Microalgae bloom..help!!

[shark_bait]

My tank is being overtaken by red slime and green hair algae.

I have a 55 gallon in-wall with 20 gallon refugium and without getting into detail about lighting, water flow, protein skimmer (since I am not exactly sure of what I have at the moment, even though I am confident that I have adequate equiptment), what am I neglecting? My lights are running approx 14 hours daily (both on the display tank and refigium). I am adding iodine, strontium & molybdenum, coral-vite and calcium all by Kent.

Even my refigium, with a decent amount Calerpa, is getting overrun by red slime.

My water specs are good. Nitrates, nitrates, ammonia are all 0. Unfortunately, I tested my phosphates after doing a water change and adding a Poly filter but that was registering as 0 also.

I used some medication to get rid of the red slime and did a major water change. I think it could have been the phosphates but now that I have that under control, what do I do next?

What about iron? I read that iron helps the growth of Calerpa (macroalgae) and in turn, will stop the growth of the green hair algae.

Thanks for any input you can provide.

[Ninong]

Hi shark_bait,

My tank is being overtaken by red slime and green hair algae.

Use the search feature and run a search under "cyanobacteria." This topic has been discussed many times already.

I am adding iodine, strontium & molybdenum,...

Why? Is your tank deficient in iodine and strontium? What method do you use to maintain alkalinity and calcium? What are your calcium and alkalinity measurements?

I used some medication to get rid of the red slime and did a major water change. I think it could have been the phosphates but now that I have that under control, what do I do next?

Unfortunately, any "medication" that you used to "get rid of the red slime" only treated the symptoms. It will have no lasting effect on the underlying cause of the cyanobacteria. I don't think using antibiotics (erythromycin, etc.) in a reef tank is such a good idea and it has no effect whatsoever on the underlying problem. The cyanobacteria will return unless you deal with the causes, which have been discussed in detail in previous threads many, many times.

What about iron? I read that iron helps the growth of Calerpa (macroalgae) and in turn, will stop the growth of the green hair algae.

Iron acts as fertilizer for both macro- and microalgae (phytoplankton). I don't think I would dose iron in a 55-gal aquarium. I think your Caulerpa will grow just fine without extra iron. Which species do you have?

[shark_bait]

Hi shark_bait,



Use the search feature and run a search under "cyanobacteria." This topic has been discussed many times already.

Why? Is your tank deficient in iodine and strontium? What method do you use to maintain alkalinity and calcium? What are your calcium and alkalinity measurements?

Unfortunately, any "medication" that you used to "get rid of the red slime" only treated the symptoms. It will have no lasting effect on the underlying cause of the cyanobacteria. I don't think using antibiotics (erythromycin, etc.) in a reef tank is such a good idea and it has no effect whatsoever on the underlying problem. The cyanobacteria will return unless you deal with the causes, which have been discussed in detail in previous threads many, many times.


Iron acts as fertilizer for both macro- and microalgae (phytoplankton). I don't think I would dose iron in a 55-gal aquarium. I think your Caulerpa will grow just fine without extra iron. Which species do you have?

I actually have not measured the iodine and strontium in my tank. I was told to simply add a cap full of each of the iodine, strontium, iron, calcium, coral-vite each week. I am measruring the calcium with a standard aquarium testing kit but I haven't tested for alkalinity. Calcium is at approx 340-360 which I know is too low but I was began concentrating on adding those medications and a large water change to fix the red slime, microalgae bloom first, before I worried about bringing up the calcium level.

My calerpa hasn't really grown in a month or so. It seems to have been stunted...maybe because of the red slime???

I am obviously new to the reef world but at least I have the nitrates, nitrites, ammonia under control. Now I just need to make sure I understand the basics when it comes to suppliments. In your opinion, what are the most important suppliments I need to add and measure? Obviously Calcium is pretty important.

Can I avoid purchasing expensive calcium reactors etc and concentrate on simply adding drops and measuring weekly using test kits?

[Ninong]

Check out this article by Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley on how to choose a calcium/akalinity supplementation scheme.

Yes, you can get by without a calcium reactor. They're very nice but you can do without them.

One way to maintain calcium and alkalinity is with one of those two-part products, such as B-Ionic or C-Balance. Another, cheaper way is by dosing limewater (Kalkwasser). Instead of buying the expensive Kalkwasser (with the German word on the label), just buy Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime. They're both food grade calcium hydroxide. The best method is with a calcium reactor but you can do without it.

