Algae control? Water Parameters & Detailled info included!

[jsgates]

Ok, here we go. Algae is making a huge mess of my new 80 ga. Reef tank. I need to get things cleaned up, and after doing some water tests, I think it is time to pickup my next test kits. I'm now thinking that my Phosphates are high. Here are my current water parameters:

PH: 8.3
ALK: 5
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 1
Free Ammonia: 0
Total Ammonia: 0
Specific Gravity: 1.26

Tank is about 2 months old roughly, and has been through it's cycle. 80 ga. Marineland tank. 100 lbs. of Fiji live rock & 100 lbs of Sugar sized sand. Skimmer is a hang-on-back AquaC Remora Pro w/ Magdrive 3 Pump. Two Hydor Koralia 3 Powerheads Lighting is 4 T5 VHO bulbs. Lights comes on at 9:00 am and go off at 9:00 pm. When lights are off, moonlights are on.

Tank inhabitants:

8 scarlet reef hermits
10 blue leg dwarf hermits
10 zebra dwarf hermits
1 Red-footed Conch
3 Nassarius snails
3 Margarita Snails
6 Cerinth Snails
2 Sally lightfoot crabs
1 Emerald Crab
3 Trochus Snails
4 Peppermint Shrimp

All the critters are doing well with the exception of a Sally Lightfoot crab that died the day after arrival, and a smaller scarlet reef hermit that was killed by a larger one.

I also have a Starburst Polyp & some mushrooms that are doing well after about 1.5 weeks in the tank.

I recently got hit with all kinds of algae, green hair algae, a little bit of Cyano, and buble algae everywhere. My white sand is also really nasty right now. All my levels appear to be good, and I have used RO/DI water with Instant Ocean from the beginning. Did my first 20% water change this past Saturday, and the tank was pretty nasty with algae then. Removed & cleaned the powerheads, and the Remora skimmer & Magdrive 3 pump, and used my Mag-float to clean up all the glass. Today, the rest of the tank is pretty clean, but green algae was all over the glass........so I hit it with the Mag-Float again. Looks 100 times better. After doing my water tests, I'm thinking that Phosphates may be the cause of the problem. Here are some pics of the tank as it is now:














What steps do I need to take to lower my phosphate levels? I don't mind cutting the lighting cycle back while I get things under control, but fact of the matter is, when the tanks lights are off, you don't get to see much! Don't want to do this long term I'm using all Seachem test kits, and I currently have the the Reef Basic Multi Test Kit. Looks like I'll be picking up a Phosphate test kit next........what else should be my next test kit? I'm looking to add a few more corals when I get things cleaned up a bit. Any help is extremely appreciated.

[rlcline76]

Water changes for starters and quite a few of them. Start thinking about a biweekly regimen for a little while. Check that RO water, might be a good time to get a cheap TDS and make sure the water is filtered the way you need it. Have you ever used tap water?

[dhboyd1]

If you are using RO/DI I am not sure why you are concerned about Phosphates but you can put a phosphate sock in your sump or filter. They are pretty cheap and last around 6 weeks. It wouldn't hurt to cut back on the lights for awhile. If you don't have one yet, a strong flashlight near the tank is a must as most of the interesting stuff goes on in the dark anyway. And do what she said.

[jimw369]

I think your set up looks nice in the pics. I like the LR.

Cyano AKA "Red Slime". You seem to already have done some homework to know what you are dealing with so I would suggest some more reading about people just like you (and me) that have to deal with this red slime. There is a wealth of information on the subject at this site.

Read read read!!!

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