any tips on getting rid of BAD algae?

[Bam]

???

[jonb]

I usually hate it when people posts replies like this, but I'm going to do it anyway:

The first tip is to search this forum for "algae" and read as much as you can. I don't think there's anything that can be said about algae that hasn't already been said here.

[Bam]

ya this is a tip forum so i maybe thought someone could tell me an easier way..if u didnt want to answer my question then dont waste your time

thanks for your help

[Mels95yj]

He was just trying to help you help yourself. Like he said, the subject has been discussed many times. I know, from my searching, I've seen hundreds of threads on algae control. I know from my other forums, older members get tired of repeating the same information over and over.

Mel

[motoman]

Simple answer to those who don't want to help is (don't), you clutter the forum with wasted words and do injustice to the forum from the perspective of its intended use (TO HELP).

I would suggest some of the following not knowing too much about all that is going on at your place:

A refugium (small tank loaded with a sand bed, maybe LR rubble and macro algae) send me a PM if you want some specifics Algaes I would recommend as some are better than others.

To me the refugium is the best route if you have the space, time and money to set it up. I can provide some info on cheap set-ups (relative to buying a special tank)

You can add some additional carbon or other toxin removing sponges to the power filter basket

Go to a canister filter below the set-up but that is a horrible expensive and tons of maintenance.

Before going to all the above trouble, do yourself a favor and review how much you are feeding those highly active voracious damsels. They may always look hungry and eat everything you put in the tank but remember, in general, a fish's stomach is the size of their eye (I repeat, in general). Given that, feed accordingly once in the morning and once later in the day, no more. Excess waste and nutrients from spoiling food can contribute a great deal to your problem.

Also review where the tank is located, is it by a window where it gets too much light? Do you do like my neighbor who got into salt water and leave the @#$% light on 24 hrs as a nightlight because it looks cool (I doubt you do this). I would suggest you experiment by cutting the light on time by one to two hours for a week after a thorough cleaning to see if this helps. For that matter, if you want to see if you found the root cause of your issues, make sure before trying each one you do a thorough cleaning before you start each one, and give it at least a week to see if the rate of growth has slowed. You can also look at adding macro algae into the tank itself if there is good water parameters to do so.

I hope this in some way helps or steers you in a direction where you find your solution.

[phistio]

whether or not the question has been asked a thousand times or not, as it's brought up we all learn a little more by sharing information...

that being said...

you say "bad" algae, but do you know specifically the type of "bad" algae you'd like to eradicate? while the above information is pretty accurate advice, you might want to look into natural predation. perhaps you could introduce something to the tank that might thrive off the algae, thus eliminating it...just a thought.

[motoman]

I agree that natural predation is a good choice and mixes things up a bit in the tank but drilling down to the root cause, IMO is the best route hence the variety of answers. If there is too much of a bioload, the refugium will help accomodate it, if there is too much light, maybe a shade is appropriate on a nearby window, if the fish get too much food maybe backing off the pellets would be a good choice.

I prefer to address the cause rather than add another variable into my tank to avoid causing some other issue down the road. As an engineer, I find doing this avoids chasing in circles. If the root cause is something that can't be changed due to preference or something else, go for the natural predation.

Thanks for the comments, I missed that simple bandaid.

[phistio]

motoman's right, searching for the root cause is the best answer. whether it be extra nutrients in the water, or an extended lighting cycle, something is causing the nuisance algae...

but again, i ask...what is the "bad" algae?

[Shonuff]

I agree to look for the root cause, but with this as a clean up crew....
"2 snails, 3 blue legged hermits "

He is lacking in cleanup crew power IMO. Algae is like dust IMO, you can never get rid of all the dust, so you have to periodicly clean up what has built up. If you dont have enough cleaners then its like going long periods betweening dusting.

Add more snails/hermit crabs at least a dozen between the 2.

[Shonuff]

I agree to look for the root cause, but with this as a clean up crew....
"2 snails, 3 blue legged hermits "

He is lacking in cleanup crew power IMO. Algae is like dust IMO, you can never get rid of all the dust, so you have to periodicly clean up what has built up. If you dont have enough cleaners then its like going long periods betweening dusting.

Add more snails/hermit crabs!
I would think a clean up crew of at least:
blue legged hermit crabs 20-30
turbo/margarita snails 10-20
and thats on the light side.