Hey,
I was wondering if anyone could tell me what this stuff is or how to fix it.
It has been growing all over my rocks and I can't even clean it out.
It even grows on my mushrooms. >.<

Here's some pics of it:
- http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/mgulch/DSC00615.jpg

- http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/mgulch/DSC00614.jpg

- http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/mgulch/DSC00612.jpg

- http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/mgulch/DSC00611.jpg

looks like a combination of diatoms and hair algae to me. can you get some clearer pics of it ??

It looks like hair algae. More detailed info about your tank would help a lot in telling you how to solve.

I'm assuming this is a newer tank....if so, algae blooms are normal in a newer tank, especially after the cyle. Best solution is to optimize tank parameters by optimizing routine maintenence and insuring that the tank is set up and stocked properly. It's important to keep nitrates and phosphates low. Make sure your photo period is not too long and consider shortening it if it is.

You should also start to routinely remove it manually.
Manual hair algae removal technique:
1 - pinch some with your finger
2 - pull it off, keeping your fingers pinched
3 - pull it out of the tank and rinse the algae off your fingers in a bowl of water
4 - repeat until you just can't stand it any more :))

Welcome to TR!
Hope this helps

More info on Tank:
It is 125 Gallon.
2 External Filters: Cascade 1000.
We just put on a new Protein Skimmer, which is the JEBO 180.
We have 2 clowns, 4 damsels, cleaner shrimp, red crab, scooter, and 2 anenomies so far.
We had a butterfly fish, and blue powder tang that died in 3 weeks. We had the tank running for about 2 months so far.

And thats our tank and I think the Protein Skimmer is casting out too many bubbles...

More Pictures:
- http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/mgulch/DSC00620.jpg

- http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/mgulch/DSC00617.jpg

- http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/mgulch/DSC00616.jpg

The bubbles actually just got decreased.

Thanks

what are you using in the external filters??? sponges, bio balls. that would be a big contributor if you ask me. and you get use some more live rock in there as well. the skimmer should help remove some of the waste that is for sure. what is your light cycle and how often do you feed the tank????
also this is such a young tank this is probably just a diatom bloom all part of the cycling process. have your parameters spiked and started to level yet (nitrates, amonia, nitrites)

Yep,
I think it's because the tank is only 2 months old probably.
The filters have sponges I guess along with some black stuff, which I guess is
some type of charcoal. The skimmer is producing a ton of bubbles. Our tank has good circulation and may have too much in my opinion. The light is 320w T5's and it gets shut off at night when I go to sleep. Fish get fed brime shrimp twice a day. Anyway, this stuff is growing on my mushrooms and coral. Thanks for the help.

- http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/mgulch/DSC00623.jpg
- http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/mgulch/DSC00622.jpg
- http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/mgulch/DSC00621.jpg
- http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/mgulch/DSC00625.jpg

cut back on the feeding to once a day and run the light approx 8 hours and see what happens

Welcome to TR Nub!

BTW: Where are the pics? They are not there them anymore...

The pictures are now back up.
The hydrometer that we were using was broken. Our friend came over to test our tank with his little kit thing. He said our tank was wayyyyy to cold and the "Specific Gravity" was at 1.028. We just fixed that and he also said that the circulation of the tank was bad and told us to put the filter exhausts to one side, instead of a long tube that goes through the whole tank. Anyway, we're going to buy a little thing that controls how long the light is turned on. Thanks for the advice. :up:

One more thing. lol
Our leather coral looks like it's about to die. >.<

Here is what it looked like 2 days ago:
- http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/mgulch/DSC00599.jpg

Here is what it had been looking like for 2 days:
http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/mgulch/DSC00627.jpg

Anymore advice? :unsure:

get your parameters stable and that will help.

My advice...sounds like you need to get your friend over there a little more often. Please understand that I'm not trying to bash you, but I think you have much to learn (who doesn't though). Here are my suggestions:

I can see from your tank, that your only filtration comes from the filters...this will NOT be enough for a reef tank. I think your lighting is decent, but with out a lot more flow, most corals wont fare well.

I would also invest in a refractometer ASAP! I am not really sure how you made it this far with out something to measure salinity, which is absolutely critical.

Get your fish some decent food. Feeding brine shrimp to fish is like us trying to live on celery. It fills the tummy, but there isn't really anything nutritious in it. I would recommend some good flake or pellet (formula 1 or Spectrum).

