Algae issue related to PH?

so heres what im dealing with


PH- 7.4
nitrates-0
ammonia-0
Phosphates-0
Mag-1280
Nitrite-0
Calcium-500
Copper-0
KH-9
temp-79
Salinity-1.025 (refractometer)
These are all the tests I have I don't think I need anything else regarding the issue. I also have a prizm x hob skimmer, and an hob filter but I only have carbon and phosban in there (been in there for about a week and a half, I removed the media things that it comes with because I didn't want to have to worry about the maintenance of cleaning it out so nitrates don't build up) I don't feed the tank any flakes because its coral and a little scooter blenny. So I put in mysis shrimp, arctic pods, and blood shrimp about twice a week. But I slightly overfeed the corals could that be causing it? I also do about a 1.5 gallon water change a week, and my lights are on from 12-8, 24x2 t-5s. And I use R0 from my fish store...blah anything else haha? Please help I've been moving the pumps around because I thought there could be dead spots, but I have a Korolia Nano, a rotating power head but don't know the GPH its rated for a 30+ gallon tank, the skimmer, and the filter putting flow in my tank. and all this in a 10!! so it can't be flow.

 

Oh I forget to mention ph, it seems like every week im raising the ph back up to 8.4 why does it keep falling? My other tank its pretty my constant and I use the same water and salt....

 

ontop27

looks like cyno to me, and if you had not mentioned water movement, then I would have said "increase flow" maybe all you flow is not as well spread out as it could be?

you might want to get those test results double checked? as a Calc level of 500 does not seem right with a Mag level of 1280 - Im used to a 3- 1 ratio or there abouts

sorry no definitive answer, but whenever I have the red film problem, adding or moving sources of water flow, always gets rid of it within a short period for me

Steve

 

You could try boosting your magnesium level, supposedly has a lot to do with alk stability, might help with pH stability? Try airing out the room sometimes CO2 in a room can cause the pH to drop.

 

the 2 step program -

Step 1 Reduce nutrients:
either with reducing import -less food + better water or increasing export - growth of algae, LR denitrification, and water changes with high quality water

Step 2 - Removal, discourage growth
Try to kick up flow in that spot, it looks like it may be weak there. Ceriths eat it on the sand, blue legs nerites, chitons, scarlets from what I hear will eat it on the rocks and glass (except the hermits). Higher alkalinity discourages cyano growth, but never raise it quickly, less is always more in changing water chemistry - do it slowly and keep an eye on related params. (mag and calcium and maybe even ph)

 

How are you testing the Ph at 7.4 everything in there would be dead

You Mag is a tad low and the Ca as suppressed the DKH that is way low . Ph really mean little other the the presences or absents of Carbonates aka DKH its a red cyano that is on the sand and several factors come into play with these . But first off you have top get the Mag and DKH up .and allow the calcium to fall off .

What is the age and brand names of your test kits ? And what time of day is the PH at 7.4 ? could be a co2 or lack of 0'2 also take a glass of the 7.4 water outside and put a air stone and pump on the glass for a few hrs then retest the water in the glass . Do you have glass tops or tight fitting hood on the tank ?

 

sorry for not responding I haven't been around. I the tests are api, maybe the ph kit went bad i'll have to check with some1 elses but its only about 6 mnths old, or possibly something left in the tube? I'll give them a good washing and try again. Since i'm feeding only frozen mysis and blood worms, would they increase my nutrients that much? As for co2 i have a power head aiming right at the top of my tank, and I don't have any problems with my tank thats 5 feet away. Who made this hobby so hard grrrr

 

Feeding all that frozen is 2/3rds the problem people still want to fed their tanks to death . I would simply stop feeding the stuff and get to a good balanced flake and then feed twice or maybe 3 times a week and then sparingly . A 7oz. can of OSI flakes will last me over 2 yrs I just am just getting ready to open my third can in close to 5 yrs..I never feed frozen meat stuff to my fish . Corals get fed a dry mix I have come up with for here and at the old coral center I used to run . I do not like to use any frozen corals foods either its always freeze dried if I do ever use a commercial food .

 

I think this will help you understand the synergy of the aquarium water chemistry; http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2002/chem.htm

Also on the Cyano; http://netclub.athiel.com/cyano/cyanos2.htm

 

just want to say thnks for the input. I reduced my lights to about 5 hrs a day, slowly raised my KH to 12 and went back to using phosguard instead of phosban and now the algae is pretty much gone. (even though my test kit says no phosphates I just wanted to see)