red algae problem, lights out with dersa?

[aquariajunky]

ive been having a red slime problem, can i run lights out for a couple days without harming my clam?

[Atv023]

I don't know if I would try it more than 24 to 48 hours. 48 hours might be a stretch. If you choose that route your best option might be to remove the light sensitive animals into a seperate lighted system while you cut the lights on your main tank.

Are you just setting up and cycling your tank? Is it brown diatom algae or true slime algae? Brown diatom algae can be a reddish color, but it starts with small dots and spreads out, similar to coralline algae.

I had brown diatom flare ups when I was cycling this tank.

The red slime could be an indicator of a couple things. Without knowing your system, its hard to guestimate. Could be poor flow through your tank. Do you have dead spots in the tank where no water moves and waste builds up?

It can also be an indicator of water quality. Maybe trying a 25% water change could help rectify the situation. If you keep up on cleaning, try and remove as much slime as you can through siphoning and water changes.

If your filtration, water movement, and water changes are up to par, you should see an improvement in your situation.

Hope this helps. If you post more specific information about yuor setup, I can better help you.

[aquariajunky]

the tank has been running sence mid febuary, i did kind of start it up quick, it was running 2 1/2 weeks before i added coral, tank has been algae free up until about 3 weeks ago

tank is a 29, flow shouldnt be a issue, im running a fluval 405 for carbon and gfo, the largest hang on refugium i could fit on it with sand and live rock that is running a 250gph pump plus a koralia nano and a hydor pico (220gph) pump running a spray bar behind my live rock in the display

id say the tank is heavily stocked but i do weekly water changes at around 5 gallons and clean the 405 weekly also, amonia, nitrate and nitrites read zero

[Atv023]

The Fluvals are awesome. My first setup was a 40 with a 605 fluval. That thing kicked ass.

I used the fluval for mechanical and some bio, with ceramic rings. Once your tank gets cycled, I would try and ween off the carbon in the filters. You can use it for 24 to 48 hours if the water is real cloudy though and it will clear it up. Carbon doesn't last very long in marine, and once it starts wearing out it leeches some of the stuff it absorbed back in the water.

The water changes are good, and sounds like you have plenty of powerheads. I know its a lot of work to mix the salt and water, but the frequent changes are one of the best things you can do. You lucked out with your tank size. Its much easier to care for.

The Koralia are nice, I just got 2 of the koralia 3s. With those and the sump output, altogether its about 2400 gph for a 75. I still might get one more powerhead. My rocks are kind of funny and its hard getting water movement around everywhere. I have soft corals that have moved between rocks, so I dont want to rearrange everything. Plus the Eel has dug his caves underneath. That was my intention with the setup, but its hard to move water through all the areas. I have heard and read that fewer larger rocks are easier to get water around than many small ones. Don't want a lot of dead spots for waste to collect within the rocks.

My old setup with the 40 and Fluval, I had the spraybar set so it blew across the top, then it would curve down the front glass, then along the bottom towards the back. I was able to get water everywhere in volume with that thing. I tried a Rena, after and that one wasn't very good.

I'm not sure if you do or not, but running a mechanical filter pad will help clean a lot of debris out of the water. I wash mine out every week or two. I used the pads with the blue and white differant sides. The one I have now is finer, its solid white, they sold huge sheets by the sq. ft. at an aquarium store here. $2.99 a sq ft. so not too bad. The amphipods, mysis, fan larve and tiny snails can still work past the filter pads.

I have a sump/refugium, with two filter pads. One on the inlet, after the protien skimmer, and on the output right before the pump. I sucked calurpa in the pump one time, and it was a pain in the butt to remove everything.

I was suffering from a minor outbreak of hair algae. Mostly cause I have been lazy . Every day for about a week I mixed 5 gallons of water, then the next day when it was ready I siphoned out 5 gallons. I cleaned the gravel with two of them, and then the rest I siphoned off algae from wherever I could reach with the tube.

With the 29 you could get by with a few gallons every day. Thats about what I used to do with my 40, or every few days. I would mix it in a gallon rubbermaid jug I bought. I would only let it sit for a hour or so, even though they say you arent supposed too. With the 5 gallons, I let that sit for a day, although I am still guilty of only waiting a few hours, but far less often. 24 hours is really a good amount of time to let the water mix.

Sounds like you have a good handle on it though. Hope my experiences and suggestions can provide some help.

[Atv023]

If its possible, and if you aren't already, run the refugium light opposite the main tank light. The majority of the beneficial bacterial only function during lighted periods. Having the tank light and refugium opposite their will always be bacteria working in your system.

[Atv023]

I did this, but I'm not suggesting anyone else do.

In the sand bed at the bottom of the refugium. The bottom 2" layer is miracle mud mixed with peat moss, and the top 1" layer is just miracle mud. The top layer is to keep the peat moss from mixing with the water. I guess the peat moss provides food for bacteria, and some of the very small creatures in the system.

