I wouldn't say uncontrollable. I have a 14 gallon Oceanic cube that I run bare bottom for the last 18 months or so. I don't do any sort of water tests, but whenever the algae starts growing I do a 50% water change and it's good for a while. All I have in there is a RBTA, crabs and snails, and some zoas and a cactus coral (sorry I forget the actual name) though. I do feed the anemone.