Red Sand Algae AI Prime lighting or maybe water?

[Gakarl100]

This red algae on my sand looks horrid. Think my lights are to strong or for too long? I’m using the signature saxby on my AI prime.  I wonder if it’s my water?  Been using distilled water. Perhaps a rodi unit should be my next investment.  My tanks been up and running about 13 weeks now. Been trying to take it slow and get everything in place before adding any corals. Been doing 20% water changes weekly and keeping nitrates under 10 usually 5 or less. I’ve been on a acclimation mode with my lights with about 8 days remaining. 

[Hasted]

 

Does this look like the same stuff on my rocks (and a little on sand)? 

 

Also using AI with Saxby. I was told to turn off all Red and Green lights. I then toned then down aot (two fingers drag down) to reduce the intensity a lot. This is where I am at:

 

 

 

 

 

The main reason I am responding is to say that I am using RODI water and still getting this. While I think a system will be a great investment for you, it may not solve this issue. 

 

Let me know your progress through this as I am also interested!

[Humblefish]

Looks like cyanobacteria. Probably just part of "the uglies" that most new tanks go through until they mature/stabilize. Poor lighting, high nutrients, low flow and using anything other than 0 TDS RODI can contribute to cyano growth.

[jservedio]

In a new tank, there really isn't anything to use up all of the complex organics and simple nutrients other than algae. Just part of having a healthy, new tank. Eventually things like sponges, tunicates, coralline algae, worms, etc (and your coral!). Will start to out-compete those nasty algaes and they will subside as your tank matures.

 

Keep your nutrients in check without stripping them and let your tank do it's thing. You can increase mechanical filtration to prevent some of those organics from breaking down, but more water changes do the same thing.

[Gakarl100]

All good stuff appreciate the feedback!  When you say mechanical filtration would you recommend I use a skimmer?   I did a 33% water change tonight.  I have been sticking with weekly 20% trying to avoid a skimmer to soon as I was worried about stripping in these early stages.  Probably will invest in RODI filter next, as getting distilled water right now is a PIA since the groceries only let you by 2 gallon as a time and have cleaner water with a rodi is only gonna help.  Anyone have a suggestion for a reasonably priced RODI?

[burtbollinger]

I’d chalk up to new tank....if it’s cyano then I prefer to dose Chemiclean.  I do that one in a new tank and usually never comes back.

Just now, burtbollinger said:

I’d chalk up to new tank....if it’s cyano then I prefer to dose Chemiclean.  I do that one in a new tank and usually never comes back.

BRS 75 GPD with TDS meter for RO/DI

[Gakarl100]

1 hour ago, burtbollinger said:

I’d chalk up to new tank....if it’s cyano then I prefer to dose Chemiclean.  I do that one in a new tank and usually never comes back.

BRS 75 GPD with TDS meter for RO/DI

4 or 5 stage?

[Clown79]

Distilled water is pure water. There is nothing in it but water. Equivalent to rodi.

Many use distilled. 

The benefit of rodi is convenience of making it whenever you want.

 

As for 4 or 5 stage, its dependent on your water quality. 

I use spectrapure 90gpd 4 stage with an added cartridge making it 5 stage to run chloramine carbon.

 

Your tank is fairly new and will go through various stages of algae.

 

Vacuuming the sandbed during water changes will help, getting a decent amount of flow is another thing with cyano. When there is lack of flow, it's a favourable condition for cyano to grow. 

 

Saxby setting are pretty high, especially on white. His settings are used on a far larger tank.

 

Try dropping the white, white, red aids in algae.

[burtbollinger]

24 minutes ago, Gakarl100 said:

4 or 5 stage?

I use and like the 4 stage 

[FISHnChix]

Doesn't look red to me or like cyano.. looks like the normal diatoms and its a new tank.. I bet in about a month this stuff is done once the silicates get taken up 🤷‍♂️... 

[Humblefish]

11 minutes ago, FISHnChix said:

Doesn't look red to me or like cyano.. looks like the normal diatoms and its a new tank.. I bet in about a month this stuff is done once the silicates get taken up 🤷‍♂️... 

Possible, but if it's diatoms it should also be covering the rocks.

[FISHnChix]

13 minutes ago, Humblefish said:

Possible, but if it's diatoms it should also be covering the rocks.

Not to urgue with the guru 😊 but I still think it looks more like diatoms.   My current tank had them only on the sand bed.... or maybe its bc he has a few snails in there. I feel snails plow through diatoms on the rock work but don't really mess with it on the sand🤷‍♂️.. either way with the right flow and w.c.'s this ugly phase will pass...

