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Post by birdladiusa on Aug 11, 2013 11:51:00 GMT -5
I got up this morning and my tank is green, can i use chemiclean, this is bad
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Post by oceangirl2009 on Aug 11, 2013 12:28:40 GMT -5
Yes and do a big water change!
EDIT: I thought you meant chemipure (type of carbon). If you're still having a lot of issues I would add a HOB filter and run extra carbon until you get the nutrient issues under control.
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Post by Lance on Aug 11, 2013 16:05:12 GMT -5
I think you're fairly new to reef keeping, so if you know this, ignore me.... A water change and chemical treatment may help, but this may not be a long term solution...chemical treatments are NEVER long term solutions IMHO. Algae growth (in this case, a free-living algae bloom that is turning your water green) is fueled by light + nutrients. Too much light (period length) or wrong kind of light (wrong spectrum, old bulbs) will grow algae. Nutrients in the form of nitrogenous wastes (fish waste) and trace amounts of other nutrients like phosphate and/or silicates will fuel outbreaks as well. You have to control both factors while still providing your corals the right amount of light and providing the types and amounts of nutrients. Lights: under normal conditions make sure you are not providing more than 12 hours of light a day to the tank. Make sure your bulbs are correct for what you are trying to keep, and if you are using fluorescent or halide, that they are still in their recommended service window for their type. By this I mean that these bulbs will still work long after they've stopped producing the right spectrum and different types of bulbs have different life expectancies. Nutrients: Are you using tap water? If so, you may never be able to fix this until you switch to RODI water. This is because tap water can be a major source of bad nutrients like phosphate and silicate. What kind of filtration is the tank running? There are many ways to filter a reef tank...what is right for your system depends on what you are keeping (livestock) and stocking levels of the livestock. A tank with a low bio-load requires little filtration; high bio-load requires lots of filtration. Finally, in a new tank algae blooms are not uncommon and panicking won't help.  A few days of green water will NOT harm anything. The problem is not the algae bloom. As a matter of fact it might be helping by metabolizing pollutants. You need to figure out the root problem. Check your lights, get your water tested for pH, Alkalinity, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Phosphate. Correct any issues discovered. If you are not using RODI, you need to start. Finally make sure the system has the right type of filtration for what you are keeping. Good luck! |
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Post by Hack157 on Aug 11, 2013 16:51:46 GMT -5
First thing don't panic and by all means do not rush to use anything such as Chemiclean. The previous post offers some excellent suggestions but you really do need to provide some additional information. Such as how long has the tank been up and running? How often do you feed, how much, and what? Are you running a sump, and if so with or without a skimmer? Are you using tap water, well water, or RODI? If not using RODI, do you use any sort of water conditioner? Do you run carbon or GFO? How long are you running your lights? What size is your tank? How much rock, and was it live when you got it? Of course I could go on but you get the point, the more information the better advice you are going to receive. I would not rush to do a water change at this point unless you are using RODI water. If not, then you could just be feeding the problem, and if there is one thing I have found is most problems require minor changes not major. I have attached some pictures of my tank last fall, before RODI and some minor changes in husbandry. The first two show my hair algae problem, the second one in fact shows the eggs my matted pair of Blue Green Chromis started laying in the jungle weekly. The other picture is how it looks today. It was ugly, required nuisance maintenance, but cleared up over a two to three month time period and has never returned or even shown the signs of returning. I never used any chemicals. So like my opening line says, don't panic. |
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Post by gotareef on Aug 11, 2013 19:22:09 GMT -5
like I said in your other thread cut light back to around 5 hrs a day for a week, and use a mechanical filter with some good carbon to remove the dead algae. if you dont remove the dead it will just feed another type of algae
corals get 99% of there light requirements at around 3-4 hrs of daylight so 5 hrs will be fine to keep your corals alive.
do you have a sump? or any filtration on the tank?