I would also download and listen to the the Talkingreef podcasts from the beginning. I think you will learn a lot. Also, dont be afraid to keep asking Q's here. We will help as much as we can! :D

I would also invest in a better skimmer Jebo's are not the most efficient skimmer. a good one for the price is the coralife skimmer.

The hydrometer that we were using was broken. Our friend came over to test our tank with his little kit thing. He said our tank was wayyyyy to cold and the "Specific Gravity" was at 1.028.

Did your friend test for Nitrates and Phosphates? If so, what were the results?

What kind of filter do you have for the water you use for making SW batches and for evaporation?

How many gallons of SW do you change out every week?

What/How much/How often are you feeding the tank?

How well is the jebo skimmer performing? What is the skimmate like, and how much/how often do you empty the collection cup?

What temperature (Kelvin) bulbs are you running? How long are your lights on each day?


Anymore advice? :unsure:

I am going to be presumptuous, but here are some ideas:

1) Do not add any more organisms to your very young tank.
2) Invest in some basic test kits (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Phosphate). Many people use the Salifert kits, but some are happy with API, Seachem, and FastTest. You need to test for Nitrates and Phosphates. Also get a Refractometer (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9957&Nty=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=All&pc=1&N=0&Ntt=refractometer&Np=1) to regularly test your salinity.
3) Make sure you have a decent heater and thermometer, and keep the tank at 78-82 degrees.
4) Fully cure 60-80 pounds more LR in a bucket for 3-4 weeks, and then add it to the tank when Ammonia, Nitrite are zero and Nitrate is 5 ppm or less. You should have at least 125 pounds and preferably 150+ pounds in your tank total.
5) I would strongly recommend that you buy Reverse Osmosis - Deionized Water filter if you do not already have one, and regularly test it with a TDS meter.
6) I would recommend that you augment you flow with at least two stream pumps, like Koralia 4's, or Maxijet 1200's (with stream mod kit (http://www.marcorocks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=15)) and have them at both ends of tank pointing toward each other to produce chaotic, broad current.
7) Research. Listen to the TR podcasts if you have not already. Buy some recommended books, read the plethora of online articles by respected authors and start stalking the forums (with a grain of salt). This hobby has a TON of free information available on the internet.
8) Eventually get a Sump (with a DSB Refugium) and a better skimmer.
9) Reduce your photo-period to 6-8 hours a day.
10) Get an auto-top off system to automate the replacement of evaporated water.

We just fixed that and he also said that the circulation of the tank was bad and told us to put the filter exhausts to one side, instead of a long tube that goes through the whole tank.

It's great that you have a friend to help you. It sounds like you may have added organisms before your tank's biology was ready, and they suffered (or are suffering) the consequence. Test the water and tell us what your readings are.

HTH,

-Scott

yup, we did some things to it.
The temp. is now exactly at 80 degrees and the Salinity is at 1.022.
The skimmer is performing really good now. I can see all the dirt in it, which I'm going to clean soon. My friend came over with his test kit for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Phosphate. He said that the tank is doing really good. The moss has to be because of the tank being so young. We're really not getting anymore moss on the rocks.

We feed the tank twice a day still. The tank is definitely looking more healthy, what we plan on doing now is changing the flow of the water and think about getting another skimmer. Keep in mind that I'm not made of money. lol

How many times a day do you guys feed your fish because my friend feeds his 3-4 times a day. >.<

The temp. is now exactly at 80 degrees and the Salinity is at 1.022.

Make sure you do not change temperature and salinity too fast. It can cause stress in your organisms, lowering their immune system and make them susceptible to disease. Invertebrates are very sensitive to changes in salinity.

These are changes that should take place over a week(or two) of time.


The skimmer is performing really good now. I can see all the dirt in it, which I'm going to clean soon.

Skimmers perform better when clean, so make sure to clean and thoroughly dry the collection cup at least twice a week, even if it is almost empty. The inside of the riser tube in the collection cup gets filthy first, and that dirt can reduce the efficacy of the skimmer.

My friend came over with his test kit for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Phosphate. He said that the tank is doing really good. The moss has to be because of the tank being so young. We're really not getting anymore moss on the rocks.

Unless your friend is being paid to test your tank, I would recommend getting your own test kits. You will learn a lot about your tank and its progress if you keep track.

