High Tide Aquatics

LED lighting

One more thing I should have already mentioned:

humble.fish

Will Your Fish Plan Work? Post Here I'm Here To Help.

Is it possible to add a sixline wrasse to established Lubbocks and Red Head Solon wrasse? Trying to get rid of AEFW. Thanks!
humble.fish humble.fish

This thread is an awesome resource, eatbreakfast has an astounding amount of fish knowledge and usually replies promptly. You could tell him the kind of puffer you have and ask about your chances with types of urchins or other CUC. This thread has helped with a lot of my own stocking decisions.
 
SepToob said:
One more thing I should have already mentioned:

humble.fish

Will Your Fish Plan Work? Post Here I'm Here To Help.

Is it possible to add a sixline wrasse to established Lubbocks and Red Head Solon wrasse? Trying to get rid of AEFW. Thanks!
humble.fish humble.fish

This thread is an awesome resource, eatbreakfast has an astounding amount of fish knowledge and usually replies promptly. You could tell him the kind of puffer you have and ask about your chances with types of urchins or other CUC. This thread has helped with a lot of my own stocking decisions.
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Thank you for that resource. I did relay my puffer to Kenny so the urchins were my only safe choice to add (with the exception of more tangs which brings its own drama and headaches).
 
I’d like to emphasize the recommendations people have made about manual removal- Even though it seems like too much, you have to manually remove as much of the algae as you can before anything else will work.

Herbivores seem to eat short strands better than longer ones. Fluconazole is great to help you get ahead of the issue temporarily, but you need to debulk the amount of algae first or else all the dead algae can crash your tank. I doubt any changes to lights or lighting that corals could survive will make much difference, algae are much better at using whatever light they get.

The method I use to remove most kinds of algae is this: 1/2 inch tubing, siphon between display and sump. In the sump, I have the tubing clipped into a double-bagging of mesh-type filter socks to catch the algae. Then I use the free tubing end in the display to scrape flat surfaces and with my thumb over the end to pull strands and have them sucked down. With this method you can clean for hours since the water recirculates. Just empty and clean the socks as they fill up. You’ll have to repeat the process as it grows back, but eventually you’ll get the upper hand.
 
JVU said:
I’d like to emphasize the recommendations people have made about manual removal- Even though it seems like too much, you have to manually remove as much of the algae as you can before anything else will work.

Herbivores seem to eat short strands better than longer ones. Fluconazole is great to help you get ahead of the issue temporarily, but you need to debulk the amount of algae first or else all the dead algae can crash your tank. I doubt any changes to lights or lighting that corals could survive will make much difference, algae are much better at using whatever light they get.

The method I use to remove most kinds of algae is this: 1/2 inch tubing, siphon between display and sump. In the sump, I have the tubing clipped into a double-bagging of mesh-type filter socks to catch the algae. Then I use the free tubing end in the display to scrape flat surfaces and with my thumb over the end to pull strands and have them sucked down. With this method you can clean for hours since the water recirculates. Just empty and clean the socks as they fill up. You’ll have to repeat the process as it grows back, but eventually you’ll get the upper hand.
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I agree and Kenny stressed that as well. I never thought about using a filter sock or fine net to catch the algae and return the water directly to my sump as I siphon! Given I was vacuuming out gravel I just went straight into the bucket. If water changes need to happen to correct my situation, then I can accomplish that as I remove algae from the gravel. But if it is removal from rocks only...wow...that idea is perfect. Thank you.

Kenny suggested sip tying the long plastic part of a hanger to my siphon tube to provide rigidity and allow me to reach into tight spaces where my hand holding the end of the tube would prevent access. Also, securing a toothbrush to the end to aid in removal as I siphon.

Thank you for this "ah ha" moment with the algae removal.
 
Spicolte said:
I added into my filter sock in my sump. Initially I dripped it slow into the sump to minimize cloudiness, but found the filer socks are well above the 10 microns specified so in the full amount went into the sock and viola, no cloudiness.
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Both that and your salinity could be causing what you are seeing in your mushrooms. Why are you running your salinity that low?
it is too low for corals
 
Spicolte said:
Update:

Visited High Tide Aquatics today and talked with Kenny. Great guy and phenomenal tanks. Thank you for the advice to visit him. He did share how high the phosphate is in his heavily stocked reef tank in the front. But…he has the corals to use up all that fuel…I don’t.
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That doesn't make sense to me - if the phosphate was being used up, it wouldn't be testing high.
I think chasing phosphate to deal with algae is tilting at windmills.
 