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Post by birdladiusa on Aug 11, 2013 19:27:39 GMT -5
bear with me while i maake myself look like a total idiot here, i have a sump with a shelf for a filter water pour out of overflow on it and my protein skimmer is in there and that pours water over filter, should i hang a filter off it with carbon to get rid of it, totally clue less here
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Post by gotareef on Aug 11, 2013 19:58:03 GMT -5
the more water running threw the carbon the better
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Post by jasonandsarah on Aug 13, 2013 5:55:21 GMT -5
if there's anyway to put the carbon right where the water comes out of the overflow that would be best so there's constantly new water going through your carbon. also Idk what kind of carbon your using? but I would suggest you get some chemi pure elite asap and use that because it will help with all the nutrients pretty much that are fueling your algae bloom! And just as everyone else has said if your using tap water even with a water conditioner you shouldn't do a water change for right now it will just make things worse. but that doesn't mean you don't need a water change you probably should try to get some Ro/ Di water from a lfs or local reefer? most of the time if someone in here can help you they will!
how much live rock do you have in your tank?
how big is your tank?
how long has your tank been set up?
how many fish do you have I'm your tank?
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Post by birdladiusa on Aug 15, 2013 4:19:07 GMT -5
whew, i got a 55. I put the carbon under overflow like u all said, cut light hours, going the other way now. I did order a new light, im thinking these people just never did the right thing and me not knowing, i orderd new t5 lights with led at night. I also ordered a phosphate canaster thingy, that should be here soon. The tank store has tested tap water and its perfect, much to my surprise, its almost as good as his. I have a system that cleans my well water anyway for drinking, whew. I am waiting out the use of chemicals. I have only lost a big huge featherduster to date. You know when I got this reef, the lights are 72 inches long and im now learning bulbs were old, well look what they did to the tank, i shoulda known. Its a basic set up, protein skimmer in sump, overflow, really simple looking. I have over 100 pds of live rock, tank is almost 3 months here, the other people had it for 14 years. I have a 6 fish a goby, a wrasse, a tiny black one, and a big yellow one, and the clowns. I dont want any more fish, im into the corals more. Im also concerned with the power outages, my tank overflows, can i avoid this by changed out tank below. and that sump is nasty, are they supposed to be that way.
I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP, ITS VERY NICE, THANK YOU.....ANNIE
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Post by industry on Aug 15, 2013 11:09:31 GMT -5
Where are you located?
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HELPPPPPP
Aug 15, 2013 11:33:49 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by foggman on Aug 15, 2013 11:33:49 GMT -5
When you say your tank over flows, do you meen it over flows the sump? If so how far under the surface of the water is your return and how full is your sump when you have the system running. The system should be balanced so that when you shut off power the sump won't over flow. If your return is more than a inch under the water surface you should put a small hole in the return about 1/2 to 1 inch under the surface of the main tank to break the siphon when the power goes out or you turn the tank off for cleaning and such.
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Post by industry on Aug 15, 2013 16:06:03 GMT -5
Double post
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Post by birdladiusa on Aug 15, 2013 17:03:16 GMT -5
im in sebago
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Post by ryansweatt2004 on Aug 18, 2013 18:48:20 GMT -5
Just a thought, do you have any macro algae like caulerpa in your tank or sump that could have gone asexual? Just read a post on RC about that and it made me think about your situation. Certain macro algaes have the ability to go asexual and release couds of spores into the water which can make the water a milky green color.
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Post by birdladiusa on Aug 19, 2013 4:59:47 GMT -5
no i dont have any, thank god, lol. the new light running and its gotten a lot better, holding off a water change till reactor get here today, then im going in for a deep clean and water change. its better in the morning when lights have been off then builds as day progresses. my sump which has just the skimmer n pumps in it is really still dirty from previous owners, do i clean that out completely, im wondering if the algae isnt in the sump...hmmmmmmmm im afraid to do a lot for fear of loosing anything in tank.
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A few days of green water will NOT harm anything. The problem is not the algae bloom. As a matter of fact it might be helping by metabolizing pollutants. You need to figure out the root problem. Check your lights, get your water tested for pH, Alkalinity, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Phosphate. Correct any issues discovered. If you are not using RODI, you need to start. Finally make sure the system has the right type of filtration for what you are keeping.