I was told this by a guy at a tropical fish store around here. Claimed he had a masters in marine biology. Who knows really. He did this throughout all his store tanks though. Sounds like a plausible claim, so I thought I would try it.

So, from my experiences with it. I can't say that I have noticed any adverse affects. I had to make sure and wash out the mixture a few times so it wouldn't turn my tank water brown. I have had this setup going for a year now. Havent had to do anything with the miracle mud mixture yet. I can tell things are eating the peat moss though, where chunks used to be seen next to the plastic sump side, now they are dissolved. When I see all the pieces eaten I will probably put a new mixture in. Probably have another 6 months left.

My tank/sump/refugium is thriving. In the sump/refugium the little tiny creatures love the ceramic rings. I have had them end up in the ceramic in every setup, even the canisters. I figure filter feeders are perfect for filters . I have tons of little tiny snails, probably hitchhikers, I do see mysis shrimp working down in the miracle mud mixture. I don't know specifically what kind of shrimp they are, but they are tiny ones. They seem to be reproducing well in the system. My blenny mostly eats the amphipods and live mysis, he doesnt eat when I feed the tank.

I have had a continuous marine setup for about 4 years now. The 40 gallon before, I transfered everything into the 75, and added more sand and rock, ect... Completely new filter setup though, but I was able to transfer the ceramics out of my old filters, and some live rock from the tank. The filter setup still took a while to cycle, once it did, it works great.

[jenglish]

Most reef critters will do fine in a 100% or close to it black out for 3 days. I have honestly never tried one with a clam, but would imagine it should be fine. Photosynthetic organisms are adapted to several overcast days in a row. A black out is really only effective if followed by a large waterchange. Cyano is made out of nutrients... so if you have cyano even though your tests say 0 there is some nutrient issue. Tests can't read the nutrient bound up in an organism. I am unfamiliar with the pico pump you speak of but it sounds like flow may be an issue. Don't figure in your HOB stuff GPH in flow as it is not the same as a powerhead or CLS putting flow directly into the tank.

Also what is your light setup and how old are your bulbs? Light, flow, and nutrients are where a cyano prob develops, so its just a process of elimination.

[aquariajunky]

lighting is 250w HQI and 2 compact atinics, bulbs were new at start up in mid febuary

[Atv023]

He is right with the nutrients. I figured since you said February earlier in a post your lights were fairly new. You still have a while out of the lights, probably another 4 to 8 months.

I have 2 x 150 watt MH 14,000K, on the main tank, and 30 Watt 50/50 daylight/actinic on the refugium. The 300 is still too bright for some of my polyps and mushrooms. I have to put them on the bottom of the tank or the only open at night.

On the nutrients, no common home test reads for dissolved organics. You can have 0 across the board and still have an algae problem. Its usually from filtration, tank hasn't fully cycled, water movement or water changes, also could be overstocking. If the tank is just cycling don't add anything else too it. Let the filter and tank cycle, you will be able to tell when they do. If your good with the water changes and everything else is good, you will notice everything starting to multiply, coralline algae will start growing, other types of algae will die off or be eaten and not grow back.

I had my lights down for about 24 to 30 hours during a move, and some of the most hardy soft corals I have were impacted and took a few weeks to fully recover. Also the move itself could have impacted them. The corals have made it through the most crappy of conditions water wise though. I have never had a clam, but have heard they are pretty sensitive. I would try mechanical removal, water changes and examining your setup before cutting the lights. Everything would probably be fine if you cut the lights, but its not attacking the root of the problem. Just my opinion though.

Even when it is overcast radiation from the sun penetrates the clouds. You can still be sun burned on an overcast day. At least you can here on the beautiful California Pacific Coast.

[jenglish]

SOmetimes the blackout gets a head start on nutrients though. A blackout will release all the nutrient bound up in the cyano, so when you do a water change you are removing them. It's all a matter of + and - on nutrients. If you are putting more in through food than you are removing through w/c, skimmer, GAC/GFO etc then something will take advantage of those nutrients. My guess would be a combo of low flow in the area they are settling and excess nutrient. You may be able to adjust the flow you have in there currently to help w/ the problem. Every system is a little different, you just have to try some options out and make educated guesses. Good luck.

[aquariajunky]

well i just did a 5gal water change, syphoned off as much cyano as i could and added a koralia 1 i had in my 55 fish only, im going to start doing water changes more often until the algae is gone

but i would say the tank its overstocked, i have 2 black clowns, 2 bangiis, tobbac basslet, mandrin, coral beauty, clown goby and a single chromis and coral wise i have more then i can probably remember off hand, acan, duncan, favia, idaho grape monti, red monty, encrusting monti, birds nest, blue mushrooms, a hairy mushroom, bali green slimer, blue millipora, green/blue candy cane, neon green candy cane, 4 types of ricordia, 3 types of zoanthids, 2 types of star polyp, sun coral, 2 heads of hammer, 2 heads of frog spawn and a povona catus coral

all are fairly small besides the blue/green candy cane and povona

im a frag/deal junky