What May be the Cause of this Algae??

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$eaba$$

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Sep 25, 2006
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Hey Guys,

I'm just getting a lot of some type of brown algae and some type or brown hair algae, it may all be the same stuff, on my sand and live rock all the time, and every day I just take a turkey baster and squirt the sand bed all over until it's gone. What may be the cause of this? My water parameters, I don't know phosphate, are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, around 5 nitrate, and my pH is about 8.3.
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Thanks a lot for your replies, if I get some hehe.
 

$eaba$$

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Sep 25, 2006
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To help with this problem, would it be possible for me to start changing the water to just distilled water and then *** the salt into that? I would just do weekly water changes and put in distilled water every time. Do you guys think this would help?

Thanks
 
Last edited:

cav

wayne
Dec 11, 2006
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If I remeber rightly you have used tap water to fill your tank, the nitrates/phosphates in that may be the cause. How long has your tank been running again? It maybe your tank is ending its cycle
 

$eaba$$

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Sep 25, 2006
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Yes I did use tap to fill it. It has been running nearly a month. I am thinking it may be the phosphates and that stuff..
 

Reefscape

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Nov 8, 2006
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As your tank has only been running a month, having diatoms is nothing that you should be concerned about, it happens to everyones tank when they start up..For reference purposes though, you really do need to make sure that you have no phosphates or nitrates in the fill up water, and as your using tap water, there is a good possibility that you have.

Get an RO unit and be done with it..You dont have to be conerned about nutrient rich water then..

Niko
 

$eaba$$

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Also, since I ran out of marine salt, can I just use some sea salt for 2 gallons of water to get the salinity up in it? Also I have normal aquarium salt.
 

cav

wayne
Dec 11, 2006
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What sea salt are you talking about? The type used for cooking?
Aquarium salt is completey different as its aimed at fresh water tanks for health benefits
 

$eaba$$

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yes the type for cooking. I just need a wee bit just enough to get like 1.025 or so for 2.5 gallons. Not much, but since I need to put more water in because I am doing a water change.
 

cav

wayne
Dec 11, 2006
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NO. dont use cooking salt as its processed and will contaminate your water. It contains iodine and anti caking agents
 
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