Help with Green Alage

mcva3 · 06-22-2008, 08:29 AM

Hello all, Just recently I started to get this green film across all my glass. I wipe it away and it is back at the end of the day. I had my water tested at the LFS and tested my self and everything is in the correct perimeters. The tank has been running for about 8 months and never had this problem. I have not added anything to the tank, but still yet seems like it is getting worse. Sorry i don't have a picture to show but it is a light green film that covers the glass and it wipes away easily. Should i be adding something to the water to get rid of it?

Lpkenneys · 06-22-2008, 08:43 AM

What type of lighting are you using? how long, how old are the bulbs, and what is your tank temp? all these things can contribute. :-)

**CarmieJo** · 06-22-2008, 05:55 PM

In addition to what ^^ he said ^^ the angle of the sun changes as we go through the seasons and it could be that sunlight is now hitting your tank at some point during the day.

THEJRC · 06-23-2008, 01:01 AM

Film algae is a natural part of life in reef keeping. Check your foods and rinse all frozens with ro water to remove posible nutrients added in, check your parameters (nitrate and phosphate) and such and correct if necessary. May be important to ask if you are running macroalgae's in your sump, if you are and the film continues then you have a competition and possible nutrient problem. The goal of the macro is to outcompete other algaes for nutrients as well as provide a removal of said nutrients. If you arent running macroalgaes you may consider it.

Also, whats the snail population in the tank? I know some who run no refugiums and no macro and tackle the algae problems very successfully with snails and other inverts that feed on the stuff. It's all a matter of balance. You may look at adding some snails and checking your parameters as a start.

Be well aware that some tanks, this is unavoidable. Scraping algae is a fact of life! Welcome to reefing....

mcva3 · 06-23-2008, 05:17 PM

Well all my water perimeters are good.I have no sunlight that hits the tank at all from the windows. I am using the Coralife compact fluorescents 4x65 watts. The fixture itself is only about 2months old and as for the tank temp, it runs between 80-82. About the sump/fuge I am still currently with out one. I am working on adding one soon though.
This green film just started happening about 1 week ago, and never had it before.

**CarmieJo** · 06-23-2008, 07:31 PM

I presume that your bulbs are just a couple months old as well so it should not be color shift. How were you lighting the tank before? How long are the lights on? What size of tank do you have? How are you filtering it? Do you have LS and LR and if so how much? What are your NO3 and PO4 levels? Has anything i.e. new fish, different food, new salt, different additives, etc in the tank changed in the last few weeks? What fish, corals and inverts do you have? Has anyone gone AWOL? I know it seems like 20 questions but they will help us find the reason for the algae. And, like Joe said, algae is a part of reef keeping although having it come back within a day seems a little excessive.

mcva3 · 06-26-2008, 08:30 PM

Ok, to answer CarmieJo's questions:
1. The lighting of the tank has not changed. Same bulbs same hood. I had the normal hood light on it before the swap to the Coralife. The coralife has been on there and no green slime till recently.
2.the lights are on no more then 8 hrs a day
3.I am filtering it by a penguin 350 bio- wheel for now. (no sump/refuge) Yet
4.Yes i have LS and LR. I have 75lbs aragonite Caribbean live sand, and about 20 lbs LR.(I have 40Lbs LR Curring in tub not ready to put in yet ,different post)
5.My no3 and Po4 levels are No3 are at 0 and My NO4 is at like almost 0 maybe a 1-2 still coming down from .10
6. The fish and inverts I have are listed under "adding 40lbs LR' post under new to saltwater. Nothing has changed except I no longer have the tang.
7. No nothing or nobody has gone AWOL!

8. The temp is 80-82
9. No different Foods and salt. I don't use additives(yet) lol
10. The Snail population is 20.
11. The tank is a 55G
12, Running a skimmer which is working properly, I am getting heavy dark smelling stuff in the canister.

Yes this green algae is furious, I can wipe it away before work and come home and it will be back on the glass.
this just started happening thats what is bothering me.
Thanks for the help!

**CarmieJo** · 06-27-2008, 12:42 AM

I don't know. Everything "sounds" good. You could add some more snails to graze on the algae. Good call on the additional LR. I'd pull the bio-wheel and just use the Penguin for flow and to run carbon or whatever in.