Member had an algae problem and sought advice

[Origami]

Part of the value of having this community available is the support it can provide to aquarists at all levels that have questions or who want to share their experience in the hobby. But, with so much buying and selling going on these days, I think that sometimes this gets lost - especially for those new to the hobby who don't think to ask or solicit help from the community brain trust. I want those with questions or lessons/experiences to feel free to share for both personal growth and for the collective benefit of the community. 

 

For example, recently, a new member reached out to me via my WAMAS email and, attaching a few pictures, asked for advice about his relatively new tank. It's just the kind of discussion that can happen in the forum and should happen here. With that, I'm going to share a portion of the exchange and ask that you respond with your two-cents as well.

 

The member said, "I got alot of algae growth I'm not sure why. Could over-feeding do it? I also changed my light intensity a while back. Everything was doing good. Now I'm starting to see things not looking so good. Duncan's have algae building up around it. And anenome's looking smaller. I'm going to Tropical Lagoon today and have Steve check my water. But I'm going do a 15gal water change today also."

 

Not knowing exactly how much experience he had, I decided to start from the bottom and provide a ecological view of his situation. I responded with:

 

"Algae grows when conditions are favorable for it. Namely available water, nutrients, and light.

 

"Your tank is an ecological system seeking balance. You add energy in the form of light and food. Consumers of that energy include your fish and other animals (including coral), algae and bacteria on surfaces and in your live rock and sand bed. And, they're all in competition. 

 

"Each time you feed your tank, you're adding nutrients. Both fish (animal) waste and uneaten food decomposes and, in the process, release nutrients, including phosphates and nitrogen compounds. These two are required for life. Phosphates especially are often in short supply in the natural world and are quickly snapped up. Thus, it's likely that your water will test clean of phosphates and likely low for nitrates given that the algae is consuming it nearly as soon as it's available. In a very real sense, the presence of algae is reporting on the availability of nutrients and cleaning it up for you. 

 

"Bacteria also compete with algae for these nutrients. In fact, the process of decomposition is performed by bacteria so they typically get the first shot at it. Combined, we refer to this bacterial microbiome as your biological filter. If not well developed in sufficient numbers or if excess nutrients are available (e. g., from overfeeding), algae will fill the ecological gap. 

 

"If your tank is relatively new (under a year old), the Algae bloom is not uncommon. Tanks go through a long cycle to find balance. As tanks stabilize, the sudden onset of algae growth often comes as a result of some change in husbandry practices, typically overfeeding. Of course, a combination of factors is always possible. New entrants to the hobby are often guilty of overfeeding.

 

"To manage nutrients, you can reduce them at the source; increase consumption or shift the balance of competitors; or remove them. 

 

"Reducing them typically means reducing feeding. Not always good unless your feeding too much to your fish. 

 

"Shifting the balance of competition could be as simple as dimming the lights. Many corals do quite well with less light than are prone to provide. By lowering the light, you give the bacteria an opportunity to develop in greater numbers and to compete with a larger force. If you recently increased your lighting, the appearance of algae may be a response to the change. 

 

"Removing nutrients is as simple as performing more water changes, vacuuming detritus from your tank and dump, or increasing skimming. But note that skimming, while a means of nutrient export isn't all that efficient at targeting phosphate and nitrate removal. There are chemical methods, too, but I wouldn't recommend them to you at this point in your experience. 

 

"Algae is doing you a favor in cleaning your water of excess nutrients and binding it up in its plant material. If you physically remove the algae (with a toothbrush and a siphon), you're effectively exporting those captured nutrients. 

 

"My recommendation is this: Reduce feeding if you think you're overfeeding. Dial your lights back some. Scrub and siphon off the loose algae. And wait, continuing these measures as needed. Let the Algae do its job and clean your water but don't let it get out of control. Eventually, when your biological filtration catches up, the Algae will starve out and die back to unnoticeable or tolerable levels. "

 

What words of advice (or encouragement) would you add for this aquarist?

 

 

[YHSublime]

I'd also ask what the results of the water test happened to be, and suggest that they get some good test kits as well so they don't have to take their water to the LFS to figure out what is going on. I'd also find out where their saltwater is coming from. And then I'd ask for a little bit more information about the setup. 

