Algae problems help meeeeeeeeeee

Great response, I love it! ;D

Here's just one little thing you might want to consider: do you have a lot of water movement at the surface? I see the powerheads in your tank but I can't tell if they're pushing at the top. In no way will this kill all of your algae but it will aid in the overall health of your tank.

BTW, I really like how you did your rockwork. The more open it is the better the water can move up, down, and all around.

 

I actually adjusted my powerheads so I have movement throughout the tank now. I tried to get rid of the " dead spots" and get some good surface movement. I didnt really think about that before so I hope this will help.

 

As ska d said, algae in a new tank is quite common. You may have read that after a while, if you're still seeing a lot of it, it more than likely is coming from phosphates and bulbs that have lost their intensity. It's awesome that you are addressing both of those issues and you should see improvement over time.

Creating turbulence at the surface is extremely important for many reasons. First, it helps equalize the gas exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen which occurs at the surface. People often see algae growing in areas called the "dead spots" so obviously everyone's goal is to eliminate them as best they can. Putting the powerheads in a good position helps this (most people do it by pointing 2 or more ph's at each other---they're kind of creating a crashing of water). On my 65g. tank I had 4 things moving my water. Two powerheads were placed just under the surface and pointing towards the surface. I also had a powerhead low in the tank just to move water over the sand bed in the back. Often dead spots occur there due to the rock preventing water from moving in those low, blocked areas. The 4th one was the return which was pointed at corals that needed turbulent water movement.

Second, the ocean is not "quiet". It moves and it crashes; it's not calm like perhaps a pond is. Truthfully, it's really hard to replicate the ocean's water movements in our tanks. However, there are some very powerful contraptions that push water quite hard. If you ever get a chance (assuming you can't see a real ocean) watch a movie that involves an ocean. Oh my gosh does that water move! LOL The movie that comes to my mind is Kevin Costner's The Guardian. You're not stupid, you get the idea. That being said though, not all corals can withstand extremely strong water movement and it will kill them. This is where placement comes into play because some need to be in turbulent areas whereas others need lower flow. You'll get it.

Not sure if this helps but hopefully it can't hurt.

 

You sure do have a green thumb LOL! By any chance is your tank getting some direct sunlight at some time of day? If not I would suspect old bulbs in your t-5,replacing them and giving that phosban reacter some time to start working should make a difference.I don't agree with adding a fish to eat the algae,especially in a newer tank as it's not really solving the issue and you can end up with a fish in your tank that you don't really want or isn't suitable for your tank.

 

Feel ur frustrations mrsavage84! Havin algae problems myself right now.... Mostly green hair algae though.... Perameters are all good n struggling to work it out.
I'll keep subscribed to ur post to see how u get on

 

Funny you say I have a green thumb. I'm not necessarily proud out my fantastic ability to grow plants in my aquarium! Haha. I actually work for a landscaper and do allot of gardening and planting. Just ironic I guess.

K so here is a little update of whats going on. I have totally rework my LR in the tank will have some caves within the cluster but I moved rock away from the sides to allow my powerheads to be placed half day down towards the back wall. I also replaced all of my powerheads so that I have NO dead sports and more water movement on the surface of the water. With this movement I had to move all of many corals which is a huge pain in the butt, but it had to be done. Lights are still on for just 4 hours a day so when I get the algae under control, i am going to start increasing the hours my lights are on. I'm pretty sure I'm getting some LEDs for my birthday so this might be a good time to change then m out.

With all i have done to the tank, the algae seemed to respond quite well. And has dissipated by about %20 so far.

 

I'll post a picture of the new scape when the lights turn on for the day. Not in love with it like I was my last scale but whatever