If you're using limewater to maintain calcium and alkalinity, you will need to test your magnesium levels every two or three weeks because your Mg may have to be supplemented with a Mg additive.

You don't have to add iodine or strontium or iron or anything else. In fact, you should NEVER add iodine or strontium unless you know that your tank is deficient. I never added iodine and yet my tankwater always tested above 0.06 ppm total iodine (which is NSW concentration). The food we feed our tanks has lots of iodine. Don't add iodine or strontium unless you test for them first. NSW concentration of Sr is ~9 ppm. Both iodine and strontium are toxic at elevated levels.

The only thing you need to add is something to maintain calcium and alkalinity and, if necessary, something to keep up your Mg level.

[charlie]

Well put Ninong!!!! With regular water changes the other elements should be maintained.

[shark_bait]

Check out this article by Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley on how to choose a calcium/akalinity supplementation scheme.

Yes, you can get by without a calcium reactor. They're very nice but you can do without them.

One way to maintain calcium and alkalinity is with one of those two-part products, such as B-Ionic or C-Balance. Another, cheaper way is by dosing limewater (Kalkwasser). Instead of buying the expensive Kalkwasser (with the German word on the label), just buy Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime. They're both food grade calcium hydroxide. The best method is with a calcium reactor but you can do without it.

If you're using limewater to maintain calcium and alkalinity, you will need to test your magnesium levels every two or three weeks because your Mg may have to be supplemented with a Mg additive.

You don't have to add iodine or strontium or iron or anything else. In fact, you should NEVER add iodine or strontium unless you know that your tank is deficient. I never added iodine and yet my tankwater always tested above 0.06 ppm total iodine (which is NSW concentration). The food we feed our tanks has lots of iodine. Don't add iodine or strontium unless you test for them first. NSW concentration of Sr is ~9 ppm. Both iodine and strontium are toxic at elevated levels.

The only thing you need to add is something to maintain calcium and alkalinity and, if necessary, something to keep up your Mg level.

So I can use Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime to maintain calcium and alkalinity, then test for magnesium levels every two or three weeks because my Mg may have to be supplemented with a Mg additive. And obviously test for calcium and alkilinity levels along the way!

So my shopping list contains the following: Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime, calcium test kit (already have), alkilinity test kit, Magnesium suppliment (for emergencies), and Mg test kit.....that's it?!?

How does Kent Coral-Vite play into this?

[Ninong]

Here's another article you should read. Note that some of the commonly available additives are more than 99% water. Also, note that many of the good foods that we commonly feed to our fish contain a lot of iodine.

Whether you feed corals specifically depends on exactly what corals you have and what other things you are throwing into the tank to feed the fish.

You may wish to consider one of the two-part products, such as ESV's 2-part product for calcium & alkalinity until you get your calcium and alkalinity levels up to where you want them. That would be ~425-450 ppm Ca and between 8-10 dKH alk (although 10-12 dKH is also quite acceptable). Once your calcium and alkalinity levels are stable, you can begin dosing limewater to maintain those levels. The 2-part products will raise things quicker than limewater and another advantage is that you can adjust the two components as needed. In other words, if your calcium is lower than you want, add a little extra calcium component instead of equal parts calcium and alk. And while you're on that page, that ESV Mg additive is the one I always used. (P.S. -- Once you achieve the proper levels of calcium and alkalinity, you can switch to the cheaper limewater and discontinue the more expensive 2-part product.)

You can probably find Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime (or Ball's Pickling Lime) at your local supermarket. It will be in the canning supplies area. Make sure it is 100% pure calcium hydroxide with NO salts or flavorings of any kind. The label will tell you if there are any extra spices or anything like that included.

Yes, you will need to test calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. As far as the Coral-Vite product, that's up to you. As long as you know exactly what it is and consider it a good value, it might be something to throw in there. Strictly up to you. Personally, I find that most of those products with "vital" or "vite" in their names are rather mysterious when it comes to their ingredients. As long as you think it's necessary and worth the money, go for it. Oh, just make sure you know exactly what it is and what it does first, and why it's necessary.