Thales said:
That doesn't make sense to me - if the phosphate was being used up, it wouldn't be testing high.
I think chasing phosphate to deal with algae is tilting at windmills.
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Excellent point. I think it could be much higher and is drawn down to what is still outside the norms by the corals.
 
I wanted to update you all on my progress. I performed weekly 20% water changes each Saturday for 5 weeks. Each time I manually scrubbed the rocks with a toothbrush while siphoning. I also siphoned off the top layer of gravel that was covered in green algae. After 5 weeks though, my tank was worse. Algae was now *everywhere*!

After seeing a post on BRS regarding someone with a similar algae request and most responded that it was Cyano... it made me pause. I decided to take a chance and dosed my tank with chemiclean... and 2 days later my tank was clean of all algae. I know I tried to post pictures of my algae here, but I assume this was a hair algae outbreak, or even diatoms, but not cyano!

I followed up per chemiclean instructions and changed water after 48 hours. The tank has been running algae free since.

But, I am back to my original question of lighting and would like your input. I am running 3 AI Sol's over the 180, and wanted to get advice on output.

My elephant ears are all open and look healthy at the light level I am at. My mushrooms are still super small and not opened fully. They improved slightly during all the water changes, but have not improved any since.

My controller only allows me to control white, blue, and royal blue. I have those set as follows: W 20%, B 50%, and RB 30%. Photo period is 9 hours.

I assumed my mushrooms were retreating from too much light, so I backed down over the years to that percentage. I'd like to get some more white in the mix simply because the tank looks so blue and unpleasing to the eye, but don't want to do any damage or risk an imbalance that leads me into algae trouble.

Can you all provide me with some lighting percentage advice for these Sols?
 
I would recommend also get a pair of orange glasses or a clip on orange filter, to put or hold over camera/ phone lense, to take better pictures of your tank issues it's better than a hour of you trying to explain it, While everyone attempting to help you is trying to imagine what you're explaining. Glasses were less than $10 and clip on ɔnes not much more on Amazon.
 
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Fascinating tip. What exactly does the orange lens filter out? All the blue lights?

I agree with the PAR meter, thank you, but I was hoping for the percentages. Thank you to "Coral Reefer" for that percentage.
 
Spicolte said:
1.023 you mean? I thought of the tank as closer to a FOWLR hence that salinity.
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What are you running salinity at now?
Ive pondered why most LFs and some people who run fowler keep fish in lower salinites then nature that animals have evolved in for millions of years?
I always try to keep all my tanks at NSW levels (1.026sg or 35ppt salinity) regardless if fish only or combo . I think most lfs who run lower salinities do so to simply save on salt or since lower salinity water carries more oxygen less need for more aeration pumps/skimmers etc. Skimmers underperform and do not work as well in low salinity hence why their not common in freshwater tanks unless only to be used as an expensive air stone. To be even remotely effective against parasites, you need to be in actual hyposalinity, and then you're looking at levels of 1.009sg/14 ppt salinity or around there from what I’ve read. At times I run 1.025 on smaller tanks I set up temporary that I manually top off to give me a little buffer zone and or if a friends popping over to top of a tank when Im outa town. Anyway sorry for the salinity rant!!
Your not alone on here with misdiagnosing algae/bacteria with high blues on and certainly won’t be the last lol. Chemiclean may just be a bandaid until you figure it out or nature does. It’s an antibiotic which kills bacteria the bad and good stuff. We cant underestimate the benefits of many different types of good bacteria the more the better in our systems. Get some extra power heads on your rocks and sand to help with cyano and keep up with manual removal brushing rocks!
Long hours with any light will increase algae growth unless you have strong cucs and herbivores but thats not a definite. Less food several times a day vs larger feedings have really made a huge difference in my fish mowing algea. Even the other fish besides the tangs that normally never eat algae jumped on the bandwagon.
Best of luck
 
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