 

Cutting back nutrients and water changes is a great one two punch, one that I'm currently using to battle a recent round of algae that's popped up in my newly transferred tank. I'm a huge advocate of continuing to stock up your CUC (clean up crew,) about every six months I do a refresh, I find this is working smart, not hard, as long as nothing is too out of control. 

[Origami]

[ReefdUp]

Of course, everything that was said, but I'm also a huge fan of bacteria-dosing. This can help speed up the cycling process with reducing nutrients. It's hard to overdo (if you're just dosing bacteria), but it can get expensive. This is also easy to build upon once the person grows in the hobby (balancing nitrate, phosphate, bacteria, and carbon - which requires advanced testing and dosing). 

 

I have multiple mature tanks, and I have very distinct tank responses when I manage my nutrients this way. I practically don't even use my skimmers anymore. But, every tank is different. 

 

All that being said, I do hesitate to suggest bacteria dosing as it could be conveyed as a "miracle in a bottle." There are tons of garbage products out there, and I wouldn't want a newbie just believing every bottle without having a good understanding of the mechanisms at play.

[Salty Rambler]

It can be frustrating to see algae impacting corals, but don't give up hope. There is some great advice above. I'd also be curious about the age of the tank, how many fish and clean up crew are present, the water source, and what type of algae it may be.

 

New tanks (and old tanks that have been relocated) are notorious for going through an ugly stage. More fish mean more nutrients, and clean up crew can help keep algae under control. RODI water makes a difference-- when I finally bought an RODI, my algae issues vastly decreased. Lastly, it may be worth doing some research on what type of algae it is-- is it algae or something else? Posting a picture of it or showing a picture of it to Steve may provide some additional insight. 

[howaboutme]

I don't think I can add much more than what has already been said but I will say that one of things that I think is not done well in this hobby, especially for newer hobbyists is setting expectations. What we see (or want to see) are the pictures of nice tanks floating around online with no traces of algae in sight. What is not obvious at the beginning is how much work went into getting that tank in that state. By work, I mean both effort and time. The latter being the key that has been talked about. Before every awesome looking tank picture that same tank has had algae or some other nuisance issue. It's just that no one takes pictures of it unless they are having true problems. The long time hobbyist know there really isn't a problem so you will only see the newer people post those. The long time reefer knows to stay the course and let time solve the problems (not always true of course).

 

I think my point is, it is okay to post those pictures and get suggestions. No one will judge you. WAMAS is a unique club in that it is filled with experience reefers and those people naturally don't post often. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't. I second Tom and hope that we can move beyond just a buy/sell/trade forum. I'm happy to contribute of course!

[Origami]

14 minutes ago, howaboutme said:

I don't think I can add much more than what has already been said but I will say that one of things that I think is not done well in this hobby, especially for newer hobbyists is setting expectations. What we see (or want to see) are the pictures of nice tanks floating around online with no traces of algae in sight. What is not obvious at the beginning is how much work went into getting that tank in that state. By work, I mean both effort and time. The latter being the key that has been talked about. Before every awesome looking tank picture that same tank has had algae or some other nuisance issue. It's just that no one takes pictures of it unless they are having true problems. The long time hobbyist know there really isn't a problem so you will only see the newer people post those. The long time reefer knows to stay the course and let time solve the problems (not always true of course).

 

I think my point is, it is okay to post those pictures and get suggestions. No one will judge you. WAMAS is a unique club in that it is filled with experience reefers and those people naturally don't post often. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't. I second Tom and hope that we can move beyond just a buy/sell/trade forum. I'm happy to contribute of course!

 

Hear, hear! 

 

If there's one thing that this hobby will teach you (provided you survive it), it's patience. Anybody that's been around in the hobby knows the old adage: "Nothing good ever happens fast in a reef tank." That's why it was so difficult for a lot of us to watch the once-popular series, Tanked.

[Mbheat77]

Hi I have read alot of the feedback and want to say thanks. To all thanks Origami for relaying my question. So as u probably guessed I'm the newbie?  that being said I am really struggling with this tank and want to know if there is anyone in Calvert County cheasapeake Beach is where I'm at. That would like to come by and check out my setup and give me some advice. I know time is precious and knowledge is everything so I am willing to pay for the advice. Just as long as it ls not outrageous. So if anybody is near me or knows anyone near me can u have them dm me. Thanks again origami