P.S. -- Here's a free tip: Never take the word of someone who's selling all these additives and magic potions as to whether you really need them or not. If it's on the shelf at the LFS, that means you need it. They get paid to sell all of that stuff, not to talk you out of buying it.

[shark_bait]

Thank you so much for your input.

[shark_bait]

Ninong- if I am to slow drip the Pickle Lime. I simply add the Pickle Lime to top-off freshwater and set up a trickle to let it drip all night.

How much Pickle Lime do I use to maintain the optimal levels? I know that all depends on calcium usage by my corals but what is a good starting point?

1 teaspoon per gallon of top-off water? 2 teaspoons?

Or do I go by the size of my tank? A 55 gallon with 25 or so refugium so we'll say 75 gallons of water.

[shark_bait]

Ninong- if I am to slow drip the Pickle Lime. I simply add the Pickle Lime to top-off freshwater and set up a trickle to let it drip all night.

How much Pickle Lime do I use to maintain the optimal levels? I know that all depends on calcium usage by my corals but what is a good starting point?

1 teaspoon per gallon of top-off water? 2 teaspoons?

Or do I go by the size of my tank? A 55 gallon with 25 or so refugium so we'll say 75 gallons of water.

I've been reading some of your other posts

[shark_bait]

Ninong- if I am to slow drip the Pickle Lime. I simply add the Pickle Lime to top-off freshwater and set up a trickle to let it drip all night.

How much Pickle Lime do I use to maintain the optimal levels? I know that all depends on calcium usage by my corals but what is a good starting point?

1 teaspoon per gallon of top-off water? 2 teaspoons?

Or do I go by the size of my tank? A 55 gallon with 25 or so refugium so we'll say 75 gallons of water.

Also, how do you recommend I adjust my alkalinity without buying a suppliment from the fish store? I hear baking powder will do fine to raise it but what if I need to lower it? Is there any easy method besides a water change?

[shark_bait]

As far as testing kits go, I currently use the Aquarium Pharmacueticals test kits. I am trying to locate the Alkalinity and Magnesium test kits by this brand but I am having trouble finding them.

I see that this brand has Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater/Saltwater Carbonate Hardness (KH) Test Kit but is this the correct kit to test alkalinity???

And it doesn't look like they have a test for magnesium.

What brand do you suggest? I see Seacham has a test kit for magnesium, carbonate, and borate.

[Ninong]

You start out with pure freshwater (R.O./D.I. water or distilled water, etc.) in a mixing container. You then add one to two teaspoons of powdered calcium hydroxide (pickling lime) per gallon of freshwater and stir sufficiently to dissolve the calcium hydroxide. You then cover the container and allow it to rest for several hours. You then decant just the clear liquid without disturbing the sediment that has settled to the bottom of the container.

This clear limewater should be slow dripped over a period of several hours, preferably at night, into your sump.

I have never added anything to raise alkalinity in my life so I'm not a good one to advise you on that. Using limewater has always maintained my alkalinity above 10 dKH without any other additives.

Your requirements depend on the calcium demand of your system. In other words, the more corals, clams, coralline algae and other calcium consuming organisms you have, the great the need to add limewater or some other additive to maintain appropriate levels.

I suggest you start out by using limewater (2 tsps/gallon) as replacement for all evaporation. Measure your calcium and alkalinity on a regular basis (weekly in the beginning, monthly later on after things are stable).

Again, limewater maintains the levels that you already have in the tank. It's a very slow way of raising your calcium level if it's presently too low. The two-part products are better for getting the levels up in the beginning.

After you're using limewater to maintain your levels, you can always supplement with calcium chloride or some similar calcium additive to boost calcium levels should you find through testing that your alkalinity is OK but your calcium is on the low side. Again, using limewater I never experienced low alkalinity... ever!

[Ninong]

I recommend LaMotte for calcium and alkalintiy but Salifert is also acceptable. I recommend Salifert test kits for magnesium, nitrate, nitrite, etc. LaMotte makes better test kits for nitrate but they are pricey.

There are other test kits that are even better but the prices are astronomical.

[shark_bait]

A few more questions...

