ALGAE OUTBREAK HELP!!!

don't add any supplement that you do not test for.

, yes I too am also guilty at times of doing the same. I have learned that one the hard way.

my tank gets green every 2 or 3 days just have to keep on top of it one of my chores that i dont like in this addition

your testing sounds about right. even though the fish and hermits eat the food, the total food in the tank is what adds up, there are many that feed their tanks 3x a week, I feed my tank 1 cube/day, occasionally I will add some flake food or some pellets to spot feed.  The tank will have it's bacteria build up to handle the food, the thing to do is to feed about the same amount/week that will help the system maintain.


I use instant ocean, it has done fine by me, but I too have been considering changing brands, there is one that I have heard good things about on reefcentral, it's called oceanpure, it sounds good, any one heard of it?

as you go forward and things settle down, the only tests that will be really important will be calcium, alk, salinity, and for ph (later on) get a ph probe they are more accurate/consistant than a test kit.

for water changes I think that we aim for 10% per month?, I do a 20 gallon water change per month, sometimes all in one shot and sometimes at 5 gallons a week.

I have a 90 gallon tank, and about 40 gallons in my sump.

part is a new tank start up, the algae is able to get at the leftover nutrients because there is not enough beneficial bacteria available, have you seeded your tank with some live water from a different running tank, I don't remember.  I could give you a 5 gallon bucket of water from my tank, my orp is currently at 375, that would give your tank a shot of "live" water. also when you do a water change you are taking some of the "live" water out for "dead" or new water, the tank will readjust after each water change.

when i bought the tank it was originally a 75g w/corner overflow and approx. 60lbs. live sand and 20lbs. live rock in the sump with macro. when i moved it i didnt seed it with live water cause i figured the sand and rock had enough bacteria still on it.  it definetly makes a lot of sense though and would greatly appreciate a seed like that. when would you be available? its not completely urgent so whenever its convient for you i am in salem up at the relief mine

sounds good ill call you tomorrow around 5 or 6 to make sure its still ok. if you want i can bring you some ro water to replace the LW you are so graciously willing to give me. thank you and if tomorrow is ok then ill see you tomorrow

1/2 cube even sounds like a lot for 2 small clowns. Try putting the seaweed on a clip so the crabs can't get to it. I used to feed 1/3 sheet daily for 4 tangs, a coral beauty and a large blenny.

im gonna have to try to post some pics cause i am not entirely sure what they are i know i have regular xenia and a cabbage coral and 2 mushrooms on a rock one is a green striped i guess and the other is a brown kinda bumpy maybe. i also have a frag rock of starburst polyps. i will do some research right now.

ok i checked it out and i have 2 colonies on one rock they are green and orange zoa's, and the other rock has i cant tell if they are regular golden zoa'z or yellow center zoa's. can water movement have anything to do with it? i am running 3 pumps, 1st is the return pump a rio 20hf rated at 980 or around there at 4ft up. 2nd is a koralia 3 rated at 800 something and then i just bought a maxi jet 1200. arrangement is 2 return spouts one left and one right slightly pointed down to get mid water movement and not cause sand storms. the maxi jet is on the right side wall back and top corner pointing ore down to get movement behind the rock and the koralia3 is on the left side back wall about 4"down pointing to mid level and hitting the front glass almost center. the leftside return hits the leftside front corner of the tank about mid level. i have nothing to get the lower level water except the interaction and turbulence caused by all the outlets hitting each other