algea and active carbon??

[lostris]

Hi,
My BF has a 110 gal tank. In it he has a lion fish, 2 tubeworms,an anemone, and an apple. For filtration he has, a wet-dry filter, with foam, bio-balls and ceramics, another filter filled with Phosex and a protein skimmer. No2 is 0-0.3mg and ph is 8. He has crushed coral as gravel and rock for decor. The problems are:

1) he has a velvety green algea that is covering everything. he doesn't want to add chemicals, so what type of cleaning crew could he get, something that the lion won't eat.

2) The water is yellowish, its not dirty but its not clear either. Now he read that adding active carbon in the filtration should b good, what do u think?

I have pictures of the tank, but I can't understand how i can attach them.

Thanks.

 

[mogurnda]

1. I don't know what a lion won't eat, so I'll leave that one for someone with a clue.
2. Carbon will get rid of the yellow. Put a bag of good-quality (no phosphates!) carbon in one of the filters.

Do you mean NO2 (nitrite) or NO3 (nitrate)? Any NO2 above 0 is very bad, whereas NO3 at 0.3 is pretty darn good. How long has the tank been running?

By "apple" do you mean a sea apple. Does your BF know the risks inherent in keeping those guys?

 

[lostris]

Yes it is a sea apple, quiet beautifull I must say, he never mentioned hazards from it, most probably he doesn't know, why whats wrong with them?
And what did u mean by cardon, (no phospahates)? should he take out the phosex, which he added bec of the algea and put the carbon instead?
The tank has been running approx 6 months.the no2 test,the lowest grade on the chart is <0.3 mg, cause even mine is like it.

 

[mogurnda]

Yes it is a sea apple, quiet beautifull I must say, he never mentioned hazards from it, most probably he doesn't know, why whats wrong with them?

They are gorgeous. Problem is that they are difficult to keep, because they need a lot of suspended food, and they are very toxic. If it dies in the tank, the toxins released will kill everything. Basically a ticking time bomb.

And what did u mean by cardon, (no phospahates)? should he take out the phosex, which he added bec of the algea and put the carbon instead?

My point was that some carbons will leach phosphate into the tank, so you want to get a brand that doesn't. Good quality marine carbon will say on the container. If there's room, he can leave the phosex.

Do you know what the nitrate (NO3) level is? With a trickle filter, crushed coral and no live rock, I expect that it will be rather high. That is probably a huge part of the problem.

In the end, live rock plus a sandbed made of something finer than crushed coral will help reduce the nitrate, and ultimately help with the algae problem. Herbivores, such as hermit crabs and snails will help, if you can find something the lion won't eat.

If he hasn't already got it, The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Bob Fenner would be a great gift. It covers a lot of this, and much much more.

 

[lostris]

Thanks for the info.Didn't have a clue about the apple, I guess they didn't tell him that when he bought it, its quiet ironic how nature is, an amazing thing like the sea apple, being toxic.