Starting over with my tank!

I have had no issues running no lights for up to 3 days on my tank. seems like it is beneficial to the corals as well. It is not always sunny in the tropics.

Thanks Sailfintang for the info, yeah I turned light off early yesterday. I believe it should help. And yeah, they have plenty of cloudy days around most reefs.

I've done that before to fight dino algae with no ill effects. Plan on a water change right before you put the lights back on. Otherwise all the nutrients from the dead algae are still in there and it'll grow right back again.

Yeah, i'm doing 5 gallons a day for a week like I believe you said to do. I just want my tank back right and healthy. Thanks Phil for the info! Big Help!

Your tank is definitely still cycling... everything you've wrote points to that issue. Just keep doing the daily water changes for the time being, and also make sure you're testing everything before you do the change so you can see when the cycle is coming to an end. Basically once your nitrates are down to 0, I would just for safety do it every other day, but still testing daily. Eventually that cycle is over and you can do weekly changes like I'm at now.. though I can actually go up to 2 weeks w/o registering anything at all.. I'm just anal

I am having issues with hair algae as well, in my 29g. I have been wondering about lighting as well. Keep us posted on how this works out for you.

algae can't grow on light alone. If you're having algae there is excess nutrients in the water. Your test kit may not be even reading them, but that is only because the algae itself is taking them up from the water, causing it to grow.

ways to combat it in your main tank.

Use high quality purified water.. Not doing anything by just introducing nitrates or phosphates everytime you make a water change.. Even if your source water has a slight bit of ammonia in it and you lock it up, it still eventually gets converted which ends up as nitrates as well too. Purchase melev's RO/DI unit, I haven't found a better price for one yet that is that thorough, and will definitely keep your source water free from pollutants.

Set up a refugium if possible to grow macro algae. It's larger, easier to maintain, and in a seperate tank from your main display. Let it absorb any nutrients from the water such as decaying food and the such, and it starves out nuissance algae very very well.

Third... buy a willard! (that's what we named my lawnmower blenny since 'skip' is already taken by our turtle) I haven't seen any creature kick hair algae in the *** like he does... he's the equivalent of 30 hermits and 40 snails all in one... hair algae machine.

Originally Posted by dread240

Your tank is definitely still cycling... everything you've wrote points to that issue. Basically once your nitrates are down to 0, I would just for safety do it every other day, but still testing daily. Eventually that cycle is over and you can do weekly changes like I'm at now.. though I can actually go up to 2 weeks w/o registering anything at all.. I'm just anal

After 5.5 years Marc's tank still has detectable nitrate, is it still cycling?

Originally Posted by ghurlag

I am having issues with hair algae as well, in my 29g. I have been wondering about lighting as well. Keep us posted on how this works out for you.

Lights out won't phase hair algae in the slightest. The 3 day blackout only works for very simple algae like, diatoms, dino's and cyanobacteria. Hair, Bryopsis, turf and macro algaes won't be affected.

I meant to say nitrites lol... it's wrong that they put 2 vital stats so close to each other on spelling!

yeah, I get confused with them also and i've actually been doing this for a while now and covered it in college.

Originally Posted by Alaska_Phil

Lights out won't phase hair algae in the slightest. The 3 day blackout only works for very simple algae like, diatoms, dino's and cyanobacteria. Hair, Bryopsis, turf and macro algaes won't be affected.

Exactly right. HA is a very efficient form of algae and will utilize light, organics or just about anything else in the tank to survive on and on and onnnnnnn. It's usually best met with a multi-level attack:

1. Manual Removal
2. Heavy Water Changes (in direct conjunction with #1)
3. Food/Feeding Methods changed/evaluated

Just keep in mind the following items:

• It didn't happen over night and it will take LONGER to get rid of than to get it.
• It's among some of the oldest living organisms on the planet so it's been through a lot more than what we can throw at it at any one time so stick with it because persistence is what wins the race!!

Thanks Big Al for the info! ;-)