Help Please! Thinkiing about starting over.

I just cannot shake this algae problem. It is growing faster than I can clean it up. I was gone for a day and half and in that time algae had grown all over rock I had cleaned. I am going on vacation for 4 days and I might just do a blackout while I am gone. Although this is a temporary fix, I can do some research while I am gone.

I think one of my problems is being overstocked? I have two green spotted puffers and thats it. They are messy eaters and are recommended 30 gallons a piece. I would hate giving them up because they look happy and have not lost color over the past two years.

I do not have a reef water testing kit but Nitrates(ties) are at 0 and PH is 8.3, Ammonia is at 0. I use ro/di water from my LFS and have the lights on 9 hours a day. My tank has been up since january so it is relatively new.

Here are a few pics...

 

Algae is a very common new tank problem. Once the tank parameters become more stable over time, the issue should go away. If you start over, you'll just be in the same place months down the road!

 

+1 yup.

Are you running any chempure elite or any type of GFO. I wonder if you are introducing phosphates when feeding the puffers. I would have the LFS check for phosphates.

I would reduce the lighting period or do a black out after manually removing as much as possible and blowing off any detritus on the rock work daily and cleaning the mechanical filter after the water clears.

What is the SG of the tank?

 

no GFo or chempure right now. I have a remora skimmer and it is taking up the media basket position in my nanocube. I have some carbon sitting in a high flow area in one compartment, as well as the sponge to collect particles. Also not dosing the water with any chemicals. I feed the puffers as well as my torch coral mysis. The puffers I feed every 2 days and the torch once a week.

I leave to go on vacation in a few days so i will do a major scrub-down and commence operation blackout. Will the blackout hurt my torch?

 

My lps were not effected by the blackout but everyones tank is different. Do a routine water change after you remove the algae. Chemipure comes in a nice little bag that will fit in any of the compartments of the sump and is a better choice than the run of the mill carbon.

 

refugium? cheato? snails?

 

No the black out wont hurt your coral than can go for a week or two without direct light. Its just like a storm for them. it shoudl be fine for 4 days

 

I have several large nerve snails. They are cleaning the algae, but the algae is growing faster than they can keep up. I also have about 7 blue-legged hermits. They like to eat the sand algae and do a pretty good job most of the time.

Like I said, the fugue basket is not in at the moment because the skimmer is taking up all the room. Will cheato bring phosphates down?

 

get more snails and critters that eat it

 

phosphates is what the other algae is probly thriving on. run cheato with 24 hr lights.. and about 100 or so cerith, nassarius snails..