ALGAE Help

[Ilovefisshies]

algae is attacking my tank and i dont know what to do. yes im still new to the whole reef community, its my tanks 3rd week of life with fish in it. there is a TON of green algae growing in the sand bed and on the walls of the tank. its green and gets to be very long at some points. all water levels are perfect and i have a clownfish, wrasse, arrow crab and 2 snails. live rock and some polyps.
what can i do to fix this? i havent had a 10% water change since i added fish, i was told by my local fish man that with the dolphin pharmecuticals im using that they recommend that you dont change the water for the first month(sounded fishy to me but i trust the guy). any suggestions would be great and much appreciated
-Max

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

how large is your tank? i can already say get more crabs and snails though. how long do you run the lights? you don't use tap water do you? never heard of not changing the water thing.
the only way i have ever defeated the algea thing is by using good old fashion elbow grease. picked it out with frequent water changes.

[Ilovefisshies]

tank is a 24 gallon nano-tank with 64 watt bulbs running 12 hours a day(approx.) i used RO water
thanks

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

Never had a nano but heres my 2 cents...
I would start with cutting the light down. Mine are on for 8 hours each day. Decrease yours by 1 hour a week so its not such a drastic change. Add some scarlet hermit crabs say at least 5 and around 10 turbo snails. The crabs should mow the grass and the snails should clean the glass. That with a little work and regular pwc and you will probably start to see a difference.

Hope that helps!
SHOG

[kronos5]

New tanks also go through algae stages, be patient, add inverts slowly and eventually you will see progress.

[zhenya]

New tanks also go through algae stages, be patient, add inverts slowly and eventually you will see progress.

That is indeed correct. If your tank is only 3-4 weeks old then it is simply a natural progression of the maturation of your set up. And I agree with kronos that you probably added livestock a bit prematurely. But, since they are there already , try removing this green algae every water change. Never mind what your LFS guy told you about this, there is no chemicals that can replace water exchanges.
Here's some reading material for you(written by our moderator Leebca), I'm sure it will be very helpful to you.
Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium
How to Make a Successful Water Change
What is Water Quality

[kronos5]

I also agree with zhenya. Chemicals in your tank should be the last- last resort. Natural remedies will almost always take care of any problems. " Nothing good ever happens quickly in a Marine Tank "