How to deal with problem algae in the reef tank

You should not have a problem with algae if you have followed these recommendations:

• Purify your tap water with a triple carbon prefilter and reverse osmosis or deionizer system;
• Use Kalkwasser regularly to keep the pH between 8.2 and 8.4;
• Do water changes every 2 to 3 weeks;
• With water changes, vacuum off as much as possible of the debris in the rock crevices;
• Change your prefilter pad every week;
• Have the lighting on for no more than 9 hours a day, using the wattage recommended
• Do not use unnecessary additives
• Employ herbivorous livestock (turbo snails, small hermit crabs, hard star fish, and algae-eating fish such as yellow tangs, blennies, angels, etc.).

By following the recommendations here, you should be able to manage the micro-algae in your tank. These procedures will ensure that your reef will not be overtaken by green, brown, or red algae that would cover desirable livestock and organisms (such as the hard pink coralline algae) that depend on water flow and light.

I cannot overemphasize the importance of following all the previous recommendations, as they will ensure that the undesirable algae do not have the conditions they need to survive, and undesirable algae are the scourge of reef keeping. Follow the suggested procedures, and the algae should be manageable!

Micro-algae will grow!

The growth of micro-algae is a natural occurrence and will happen in most healthy tanks. It is only when the algae become unmanageable that we have a problem. Managing the growth of micro-algae means (1) limiting the conditions they need to thrive, (2) having livestock that will eat most of the algae, and (3) removing the remainder by hand with magnets, blade scrapers, and brushes.

In my tanks, brown and some green algae form on the glass on a regular basis. They do not thrive for long in other areas; they are only a problem on the glass and overflow pipes.

The glass is easily cleaned with an algae glass-cleaning magnet. When buying such a magnet, purchase the largest one you can find. Usually the larger the size, the stronger the magnet and the better the cleaning capabilities (pull) it will have. The magnet does a nice job for weekly or twice-weekly cleaning. Little bright green patches will eventually form. These should be scraped off with a razor blade. You should only have to “blade” the glass about once a month at the most.

WHY REEF STORES DO NOT HAVE AN ALGAE PROBLEM

Keep in mind that algae will grow and will have to be removed by hand on a regular basis. Do not be deceived when you go into your favorite reef store and observe that their tanks have no visible algae. You may think, “My tank has algae, why doesn’t his?” The fact is that every morning someone cleans the glass and maintains the tanks so they will look absolutely pristine. This gives the impression that the people in the store know something about water quality that you don’t. In fact, all they are doing is daily maintenance, in addition to the procedures listed above.

Then of course, the remaining algae will be removed by hand, particularly from the glass and overflow pipes. By using a strong magnet or a razor blade for the glass, and a bottle brush for the overflow, it is not a problem to remove undesirable algae.

It is important to remember that we want to remove the algae, not just dislodge it. When using the magnet, after a few swipes you will feel the scrubber part of the magnet cleaner getting full of algae. Take this to the sink and rinse it off. Resume cleaning and repeat the rinsing process as often as needed. Rinse the scrubber when you are done. When using the bottle brush, swirl it to trap the algae in the bristles, and rinse it out in the sink.

A strong algae magnet and bottle brush are useful tools. Some algae, of course, will get away from you. This cannot be avoided. Remove as much as you can, within reason. Algae that are dislodged and left in the tank will either reattach elsewhere, decompose into food for other algae, or get trapped in the prefilter.

Summary of algae management:

If you follow the suggestions I have given, it can be done easily. Algae accumulation can be a serious threat to the enclosed reef system. Left unmanaged, it can become a problem that would test anyone’s patience and sanity; it is not something you want to battle with! However, if you select your livestock carefully and follow the other recommendations I have discussed, the naturally-occurring algae in your tank will be a good food source for the livestock, and what they don’t eat can be managed with regular maintenance.

Simplified Reefkeeping

Why does the water surface of a reef aquarium need to be skimmed?

In most older reef aquariums water was drawn out of the tank either from the bottom or from approximately halfway up the tank. All advanced reef keepers agree that this is incorrect. The fact is that nitrogen gas, along with other elements, rises to the surface of the water. This can be observed by the existence of a “scum line” at the water level of the tank. It is at this surface waterline that you must draw the water to feed the skimmer. This ensures proper gas exchange between oxygen from the atmosphere and the nutrient-rich water that rises to the surface.

This concept of surface skimming will employ either overflow pipes or a dam-type wall over which surface water flows out of the tank. For filling the tank by using the main pump, my personal preference is to have a spraybar at the bottom rear of the tank. I believe this results in a truer water flow and exchange throughout the tank.

In order to have a true modern reef tank, surface skimming of the water is essential; all water flow out of the tank must be from the surface. This water then enters the protein skimmer, where the bulk waste products get removed. Then the water passes through the prefilter.

Simplified Reefkeeping

What is the benefit of having a sump box for a reef tank?

A sump box is the best way I can:

• Supply the skimmers with a consistent volume of water,
• Incorporate a prefilter,
• Have a “working amount of water” (the amount it takes to “work” the tank, pumping water into the tank to a desired level, so that water will flow out, and
• Have the needed buffer, in case the electricity goes out and the tank drains down to the lowest point of the overflow(s).

DESIGN AND FUNCTION OF THE SUMP BOX

It is desirable to have two separate areas in the sump. They are separated with a piece of Plexiglas that is high enough to keep the water separated while the sump is in operation, but not totally separate, so the sump can fill up completely in case of a power outage. We will refer to one side as “dirty” (water from the tank), and the other as “clean” (water from the skimmer and the prefilter).

You need an area where the water can be controlled and directed.

 This is done with a sump box. One side is water coming from the tank, going to the skimmer. The other side is water coming from the skimmer through the prefilter, going to the main pump and back into the tank. Gravity drains water from the tank, into one side of the sump. The skimmer pump (on this “dirty” side) pumps this water into the skimmer. The water then drains by gravity into the prefilter (“clean”) side of the sump box, collects there, and gets pumped back into the tank by the main pump.

Simplified Reefkeeping