your algae too

[Wiskey]

Can you run your skimmer wetter? What kind of skimmer is it?

I use algae on the glass as a indication of overall nutreant levels in the water, and I've found if I have to clean it more than every 3 days or so then nutureants are higher then I would like them.

After major tank changes you can expect the glass to get dirty quickly in the beginning but it should settle out in a month or two.

Whiskey

[Geoff]

i very seldom clean the front of my glass of algae. i do however have to keep my coralline in check. right now i have not and i can almost not see in the tank.

sand absorbs a lot of phosphates, but by your descriptions of the algae i think you still have a phosphate problem. you can not really test for phosphates, that is why phosphate problems are so hard to figure out. the kits we buy are testing for the wrong type of phosphates.

G~

[ckusnierek]

Originally Posted by luvmylo

This may be a dumb question but, Have you cleaned your collection cup lately.

not as often as I should but even when I do it makes no difference

Originally Posted by luvmylo

What Kind of flow do you have??? Is it enough to keep the detritus and food afloat to go into your sump???

roughly 30x turnover

Originally Posted by luvmylo

What do your bubbles look like in the skimmer, are they dark on top or still white. I would guess that if they are still white you're not getting the stuff up into the column to be skimmed.

white all the wat too the top.

Originally Posted by luvmylo

I would also guess that your phosphate test isn't very accurate if ur getting this much algae. That's from excess nutrients. I have a heavy bioload on my 55 (7 fish) and I only clean my glass about once per week, maybe everyother if things are going good.

possible

Originally Posted by luvmylo

How about your light cycle. I only run my lights about 9 hrs/day. this could be causing your algae too

2x250W 14K MH 8 hours/day

[ckusnierek]

Originally Posted by Wiskey

Can you run your skimmer wetter? What kind of skimmer is it?

It's a PROCLEAR 150 venturi type skimmer open all the way with a 600gph pump

Originally Posted by Wiskey

I use algae on the glass as a indication of overall nutreant levels in the water, and I've found if I have to clean it more than every 3 days or so then nutureants are higher then I would like them.

So should I get a better skimmer or a phosphate reactor????

[Wiskey]

Originally Posted by ckusnierek

It's a PROCLEAR 150 venturi type skimmer open all the way with a 600gph pump


So should I get a better skimmer or a phosphate reactor????

I always reccomend a better skimmer over a phosphate reactor

Sorry,.. I don't know anything about your perticular skimmer though.

Whiskey

[DarthOcellaris]

Whats your bioload like? It might not be producing enough waste to skim.

[Mike01z]

get a better skimmer, good news though is that a phosphate reactor is dirt cheap so you can probably take either or out of the equation and get both.



Make sure to get a nice skimmer and do your homework before you buy,

I have went through a few skimmers even with doing research and thats a waste of money.

[Geoff]

if there is a sand bed, there will always be enough wastes to skimm. the amount of bacterial flock that a sand bed can produce is scary.

G~

[DarthOcellaris]

Originally Posted by Geoff

if there is a sand bed, there will always be enough wastes to skimm. the amount of bacterial flock that a sand bed can produce is scary.

G~

Good point. I really didn't think about that.

[ckusnierek]

Its just a 3" SB

[Timmy77]

Skim wetter and feed less. I have a hair problem and am slowly winning the fight by doing just that. I also would dump the flake food, that stuffs full of junk. I have also cut my MH's way down which seems to help as well. Hang in there it only gets harder.

[sasquatch]

What did you use for sand? could this be silicates?

[seasalt dreams]

I have a good skimmer and get as little skimmate as you do.