 

 

[Clown79]

34 minutes ago, FISHnChix said:

Not to urgue with the guru 😊 but I still think it looks more like diatoms.   My current tank had them only on the sand bed.... or maybe its bc he has a few snails in there. I feel snails plow through diatoms on the rock work but don't really mess with it on the sand🤷‍♂️.. either way with the right flow and w.c.'s this ugly phase will pass...

 

 

I didn't have diatoms on my rocks in my 25g, a little bit in my 20g. 

 

Mostly mine was on the sandbed.

[Humblefish]

10 hours ago, FISHnChix said:

Not to urgue with the guru 😊 but I still think it looks more like diatoms.   My current tank had them only on the sand bed.... or maybe its bc he has a few snails in there. I feel snails plow through diatoms on the rock work but don't really mess with it on the sand🤷‍♂️.. either way with the right flow and w.c.'s this ugly phase will pass...

 

 

Hey, I'm wrong all the time. Just ask my wife! 🙃

[Gakarl100]

19 hours ago, Humblefish said:

Possible, but if it's diatoms it should also be covering the rocks.

It’s on the rock as well. Just easier seeing o the white sand. 

[Gakarl100]

So I was talking the other day to the my local fish store guy about my red slime, was about to buy the chemiclean that was suggested.  The LFS guy said bring in your water let me test it before you get the chemiclean.  I love my LFS, but there is this one guy who works there can come off kinda arrogant, but he is knowledgeable.  He always seems to be the guy I get when I have a question.  So drop my ego and I brought in my water in for him to check and he tested my salt was 1.022 and also said my Alk was way to low, wish I would have wrote down his results from the alk test don't remember.   So he sold me a saliferts alk test kit, some oceans blend alk part 2 supplement, and lectured me on calibrating my refractometer every test.   I do my weekly water changes so test salinity weekly and don't think I had calibrated it for 2 or 3 weeks.  So thought he might be onto something.  He also asked me about my media filtration and I have been using chemi blue nano in each of the filter floss holders under the floss.  He said that was probably stripping to much.

 

I get home, check the refractometer, its calibrated right on point and my test shows 1.025 so I am going to take my water there again and my refractometer and see how it tests against his and see who is off, I also tested my alk myself and I get a level 10dkh (0.35) on my test. My understanding 10 is high according to the salifert insert information, sea water should be 7-8.  I did remove the chemi blue packs.

 

Thoughts....

[aclman88]

1 hour ago, Gakarl100 said:

I get home, check the refractometer, its calibrated right on point and my test shows 1.025 so I am going to take my water there again and my refractometer and see how it tests against his and see who is off, I also tested my alk myself and I get a level 10dkh (0.35) on my test.

It will be interesting to see the results.  Only one of you can be right.  Did you do any water changes between going to the LFS and testing your water?  Was the container you brought the water in completely dry?  If your tank water was diluted somehow, that would explain the low salinity which would also cause your alk to test low.

 

1 hour ago, Gakarl100 said:

My understanding 10 is high according to the salifert insert information, sea water should be 7-8.

My understanding is that stability is far more important than chasing a specific number.  What kind of salt are you using?  You should mix up a batch and test it as well to see what you are getting.  A lot of salt has certain parameters it should mix up to (but not always) so that should give you a point of reference for your test kits as well as a good number to aim for so that your water change is close to your tank parameters.

 

 

[aclman88]

On 4/5/2020 at 10:54 PM, Clown79 said:

Try dropping the white, white, red aids in algae.

Agreed.  I run the AB+ spectrum which has really low whites to begin with.  If I had whites up high, I think my coral would be getting blasted with too much light.  I also find that higher whites tend to wash out the colors of my coral.

[Gakarl100]

38 minutes ago, aclman88 said:

Agreed.  I run the AB+ spectrum which has really low whites to begin with.  If I had whites up high, I think my coral would be getting blasted with too much light.  I also find that higher whites tend to wash out the colors of my coral.

In my pic above the highest my greens get is 8% and DR (reds) 10%, CW peaks at 40% ramps down over 6 or so hours.  Should i turn all those down, whats a good level or percent? 0% on all of them?    Would be nice to have some whites, just blues seems so dark in the tank.  Anyone with a Nano tank (20ish gallons) have a good saxby they run on corals with low red, green, and whites they want to share with me?  Also side note anyone using the moon light with waxing gimbous?

[aclman88]

37 minutes ago, Gakarl100 said:

In my pic above the highest my greens get is 8% and DR (reds) 10%, CW peaks at 40% ramps down over 6 or so hours.  Should i turn all those down, whats a good level or percent? 0% on all of them?    Would be nice to have some whites, just blues seems so dark in the tank.  Anyone with a Nano tank (20ish gallons) have a good saxby they run on corals with low red, green, and whites they want to share with me?  Also side note anyone using the moon light with waxing gimbous?

