Macro Algae Choices

[dmweise]

I have plateaued in my ability to keep my Nitrates low in my tank. With weekly water changes I can keep the Nitrates below 40ppm. As you can image this can be quite costly and labor intensive (I find it kind of cathartic for some reason as well).

I would like to add some macro algae to the tank to help combat Nitrates. What types would be nice ornamentally and also be effective Nitrate consumers?

[alton]

One option: Add a hangon fuge and add one of Jordans Algae packs. Option number two: create a fuge and add some sand and Chaeto.
I would not ad them to my display

[Gilbert]

maybe your stirring up your sand, that can raise levels your nitrates

[Ping]

It would take a tremendous quantity of algae to lower this level of nitrates. A macro alga acts as a final water polisher and also a habitat for plankton.

Tell us more about your system: the Age of the system - the quantity of water, rock and sand – skimmer - fish and coral load.

[dmweise]

I have a 45 gallon tank, with a 10 gallon sump. The sump has a Euro Reef skimmer in it. I have a Tunze 6025 powerhead in the tank. All under a 150 watt metal halide and two 55 watt actinic compact florescence. There is 10 pounds of live sand and about 80 pounds of live rock (maybe more, I don't remember how much is in there exactly). The tank has been up and running for more than a year. Some of the rocks were from my previous tank that I moved over when I got this larger tank.

Water Specs:
- Nitrates: 25 ppm
- Nitrites: 0 ppm
- Ammonia: 0 ppm
- KH: 10 ppm
- SG: 1.1024

Tank Inhabitants:
- Tomato Clown (2)
- Blue Green Chromis (2)
- Lawnmower Blenny (1)
- Flame Hawkfish (1)
- Sixline Wrasse (1)
- Coral Beauty Angel (1)
- Bicolor Angel (1)
- Long Tentacle Anemone (1)
- Rose Bubble Tip Anemone (1) <--- I think it might be sick. I can't tell. :(
- Horse Shoe Crab (2)
- Fire Shrimp (2)
- Coral Banded Shrimp (1)
- Nassarius Snails
- Turbo Snails

Coral:
- Green Star Polyps
- Frog Spawn
- Green Mushrooms
- Green Zoanthids
- Watermelon Mushrooms

[Ping]

Too many higher life forms for the total water volume. A remote deep sand bed may help, but the extreme input of wastes on this amount of water will always be excessive and cause problems.

[dmweise]

I will be moving in a month or so. I am planning on changing up my livestock fairly significantly. Do you think this would be better:

Tank Inhabitants:
- Pink Skunk Clownfish (5) (maybe 3)
- Lawnmower Blenny (1)
- Coral Beauty Angel (1)
- Bicolor Angel (1)
- Long Tentacle Anemone (1)
- Horse Shoe Crab (2)
- Fire Shrimp (2)
- Coral Banded Shrimp (1)
- Nassarius Snails
- Turbo Snails

Coral:
- Green Star Polyps
- Frog Spawn
- Green Mushrooms
- Green Zoanthids
- Watermelon Mushroom

[Bill S]

Yeah, as Ping noted, you don't have a nitrate problem, you have a population problem. The only way to control nitrates in your situation is large, regular water changes. You are trying to keep the inhabitants of a 125 gallon tank in a tank 1/3 that size. Do water changes that you might do for a 125... Maybe 20 gallons every 10-14 days. Smaller number of big changes will better impact your nitrates, rather than more, smaller changes (do the dilution math).

Just be sure your specific gravity matches, and your water temperature is close.

I have a RBTA, 2 clowns and a blenny in a nano. I change about 60% of the water every 2 weeks (5 gallons).

[msmith619]

I have an over growth of Caulerpa prolifera and you can have a huge handfull if you want for free. I am in Boerne, off Hwy 46 NW of San Antonio.
Mike
(575) 640-7249

[dmweise]

My rose BTA is gone now. I was doing an inspection of it today, it was sick and not doing so well. It actually barfed up part of its innards and they were hanging out the mouth/anus.

I change out 15 gallons every week. It's about 35%... it might be more or less than that depending on the water displacement caused by the live rock.

[Kyle46N]

Like mentioned already....the bell in my head rang when I saw your fish list. I would be if you cut back on fish, you're nitrates would go down.

[dmweise]

Do you guys/gals think that the following fish would be okay or would it still be too much?

- Pink Skunk Clownfish (5)
- Lawnmower Blenny (1)
- Coral Beauty Angel (1)
- Bicolor Angel (1)

[MKCindy]

This is what I was told, based on the mature size of your fish, it is best to aim for 1 inch per 3 gallons with a max of 1 inch per 2 gallon. This is just an estimate. So based on that, the Clowns and Coral Beauty will each be about 4 in. and the blenny will be 5 in, plus 6 in. for the Bicolor. So about 35 inches of mature fish. How about a bigger tank?

[dmweise]

I am planning on getting a 75 or 90 gallon later this year. The bicolor that I have is an inch long. The pink skunks will be juveniles when I get them.