I have been concentrating on raising the calcium this weekend but it doesn't seem to be working. I have been adding 2 cap fulls every day for the last several days but the level hasn't raised above 360-370. remember I have a 55 gallon with 20 gallon refuge but I only have a 60+ lbs of live rock and few polyps, that's it!! I can't imagine that they are sucking up the calcium that fast. I have been through half a bottle this week alone!! I am worried the calcium test kit, aquarium pharmaceuticals, isn't accurate. i would hate to overdose. I have noticed that a fair amount of the green hair algae is falling off the live rock, especially where it was covering the purple macro algae.

So if I am to be patient and trust the test kit, would you say that adding 2 caps fulls of calcium every day, until the level reaches 400+, is too much? I could only imagine how much I would need to add if my tank was full of corals.

I looked into Mrs Wages Pickling Lime. It is nowhere to be found in CT supermarkets. Ball Pickling Lime as well. And when I looked on-line a 12 oz jar of Wages is almost $4. If I use 2 tsp per night, I will be through 1 jar in less than a month or 2. A case is $42 plus shipping would be approx $60. I thought you said it was cheap? I saw Balls pickling lime has been replaced with Ball Pickling Crisp. Is that the same? It seems less expensive but i would still have to pay shipping.

I thought you said a jar lasts you a year? Or did you say a case. I guess a $60 case isn't too bad for a years worth of calcium maintenance.
Do you know of any chains that carry the stuff? Trader Joe's for example?

PS Great info. Your input is invaluable!!

[Ninong]

Maybe you need a different calcium test kit???

Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime used to cost as little as $1.69 per 16 oz. bag at Wal-Mart as recently as four years ago. Then, for whatever reason, it jumped to about $2.85 a pound. I guess it has gone up some more.

I purchased about ten bags of it online a few years ago directly from Mrs. Wages and paid only $1.85 per 16 oz. bag. That's because the local Wal-Mart had stopped getting the pure stuff and instead was stocking a Mrs. Wages product that had spices in it.

There are other sources for pure food grade calcium hydroxide besides Mrs. Wages. If you search around, you will find posts (even on Reefland) where guys related buying it in 50 lb bags for less than a dollar a pound. The 50 lb bags are commercial sizes that are sold to institutional food manufacturers.

[Ninong]

Just start googling and see what you can find. I just found this entry:

"I called Altrista Corp. makers of Ball products and they were happy to send it to me. Costs 16oz $1.30 or a 12 pk(master canner) for $14.20 + $6 for shipping.$20.28 for 12 lb." Here. I don't know how old that is but the link to Mrs. Wages takes you to their site where they are now charging $3.85 a lb for the same stuff that they charged only $1.85 a pound for in 2003 when it came in bags.

Try googling using: pickling lime, food-grade lime, and calcium hydroxide and see what you get.

P.S. -- Maybe nobody makes their own pickles anymore?

[Ninong]

OK, here's the name of the bulk product:

Mississippi Lime VitaCal™ H Calcium Hydroxide

That's pure food-grade calcium hydroxide. I have heard of guys buying it for less than $1 a pound in 50-lb bags; however, the cheapest I could find it online was $38.99 for a 22.5-lb bucket... but I didn't try very hard.

P.S. -- Even the 22.5-lb size is really excessive if all you have is a 55-gal tank. It's possible you can find some really cheap locally from a food manufacturer. That's what one of our members does.

[Ninong]

In this article, Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley talks about buying calcium hydroxide for less than 50-cents a pound:

The cost of a limewater system can range from very little to quite a lot. If one uses an inexpensive drip system ($20) and bulk sources of lime (like Mississippi Lime Company that doesn’t sell to individual aquarists but has sold large quantities to stores), the cost can be almost inconsequential. The Mississippi Lime Company quicklime that I use cost me less than $0.50 per pound as part of a large bulk purchase. In such a system, the cost per thousand milliequivalents (meq) of alkalinity is on the order of $0.03. I realize that this number means nothing to most aquarists, but I’ll use it to permit cost comparisons of very different supplementation schemes, and at the end of the article, I’ll convert it to yearly costs for some typical tanks. Hobby and lab grades of calcium hydroxide will be more expensive. A pound of calcium hydroxide from Two Little Fishes costs about $13.50, or $1.10 per thousand meq of alkalinity.

[Ninong]

I came across this source selling pure food grade calcium hydroxide (pickling lime) for $6.93 per 5-lbs ($1.39/lb). I have no idea what shipping runs but it looks like shipping is free if your total order is at least $75.