Green clumps of (hair?) Algae

[Mak]

Instead of pulling it out with your hands, try syphoning it out.

[Trevor Robertson]

A fox face eh?

WEll I have thought about getting one of those. Has anyone else had success with them eating this crap?

I was planing a trip to Big Al's tomorow so I may just pick one up.

Thanks for the tip.

[MitchM]

Yep, bad algae.
What's the phosphate reading on both your source water and tank water?(tank water will probably come up 0, but you should have that test kit anyways)

Mitch

[MitchM]

You've mentioned in the past that you are using a water conditioner and have standard NO lights.
What conditioner, and have you upgraded your lights yet?
What books are you using for a reference guide?
Foxface fish are great, but they will stop eating when they are full ...

Mitch

[Trevor Robertson]

Originally Posted by Carpentersreef

You've mentioned in the past that you are using a water conditioner and have standard NO lights.
What conditioner, and have you upgraded your lights yet?
What books are you using for a reference guide?
Foxface fish are great, but they will stop eating when they are full ...

Mitch

Well nope have not upgraded my lights yet but that should not matter for keeping a fox face...oh wait you are thinking of alge groth (I am slow some times).

I have a few books but I find most of my info on line in forums like this and other great web pages.

I know that the fish will not just go in and eat everything but I was planning on an addtion anyway so I will let him/her eat what they want and then I will pull the rest and I am sure that the new addition will finish off any smaller bits that I miss.

I don't have a Phospate test kit so I guess I should pick one up, but just wondering why would it matter if the tank water read 0 what would the purpos be to test my source water?

Well thanks everyone for you help once again with this question, I am off to Big Al's!

[MitchM]

Yes, didn't you know that foxface fish are photosynthetic...? <jk>

Poor lighting can contribute to nusiance algae growth, and you should test your source water every now and then to be sure that you aren't adding unwanted chemicals into your tank. (Which could also be in some water "conditioners") (You didn't mention which one you were using, BTW)
That's why so many reefkeepers use RO/DI units.
Excellent water quality is extremely important.

Your tank PO4 measurement could read zero, and at the same time, you could be having crazy nusiance algae growth. That's because the algae is consuming PO4 as it grows, so it may not show up on a water test. But testing is always a good idea. You'll never know otherwise.

Online sources like this one are great, but most of the advice is anecdotal, and you should really have some quality reference books by qualified authors.
I like to use the web to get me pointed in the right direction, then do some serious research to back it up.

Mitch

[tkhawaja]

Don't go too crazy trying to fix this. Make sure you have a good maintenance schedule and check out obvious sources of problem. Doesn't matter how long the tank has been set up for unless your imports equal your consumption + export 100%, there will always be sporadic algae blooms. They usually disappear on their own. There could be tons of reasons for this. Eliminate your obvious sources of problem and stick with a good maintenance schedule. Don't do drastic changes unless the problem persists over time.

[mnoll406]

Do you have any cucumbers? I'm not sure on the species name, I think holothurius, will help with this. They are the ones that crawl alomg the bottom, and injest the sand and clean it up. The other thing, how isyour water movement? You may need more movement. Hope this helps,

Mike

[EmilyB]

Turbo snails.

[LostMind]

cerith snails like the sandbed - do turbos as well?

Also, my conch has made a BIG impact on my sandbed. In a positive way