The tank is definitely looking more healthy, what we plan on doing now is changing the flow of the water and think about getting another skimmer. Keep in mind that I'm not made of money. lol

The Maxijet Mods ($36 for 2 pumps + $20 for 2 mod kits) are probably the cheapest way to add decent flow for a tank like yours. Getting a quality lightly-used skimmer (from a trusted seller) may be an option, for example there is now a Tunze 9005 skimmer on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/Tunze-DOC-Protein-Skimmer-9005-lightly-used-aquarium_W0QQitemZ180204150086QQihZ008QQcategoryZ4 6313QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) with a current bid of $120. Checking the Reef Central classified is another option. Many people buy equipment then upgrade soon thereafter, and try to sell off their lightly-used (or even unused) equipment. However, I do not know if I would buy used if I weren't saving more than $40.

How many times a day do you guys feed your fish because my friend feeds his 3-4 times a day. >.<

Frequency is supposed to depend on the species of fish. There are competing "thrive" versus "survive" philosophies, where the thrive camp feeds more often - relying on skimmers, DSB, and good maintenance to remove excess nutrients, while the Survive camp feeds sparingly so as not to add too much load to the tank. The fish probably benefit more from the thrive method, depending on the quality of food given and the ongoing quality of the water.

No matter how often you feed, it is important that there is not excess food swirling around the tank after the fish are full. Of course, if you have corals or opportunistic feeders who will make use of that excess - it is not really excess anyway. "Feed light, but often." seems to be a good approach. Reduce portions until you do not see the excess.

I personally feed 1/4-1/3 cube of frozen food (Mysis, Enriched Brine Shrimp, Spirulina Enriched Brine, and Bloodworms) thawed, rinsed in RODI and soaked in Selcon, once each day. This is for 1 Occelaris Clown, 1 Spotted Cardinal and 1 Fire Shrimp (all pretty small) being the primary inhabitants. The kind, amount and frequency will increase as I will soon add corals to the tank.

Hello nub5 and :welcome: to TR.

One other thing that I would recommend is to rinse the brine shrimp before you feed it. The solution they are frozen in often contains phosphates and this contributes to algae. I agree that brine is not a nutritious food unless you are buying enriched brine shrimp or are feeding newly hatched (within 24 hrs) live baby brine shrimp.

well, thats all we've been feeding them. lol
what do you recommend that we should feed them?

A good flake or pellet food would probably be more nutritious. I would recommend Formula 1 or 2. Just dont overfeed! A small pinch every other day would be more than enough.

I alternate Formula 1, Formula 2, ORA Gold, frozen mysis (rinse before feeding), and frozen Cyclopeeze, (don't rinse just thaw).

looks like you jumped in to this not really noing to much you stocked your tank heavy for not having it up and running for that long and not noing much your fish probaly died from an amonia spike when your tank was first cycling seems like your friend is helping you out just take it slow and dont get discouraged what helped me from the start were books and internet just start reading and get the right stuff, test kit, thermometer, good protein skimmer and a refugium or least a wet dry as for the hair algae try another tang or foxface they should help control it and dont forget the water changes good luck

I wouldn't put another tang in the tank, certainly not a powder blue! both tangs and foxface can grow quite large and need plenty of swimming space. Butterfly fish can be very fragile and sucumb to disease as a result from stress, or poor tank conditions, quickly. Feeding certain butterfly fish can be a challenge also.

I would hold off on other fish for a while until your tank has stabilised more, your biological filtration has caught up with the bioload already in the tank and you have done a lot more research. PodCast epidoes 2 & 50 are good and discuss tank "cycling". Otherwise, welcome to Talkingreef. I am sure your tank will be fine though it will just take some time for things to settle down and get it looking good.

As for feeding, I feed 2-3 times a day, alternating between a variety cyclopeze, mysis_pe, arctipods, DY phtyo (one of these days I am going to have to start my own culture), phytofeast, zooplankon (jar) and sometimes formulae two flake. However, at present I have cut back a little on feeding due to a cyano outbreak after rebuilding the tank, replacing all my sand and consequently distupting my biological filtration.

Depending on your stocking levels you certainly do not need to feed 2-3 times a day, you could even feed once a day, some people even feed every other day - however, keep note of your fishes health and try not to starve them! Given your current algae outbreaks you may want to cut back on your feeding to once a day, again, until your filtration, biological, mechanical, can keep up with the bioload.

Your anemone's can be target fed, that is, take a piece of shimp (thawed), cut it into pieces, and feed a few pieces to the anemone's every few days. Though they obtain much of their sustenance from your lighting they will still need feeding.

Warm Regards,

he could do a smaller tang or a foxface in a 125 but yes i agree no powder blue or hippo yet maybe a hardy one like a yellow as for a butterfly there are a few that are very hardy and i agree he needs to get everything in check before adding anything else