Help please algae issues

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

With all due respect to Myka, as she definitely knows her stuff, I am not sure I agree totally with all of this statement. The reason I say that, is that I use a sponge filter with one of my sumps, only because it was built for that, and there is no room for any filter socks. It is a large sponge filter and I only have to clean it once a week. I have never replaced it and it is several years old. When I clean it, a lot of ugly crap comes out of it. And I have no doubt it has nitrifying bacteria. But because I clean it frequently, the crap gets rinsed out and does not have a chance to turn into nitrates. And this tank has zero nitrates. And BTW, this sponge filter is a lot easier to clean than my filter socks which I use in my other tank sump. They too can become nitrate factories if not cleaned frequently.

That is perfectly fine, your tank is obviously able to handle the nitrate produced. There are also denitrifying bacteria within our systems, they are anaerobic and mainly live in the live rock and sometimes in DSBs. Their main purpose is to convert nitrate to mainly nitrogen gas and oxygen. A nitrate buildup occurs when there is more nitrate than the denitrifying bacteria can handle. In a tank that is suffering excessive nitrate, limiting all possible sources is very important.