brown algae (1 Viewer)

[hece]

i have a 150 gal tank, with new diy refuge. tank has been up jan 2015, with refuge (no skimmer)
tank has never been correct, always had some problems. found out refuge was for a 75 gal tank.
removed refuge, built larger refuge (30 gal) installed skimmer. Killed all life in tank except for some snails and hermits, approx 6 in total)
everything has been online for approx 2 months now. added some fish and inverts (snails Nassarius 15, small hermits 10),
fish 1 saddle puffer, 2 clowns, 2 blue with yellow tails damsel, 1 purple pseudo, 2 cardinals, 1 large hair slug(approx 5")
the water is crystal clear, before i left 10 days ago to work offshore. slight brown algae build up on glass.

2 days ago wife tells me the tank is full of brown algae now, you can write your name on the glass.
its everywhere

I have read that tangs are really good for eating it.
Not able to get parrams right now, but I checked before i left and all looked good.
i will be home in a couple of days to check them.
running t5 lights dual 36 inch x 2, one bulb white and 1 blue

any suggestions would be appreciated

 

[TooSalty]

too many fish added at once. the bioload is too much to handle at the moment. It will stabilize, but you will need to do some water changes to help.

 

[webster1234]

Agree with above. Lots of water changes. I would also add some bacteria. I use TLC SmartStart for saltwater. Awesome stuff.

Check every parameter they have a test kit for and report back. That is the first step in diagnosing your problem.

Sounds like you have a diatom bloom or dinoflagellates. Both are signs of a tank that is cycling and not fully matured.

Yes, you probably added too many fish too fast.

Is your sea slug still alive? It could have died and polluted your tank.

Also, chances are the type of algae you have is not the type that tangs eat. My tangs eat micro algae but won't touch anything else.

 

[hece]

thanks for the info, wife says the slug is not moving around like it did before, but when she pokes it it will move
I did not think that would be too many fish for a 150 gal at once, good to know
i did put the 2 damsels in about 1 week before the rest
i will do the procedures on sunday

Thanks for the info

 

[reeftopia]

How many hours are you running your lights, may need to cut back, even leave them off all together for a few days.
and then reset for shorter time period. Don't think your fish are the problem all are small fish but you may be
over feeding.

 

[webster1234]

Good point reeftopia brought up. I had a diatom bloom when I first started my tank and ended up doing a 3 day blackout with no lights and covering the tank (total blackout). If I remember correctly, that fixed it and I didn't lose any fish or corals.

fyi, those sea slugs rarely survive in captivity. A few people have success but most, over 90% starve to death. I really with fish stores wouldn't import them.

 

[reeftopia]

Agree on seaslug needs to be gone as soon as algae is gone he will die and pollute your tank. Maybe even kill all.

 

[hece]

damn,,, the slug is my wife's favorite. we used to open the blinds during the day and rarely use the lights. About a week before i left we changed to no daylight and 8 hours of reef lights. a few days ago i told the wife to go back to the window routine.
We only feed what the fish will eat.
I did forget to mention the small anemone, i forget what it is called but it is red and fish land guy said it multiples fast
one more day I'll be home to get things back on track

 

[nels0nico]

damn,,, the slug is my wife's favorite. we used to open the blinds during the day and rarely use the lights. About a week before i left we changed to no daylight and 8 hours of reef lights. a few days ago i told the wife to go back to the window routine.
We only feed what the fish will eat.
I did forget to mention the small anemone, i forget what it is called but it is red and fish land guy said it multiples fast
one more day I'll be home to get things back on track

I love that LFS, but be careful. Do your own research and make sure you are certain that what you are getting is right for your tank and stage. I have found that a simple Google search before I go in there helps a lot. Live Aquaria has great descriptions of livestock, and this forum itself has tons of resources. If you know what you want, I have found no better place than that LFS. They beat online prices and seem to maintain their livestock very well.

Happy reefing!

 

[hece]

home again
looks like everything is ok, just going through a cycle i guess just a little brown algae not too bad
the refuge had it pretty thick before i left and now it is crystal clear, and it looks as if the dis tank is trying to clear up

 

[hece]

home again
looks like everything is ok, just going through a cycle i guess just a little brown algae not too bad
the refuge had it pretty thick before i left and now it is crystal clear, and it looks as if the dis tank is trying to clear up