Please help! Algae bloom!!????

[kevinpratt823]

My 155 is a 3 weeks running now, it was running when I bought the system. I finished my rockwork a few days ago, found my alkalinity was high(16). The sand, rock, and glass is browning up quick, and the algae is producing bubbles all over the rock. Is this a normal process, are the bubbles just are finding it's way out of the rock, or is there a problem here? My water hasn't been completely stable, as I changed out 1/3 yesterday, and the alkalinity was from overdosing to get calc up, but nitrate, nitrite are very low and no amonia. I lost a couple clowns, and chalked it up to stress from the transfer and rockwork, but now I'm concerned about the fish in there as I'm seeing the same signs that the clowns had the day before they died: a white film developing on his body. Please help.

 

[stevenp]

My 155 is a 3 weeks running now, it was running when I bought the system. I finished my rockwork a few days ago...

So the system was established when you bought it? Was the rock included as well? Did you reuse the sand?

Sounds like your parameters are all over the place, your first priority should be to get them stable. I assume you're measuring alk in DKH? 16DKH is high. Could be diatoms, could be cyano. Big alkalinity swings can wreak all kinds of havoc.

Relax and take your time getting things in order, nothing good happens fast in a reef tank .

 

[PRTA79]

keep changing the water, but be sure to mix properly airate and warm to same temp as tank

it sounds like the tank may be cycling again, from disturbing everything when you moved it?

i would run some carbon also if you aren't already

 

[PRTA79]

did you say your using well water kevin?
that could be another source feeding the algae you should test it for phosphates to be sure?

 

[SharkLover]

Was the sand placed in buckets for moving or was it kept at the bottom of the tank and moved? If you disturbed the sand bed by moving it into storage bins then i bet thats your culprit. it'll need time to get all the anerobic bacterias on different levels of the sand bed. can you confirm?

 

[kevinpratt823]

After searching the forum archive, I believe it's diatoms.
Some of the rock came with the tank, I reused the sand, about 100 lbs of rock was well cured from a LFS, another 100 lbs from Kiahs system. The sand went in buckets, as a 155 is heavy enough as is, and I did spend the first couple days stirring the sand with 10" of water in the tank, letting it settle, and siphoning the sediment layer, which was quite a bit as the tank had been running for over 10 yrs, then refilling and repeating. My rock was all swilling in the sump seperately at this time and a heavy water change was done in the sump before putting it inline, nitrates have been low, 20 at the highest.
I hate to say it on here Pete, but I use tap water. I have tested it out of the tap and no phosphate or nitrate etc., and my other tanks have been running for 6 yrs on my tap water(it's a lot better than most towns). Thanks for the input. The brown is not so much a concern now as why my purple firefish died last night. It's in my nature with this stuff to dive right in and put livestock in, I've got a dozen SPS and a couple frogspawns in there already, patience has never been my strongest point, so I guess I'm bound to lose a bit.

 

[marco67]

Kevin,
Sorry for your losses but it sounds like it was a risk you were ready for.
Your system needs time ...everything you describe is nothing out of the ordinary, just lay low on the live stock and stabilize.

 

[Bobbofin]

I just switched to a new and larger tank about a month ago. I had some red slime which I used Red Slime Remover on. I now have brown/green algae on the substrate (not rocks)and glass I'm dealing with. I changed half of the sand which I distrubed and bought a couple new pieces of live rock. You are going to have to ride to out just like me. Clean it off and siphon it out. Also a great product by API is Algaefix. It is completely reef safe, never had any issues and works like a champ. Of course go after the root causes, use RO/DI water, cut down on lights, run a phosphate filter and easy on the feeding. That should get you back on track. Good luck!