Algae and the Reef Tank.
Posted: Monday, February 14, 2011
by Leory Johnson
Reef College
For most aquarium hobbyists, algae presents a very serious obstacle to a happy and healthy tank. Algae is a plant form that thrives in high-nutrient, well-lit conditions. The battle with algae begins when you first add water and turn on the lights. A reef keeper may encounter many different types of nuisance algae, but in this article we will cover the two most common species. The Cyano algae and the mighty hair algae (HA). We will discuss preventive methods and treatment.
When you first set up a new tank, you are exited about your new hobby, you can not wait to get your new fish, you research all about the nitrogen cycle and beginner friendly corals. But many new reef keepers fail to become aware of the serious problem lurking around the corner.
In common terms, a reef tank is a biological filter. Your live rock (LR), Live sand (LS), refugium, and skimmer are there to neutralize waste.
Every time you feed your fish, you are introducing dead matter to a closed biological system. Your fish consume the food and convert it to waste which needs to be filtered within this closed system. So the question is can your biological filter handle the amount of waste? If you are introducing more waste than the system can handle you are simply asking for poor water conditions which is a direct cause of algae growth.
SIMPLE PREVENTIVE STEPS
- Do not over stock
- Do not over feed
- Small and often water changes (WC)
- No natural sunlight exposure
- Clean-up Crew
- Limit the Lighting hours.
- Use RO/DI water
- Inspect new rocks closely prior to adding.
Regardless of your expertise level or passion for the hobby, sometimes life simply gets in the way. Marriage, new baby, new job, etc. can contribute to a lapse in proper husbandry and you may find yourself with a green tank! Once algae takes a hold of your tank, it maybe very difficult to remove. (Keep in mind that a minor Cyanobacteria outbreak is not uncommon in a brand new tank).
- Increase flow.
- Larger than usual water changes.
- Increase clean-up crew size.
- Use Phosphate removing media.
- Decrease lighting.
- Scrub and manually remove regularly
- Use a powerhead to blow detritus off of rocks
- Be very very patient.
This Article has been viewed 160 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.