My advice would be to not worry so much about the lightning just yet.  If you do not have coral, I would turn the light down regardless and have a shorter photoperiod.  No need to be blasting an empty tank with light just yet.  All you are doing is providing light and nutrients for algae to grow.  When you do get coral, choose a setting that you like, go lower than you think you should and run it in acclimation mode for a couple of weeks.  If coral look like they are stretching, you can slowly up your lighting.  Coral adapt to a variety of lighting conditions, but it is always better to start low and increase slowly.  Too much light is destructive much quicker than not enough light.  

 

 

Listen to the advice @Clown79, @jservedio, and @burtbollinger.  Your tank is really new and will go through phases as it matures.  I had the same issues and was asking similar questions you were not long ago.  Don't get too perturbed or freaked out by algae.  Your tank took time to get where it is now, and it will take some time to get to where you want.   I would just stir the sand bed and syphon out what you can, cut the lighting down a bit, and let the tank burn through this phase.  It's natural to have diatoms and various algae grow, especially in a new tank.  If it were me (and it was me not long ago) try to manually remove what you can, as often as you can, and try not to stress too much about it.  This too, shall pass.

[Gakarl100]

I do have a rose bubble anemone just for the record.  Just trying to get everything tweaked and in tune before I start putting in corals.  Appreciate the feedback!!!!  

[Gakarl100]

2 hours ago, aclman88 said:

It will be interesting to see the results.  Only one of you can be right.  Did you do any water changes between going to the LFS and testing your water?  Was the container you brought the water in completely dry?  If your tank water was diluted somehow, that would explain the low salinity which would also cause your alk to test low.

 

My understanding is that stability is far more important than chasing a specific number.  What kind of salt are you using?  You should mix up a batch and test it as well to see what you are getting.  A lot of salt has certain parameters it should mix up to (but not always) so that should give you a point of reference for your test kits as well as a good number to aim for so that your water change is close to your tank parameters.

 

 

It was a small maybe 1/4 cup worth in a testing vile.  Was dry no way was diluted.  Took it straight from the DT.  No water changes in between. I am using red sea salt.  I also test the salinaty before adding to the tank but never test other items.  Doubt many people do but I guess be worth noting.  

[jservedio]

11 minutes ago, Gakarl100 said:

I also test the salinaty before adding to the tank but never test other items.  Doubt many people do but I guess be worth noting.  

As a side note, always, always, always test your freshly mixed saltwater's salinity right before adding it to your tank! I've never once mixed up a perfect 5g batch that didn't need to be slightly adjusted with a little more salt or some RODI and I've been doing it for more than a decade. You should also test your tank's salinity before doing a water change since it will fluctuate slightly and you will want to adjust adding in slightly more freshly mixed salt water or slightly less salt water than you removed so you can change the salinity as water evaporates out and you top up.

[Clown79]

I ran saxby and changed to ab+(modified) my whites never get higher than 15%, red and green 4% for a few hrs then 0%.

 

The lfs results could be different. What do they use for testing and what do they calibrate their refractometer with? 

 

I check my refractometer with calibration fluid before every waterchange, test salinity of new salt, test my dt salinity after waterchange, and then test alk after the waterchange in case I need to adjust anything.

[Gakarl100]

7 minutes ago, jservedio said:

As a side note, always, always, always test your freshly mixed saltwater's salinity right before adding it to your tank! I've never once mixed up a perfect 5g batch that didn't need to be slightly adjusted with a little more salt or some RODI and I've been doing it for more than a decade. You should also test your tank's salinity before doing a water change since it will fluctuate slightly and you will want to adjust adding in slightly more freshly mixed salt water or slightly less salt water than you removed so you can change the salinity as water evaporates out and you top up.

I always test my salinity of my freshly made water, and my DT before and after adding water.  I was referring to not checking calibration of the refractometer since I think the week prior water change.  I do them weekly.  I will def calibrate from now on for every water change.  And I have been calibrating with distilled water to zero out the refractometer, thats what the directions in the box told me to do.  But I hear there is a calibration fluid you can get my LFS was telling me about.  Also was saying I only test salinity of the new water after its mixed before adding it to the DT , I haven't bother testing nitrates and alk or other things of freshly made salt water before adding it if there was any confusion.  I had only really been testing nitrates a salinity in my DT since my tank has cycled.  I am now just starting to check other measurements since things are starting to arise like the red algae that need to be dealt with...