You can get livestock to control the symptom but that's not curing the problem. You probably have and excessive nutrient issue. In short.....dirty water. Or your parameters are off. There are so many variables that are to be considered that you could spend days talking about it. But it comes down to proper water perameters. Do you have a skimmer? How often do you do water changes and how much? What are your water perameters? How often do you feed? Are you using RODI WATER? What do you feed? The algae wouldn't grow in the tank if there weren't Excessive nutrients for it to feed on. I would start with good water changes. And try a process of ruling things out. Plus I find that tanks just go through cycles now and again. It can be frustrating. But if it were easy everyone would have one. Good luck!
Saltwater tank question?
- Thread starter chamguy
- Start date
Emerald Crabs will eat green algae but are also known to be somewhat iffy if you have corals. I don't see them touch the corals though ever. Get some peppermint shrimp and will take care of the pest aptasia.
Green algae isn't necessarily bad anyways I don't think always. Natural sunlight will produce it if close to window.
Green algae isn't necessarily bad anyways I don't think always. Natural sunlight will produce it if close to window.
del33
Member
Pretty late with my opinion but,,,
--A good efficient skimmer is great at removing proteinaceous waste from the water before it gets broken down which adds nitrates. Live rock does provide some nitrate removal but it's better to prevent them from even adding up. Try and find one that uses a pinwheel design (Deltec is my favorite but stupid expensive). If you already have one, a cheap alternative to introduce more air in a skimmer design is to add a wooden air stone. More tiny bubbles provide more surface area to make contact with the water and longer air to water contact = more efficient skimming. The darker, slimier and stinkier the skimmate, the better. Pay attention to your skimmer though because doing something as simple as feeding your fish can make it go crazy!!
--Refugiums are great in removing nutrients and provide a safe haven for beneficial microorganisms to flourish in your tank. You can run your refugium lights opposite of your main display which will stabilize PH during lights out. If your main goal is to use the refugium as a nutrient exporter, then you can run your lights 24hrs.
--While a good cleanup crew is works, you shouldn't just rely on them for algae control. They also excrete more waste. Even though it's very minimal, it will still need to be broken down. It's better to prevent the cause of nuisance algae than to control it (band aid fix). 20 gallons is a very small volume of water and can be tricky to control water quality.
--Use R.O. water!! Anything else is like using fertilizer water
--Nitrate and Phosphate pillows work very well but you shouldn't rely on them exclusively either. Focus on the cause and rectify.
Sorry if I've repeated other people's advice. I didn't really read through the whole thread.
--A good efficient skimmer is great at removing proteinaceous waste from the water before it gets broken down which adds nitrates. Live rock does provide some nitrate removal but it's better to prevent them from even adding up. Try and find one that uses a pinwheel design (Deltec is my favorite but stupid expensive). If you already have one, a cheap alternative to introduce more air in a skimmer design is to add a wooden air stone. More tiny bubbles provide more surface area to make contact with the water and longer air to water contact = more efficient skimming. The darker, slimier and stinkier the skimmate, the better. Pay attention to your skimmer though because doing something as simple as feeding your fish can make it go crazy!!
--Refugiums are great in removing nutrients and provide a safe haven for beneficial microorganisms to flourish in your tank. You can run your refugium lights opposite of your main display which will stabilize PH during lights out. If your main goal is to use the refugium as a nutrient exporter, then you can run your lights 24hrs.
--While a good cleanup crew is works, you shouldn't just rely on them for algae control. They also excrete more waste. Even though it's very minimal, it will still need to be broken down. It's better to prevent the cause of nuisance algae than to control it (band aid fix). 20 gallons is a very small volume of water and can be tricky to control water quality.
--Use R.O. water!! Anything else is like using fertilizer water
--Nitrate and Phosphate pillows work very well but you shouldn't rely on them exclusively either. Focus on the cause and rectify.
Sorry if I've repeated other people's advice. I didn't really read through the whole thread.
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