[jimwil22]

i just got some plants , chaeto and calelupa (sp?)
and with a 4 month old nano (20 gal) , algae
is just starting , so i'm taking it as a healthy
sign. am i terribly misguided ? this forum
thanks in advance , jim

[e_baer]

what kind of algae is it thats growing? Depending on the plant, with that much growth, it means that there is an abundance of nutrients, meaning your water levels are not ideal.

[jimwil22]

thanks for your reply, the algae
is red and green(like the show)
i can check my parameters again. jim

[ksreefbuilder]

yes, please post your parameters so we can help further.

[demonsquirt]

Where is this macro algea or cheato placed? In a refug or in the main tank?

[jimwil22]

the plants are in the tank, all parameters
good except KH is 15 after a partial water
change, don't have iodine test yet , plan on
getting one and strontium test too, the algae
stopped growing after i put the lights on a timer
and cut the cycle to 13 hours, just got a
magnesium tester from sailfert , thanks jim

[teriyakithunder]

when parameters are good you mean nitrates=0, phosphates=0 etc...?

[jimwil22]

ammonia,nitrate, phosphate 0 , using IO salt
so i may have to add calcium and magnesium

[demonsquirt]

Mag , Stro , are not needed tests. I would never worry about iodine. You have no understanding of the basics.

Whats your water source?
Tanks age?
Whats used for war flow?

[jimwil22]

what basics do i not understand ?

[jimwil22]

use DI water, pump head for
flow, young tank 4+ months,
20 gal nano, instant ocean salt, 65 watts PC, mushroom
coral , LR, LS.

[lionfawn]

Originally Posted by demonsquirt

Mag , Stro , are not needed tests. I would never worry about iodine. You have no understanding of the basics.

Whats your water source?
Tanks age?
Whats used for war flow?

Why is it your posts continually sound condescending?

[e_baer]

Originally Posted by demonsquirt

Mag , Stro , are not needed tests. I would never worry about iodine.

Actually all of these are very important. Iodine is expecially needed when you have inverts and a lot of soft corals.

[jimwil22]

getting back to the original
question -- is algae really
bad ? anyway algae is
not bad if it is under control
to some extent ? i remember
going fishing in a lagoon
where the fishing was great
(fresh water) ,later blue-green algae took over and killed the
fish, this was the 60s and maybe the DNR wasn't as proactive? anyway after putting
the light on a timer with shorter
cycle the algae is not bad now,
but i do agree i need to focus
more on basics of this art, instead of making it overly "science" thanks, jim

[e_baer]

Algae in general is not good because it shows that your water parameters are not 100%. If you want to get rid of it, use RO/DI water and use a skimmer and kp your lights on a proper cycle.

[ksreefbuilder]

Something to always remember is, algae loves bad water, over feeding, & too much light just to name a few. So if you tank has been up and running a while I would see the algae as a sign of something is wrong.

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by e_baer

Actually all of these are very important. Iodine is expecially needed when you have inverts and a lot of soft corals.

Where does everyone get this info? I hear shrimp use a little iodine when they molt and I read Xenia do best with a little Iodine. But, we are talking parts per million and sparingly at that. Will some one please tell me what other inverts and soft corals need to have Iodine dosed other than what is included in our synthetic salt that we buy and why. I dont want to hear they just "use it up".

I have been to hear 2 lectures from 2 different biologists where in the course of their talk the comment was made do not use Iodine it eventually causes only one thing. Algae.

Ive also been told there are 2 kinds of Iodine. One kind you will never get to read right with a test kit. I was also told if you are gonna use Iodine to only use lugols. Sorry I dont have any technical info and Im really quite dumb on the subject as I never felt it was important since I dont dose it.

I have also heard Iodine is pulled out by skimming but that doesnt make sense. Skimmer pulls DOCs. Does it some how get the iodine with this?

[jimwil22]

thanks for the info , the reef
supplements for trace minerals
contains iodine, maybe this is
all you need in small amounts?
jim

[jimwil22]

update of thread --- have some
outbreaks of bad algae , turning
the lights off for one day knocked it back to nothing --
wonder if a blenny would
help , lawnmower blenny ?
would PC lighting be better
if it is more watts than T5 with
less watts ?

[jimwil22]

is it really bad ?

[jimwil22]

i had to redo my two nano
tanks, the coraline ,caulepea,
and a few others had just
gotten too bad , did 80%
water changes and started over
with one tank (new sand + base
rock) <3