black hair algae

B

bboop

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Mar 24, 2004
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Woodridge, Illinois
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This is my first marine tank and its been set up since Jan. 04
I have black hair like algae growing along the bottom of the tank and blue green algae is also forming. I am not sure what this means and if its safe for my fish. I have had trouble keeping the few fish I have tried (clown, damsels, yellow tang) alive. Could this be a reason they are dying? When I do my water changes it goes away for about 2 to 3 days then comes back.
I'll appreciate any advice.
Thanks
 
Water parameters? Algaes themselves are seldom toxic to fish, but they can indicate other problems that kill fish.
 
water parameters

SG- 1.021
Nitrate- 20 ppm
Nitrite- 0
pH- 7.8
Ammonia- .25 ppm
temp- 76-77 degrees

using Jungle test strips

This has been consistent since I started the aqaurium (aside from the initial cycle).
 
pH is a bit low, and while this seldom kills a fish, if the fish is not acclimated it can. How do you introduce the fish to your tank?

The presence of ammonia is troubling--what kind of water do you use? Any treatment for chlorine/chloramines?
 
A few more questions about the setup. I know this is annoying, but it really is helpful.
How big is the tank?
What kind of filtration/skimming are you running?
Any live rock or live sand?

Nothing looks that bad to me, but there must be something going on.
 
Here are some of the answers to your questions:
I put the bag in the tank for 15 to 20 minutes, with the light off and then take the net and scoop the fish out of the bag and put them into our tank. Throwing out the bag water.

The aquarium is a 55 gal.
I have a Emperior bio wheel filter
and a Red Sea protien skimmer
No live rock or sand. I have crushed coral.
I had bought the whole set up from Petco.
The whole process was going smooth, we went through the initial cycle all levels were good. We had a problem with salt a while ago. (I got too confident and didn't check salt levels every day....) It got pretty high and we did a water change. Lately it seems like the salt level is more on the lower side. I was keeping it at .025 before then it spiked at .028!!! After the last water change it didn't want to go past .019 for a long time. (I use instant ocean brand). Now its at about .021
I have a chocolate chip star fish that has lived through the salt mess and 3 orange crabs and a green chromis that are left.

Thanks for trying to help. :)
 
The way the tank is set up, you will be working against a nutrient overload. With a crushed coral substrate and no live rock (which helps reduce nitrate), nitrate will become a problem if you're not careful. Nitrate and phosphate have no place to go except through water changes, so there will be lots of food for nuisance algae.

I don't mean to be so gloomy, but it's going to take some work to keep things healthy. It will be interesting to hear what others will say, but I think you're going to have to do regular water changes on a pretty strict schedule, and vacuum your crushed coral with each water change. The CC catches uneaten food and waste, and you have to get that out before in turns into food for the algae. Vacuuming won't affect beneficial bacteria, they are stuck tightly to the gravel.

Reducing the light will also help. Cutting the number of hours your lights are on will give the algae less light to work with.

In the long run, your life will be easier if you change some aspects of the setup. Like going from crushed coral to a deep sand bed, and adding live rock. What I think would help a lot is a book I consider to be the best guide for how to set up and run a tank, Bob Fenner's Conscientious Marine Aquarist. Very clear and thorough.
 
I agree with the above.

I would also encourage you to change your acclimation process. The fish needs to be introduced gradually to your water parameters. This is easily done by adding a cup of your tank water to the bag until you've doubled the volume. Remove half of this water, and repeat 2 more times--then move the fish into the tank. I'd suspect that the shock of going straight into your water, which may have been very different from what the fish was in at the store, contributed to the fish deaths.

I'd also encourage you to get practiced at keeping the tank stable at a specific gravity before adding more fish. You need to top off with fresh water to prevent the sg swings--in my 180 setup, I add about 4 gallons of water every day to prevent swings.
 
thanks

Thanks for your help. I had been going off a book (Saltwater aquariums for dummies) and I thought I had read that the live rock was an optional thing....
Anyway I went to my pet store and got some live rock that was already cured. We got into a discussion and also figured out that I have too much subtrate on the bottom. BIG problem, I have over 5 inches in the back left corner so I have to remove a lot and get more live rock.
Thanks for your help again.
 
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