Borwn Alge?

[[KRAFTIG]]

Excuse my ignorance, but I'm getting both sides of the equation when reading online. Do you need to reduce lighting or increase lighting to fight Brown Alge?

Seems I'm fighting the Brown lately... Prior to WC change phosphates were 0.02. Other numbers seem consistent in FOWLR DT. Going to test for silicates in DT and RO/DI water.

What are the best practices to win the battle? TIA!

 

[Copperkills]

Wait it out. If it’s silicates it will clear up once they have been exhausted. I find I get Cyano from Silicates. If it’s silicates in your source water then you’re continuing to feed the problem with water changes. I experience brown film algae/diatoms briefly when I increase the intensity of my lights, it’s a temp algae bloom in response to the change in intensity and disappears once the system adjusts.

 

[[KRAFTIG]]

No, this has been an ongoing problem, seems to have moved up the worse meter rather than get better. Ordered the Silicates testing kit yesterday. I will test both DT and source water. I don't believe it to be the fresh water as I have a 5 stage system and water results indicate 0 TDS in the water.

Anyone, is IO Reef Crystals considered a poor carrier of Silicates?

 

[Tim A]

How old is the tank?

 

[[KRAFTIG]]

8-9 months, thanks.

 

[kapelan]

Excuse my ignorance, but I'm getting both sides of the equation when reading online. Do you need to reduce lighting or increase lighting to fight Brown Alge?

Seems I'm fighting the Brown lately... Prior to WC change phosphates were 0.02. Other numbers seem consistent in FOWLR DT. Going to test for silicates in DT and RO/DI water.

What are the best practices to win the battle? TIA!

All kind of algae need light to survive. They cannot eat food like corals. So the simple way - turn of light and in 1 week we will have crystal clear environment.
But in this way half of corals will say good by as well.
Also photosynthesis require constant 4 hours light for full cycle. So we can find recommendation to split a day for short periods. I've done this experiment - it does not work.
Reducing the day light does work but corals also need light, so we have to increase the power to provide enough energy. For this reason we have to have as much powerful fixture as possible.
Experimenting, I've found 5h of day is a good balance. But it's my light, you have to do your homework for your light to find the best result.

 

[[KRAFTIG]]

Hi, no corals here. Experimenting with the no light this week. Ramping up WC and going to run Silicate test ASAP. TIA

 

[kapelan]

Light from the room or window is also source of energy. covering tank with blanket will also help against room light.
You will be surprise how clean water can be.

 

[[KRAFTIG]]

Well, there are no traces of Silicates in the water. Blackout is definitely reducing the alge, so what is the trick to managing it or keeping to zero?

 

[Kjmsmith]

Not trying to hijack the thread, just curious to know what silicate test you ordered to use? I understand this is one of the most difficult things to test for in a home kit and best done through a lab. I’ve never tested my RO before but have always been curious with reoccuring diatom outbreaks.

 

[[KRAFTIG]]

Salifert Silicate Test Kit

 

[Kjmsmith]

Thx, I use Salifert kits for all my other testing but have read they can be tricky to read results for silicates. Good luck with the solving the algae issue....

 

[EricTMah]

What's your lighting schedule?

S8

 

[[KRAFTIG]]

As of right now nada, seems to be working to eliemate the issue at hand. Prior, using a Kesel AP700 it was 4-5 hours 5-10pm set blue/white ramp up to 4%. Note I don't have corals.

 

[EricTMah]

As of right now nada, seems to be working to eliemate the issue at hand. Prior, using a Kesel AP700 it was 4-5 hours 5-10pm set blue/white ramp up to 4%. Note I don't have corals.

Does your tank get any natural light from a window at all?

How long does it take after a cleaning for the algae to return?



S8

 

[[KRAFTIG]]

I minimize the natural light as best as possible. A couple of weeks, though the dry rock remains untouched in the process.

Side note, I read that my lack of light could contribute, how is this is so?

 

[kapelan]

no light = no live.
Let's imagine a closed barrel and put in it some kind of of algae, fish, plant, shrimp and coral.
Who will dye first?
Most chances to survive have a fish - it will eat algae, shrimp and finally plant.
Algae will dye immediately because no light.
Shrimp will survive until algae exist.
Fish most likely will survive a couple of weeks after eating everything.
Lets change the condition and provide a food for fish as much as it can eat.
Fish will dye in a couple of weeks from poisoned water.
The point is in a balance:
- fish produce ammonia
- ammonia supposed to be transformed to nitrate
- nitrate supposed to be utilized by plant
- plant will use light and nitrate and grow up
So, for successful system we have to have everything: light, fish, food and algae.
If one component dominates that means we have more food for this creature (algae in your case).
The easiest way - remove this food.
It can be done reducing food or controlling light or water change.

 

[EricTMah]

I minimize the natural light as best as possible. A couple of weeks, though the dry rock remains untouched in the process.

Side note, I read that my lack of light could contribute, how is this is so?

A couple of weeks is a good amount of time for algae to return. I'd say that's absolutely normal. Where you have light and nutrients. You'll always grow algae.

I don't know what your expectations are for the time frame that the algae returns. But 2 weeks is better than average

S8

 

[[KRAFTIG]]

no light = no live.
Let's imagine a closed barrel and put in it some kind of of algae, fish, plant, shrimp and coral.
Who will dye first?
Most chances to survive have a fish - it will eat algae, shrimp and finally plant.
Algae will dye immediately because no light.
Shrimp will survive until algae exist.
Fish most likely will survive a couple of weeks after eating everything.
Lets change the condition and provide a food for fish as much as it can eat.
Fish will dye in a couple of weeks from poisoned water.
The point is in a balance:
- fish produce ammonia
- ammonia supposed to be transformed to nitrate
- nitrate supposed to be utilized by plant
- plant will use light and nitrate and grow up
So, for successful system we have to have everything: light, fish, food and algae.
If one component dominates that means we have more food for this creature (algae in your case).
The easiest way - remove this food.
It can be done reducing food or controlling light or water change.

Yes, a very simplistic explanation but it makes sense. I think I need to manage my nitrients more effectively...