# algae problem



## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

So I've been getting a green algae near the top of my tank that grows on my LR. I'm just wondering what's the best way to get rid of it.

I have a cuc but nobody seems to go that far up the rock to do anything about it. Or possibly I don't have the right cuc?

2 nass snails
2 turbo snails
1 red hermit
1 blue hermit
1 fire shrimp

Like I said everyone is either to lazy to go up that far or just doesn't care about it. Any suggestions?

I'll try to link a pic if possible


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## explor3r (Mar 14, 2010)

Personally I like blue leg hermits..How many hours of light are you giving to the tank?


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

the best way to take the rock out and clean it. I do not know what water you use, but it could help to check for Phosphates

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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

If it's a new tank, it may not be an issue and will go away eventually.


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## wildexpressions (May 3, 2010)

conix67 said:


> If it's a new tank, it may not be an issue and will go away eventually.


exactly.

if it bothers you just remove the rock and scrub it with brush, rinse it and put it back. With out knowing a lot more about your system no one can really give you any more advice then that.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

I'm just one of those people who likes to take care of problems before they become a big problem.

I use RO water from my tap and the levels seem to be alright.
The tank itself is around 4 months old I think?
The tank gets around 10-12 hours of light per day since I don't have a timer for it yet. 
I'll see if I can take the rock out and clean it.

Also, on the same note....it looks like brown/red algae is growing on pretty much everything. I'm still wondering why the cuc isn't taking care of any of this.


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

altcharacter said:


> I'm just one of those people who likes to take care of problems before they become a big problem.
> 
> I use RO water from my tap and the levels seem to be alright.
> The tank itself is around 4 months old I think?
> ...


Before you try to take care of problems, it is probably a good idea to determine if a problem exists. I'm not sure if your tank went through diatom blooms and hair algae blooms, but they appear to be typical in most new reef aquariums so there's a possibility what you're seeing is just part of maturing reef tank.

What are the brown/red algae - diatoms or cyanobacteria?


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## BettaBeats (Jan 14, 2010)

I took care of this problem by siphoning the hair algae and trimming it with scissors. eventually it was down to a point where my 4 hermits could eat it. I also did a larger water change to bring my nutrients in check. I found that phosphate removing pad worked to curb the hair algae. your tank will be going through many different stages as it matures. i had the brown/green algae, the hair algae,.. i took a multistep approach.


even though i regularly do 2 gallon water changes i like to do a 50% waterchange every couple months to bring down nutrient levels. I don't have a proper refugium so my water can get pretty dirty over time.


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## jameswarner (Sep 12, 2011)

dont use hermits and dont scrub the rock. hermits pick at the beneficial life on the rock and scrubbing will also set your diversity back. Use RO water, and get a protein skimmer. If thats not enough then add a phosphate reactor, theyre actually pretty cheap (for the marine hobby)


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## fixiechef (Dec 8, 2010)

how old is your tank? if its fairly new, its part of the cycling process.

what kind of water are you using to mix salt and top off tank?

just do regular water changes!!


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Just a quick update. The green algae went away but the brown algae took over some of the sand and I permanently made a change to ro/di water. I have one of those RO filters installed in my kitchen but I think the cartridges are a little old so for now I'm buying ro/di water from BA's. 

The tank is around 3-4 months old now I think and the coral is growing at a slow rate but definitely growing. Although one of my LED's went out for some reason so I might change the lighting system again.

One of the biggest changes I did to the tank was to buy a koralia nano powerhead. I was using a maxi-jet 400 but found it was getting slower for some reason.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

For the diatoms, there are several easier fixes to try -

1. Increase flow - they like areas with stagnant flow. Often you can get rid of it just by improving the circulation within your tank.

2. Decrease lighting period.

3. Skim wetter/more water changes/less feeding.

Also, it's a natural part of a maturing tank. there are a bunch of different phases, so don't sweat it unless it takes over your entire tank


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