3 weeks of brown algae, cleanup crew now nocturnal...

R

rhildinger

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I've been having a copuple of problems here lately with my semi-mature (running around 10 months) 75G reef tank. Things were generally running very smoothly for the first nine months, but for the last few weeks I've been having a terrible brown algae problem. Large water changes don't seem to help much, and testing shows all the parameters at 0 levels. I make my own RO/DI makeup water using a filterdirect unit, and while it tests at 0 TDS, I haven't changed any of the filters since (except for the DI resin) since I purchased the unit, and I'm wondering if this could be fueling the problem...

Also, I've noticed curious behaviour in my cleanup crew ever since I was given a roughly 3" Humu trigger to house in the tank about two months ago. I know these are considered a bad choice for a reef, but I thought I might get lucky and buck the trend. So far he *seems* to be no problem, but I've noticed that ever since I put him in, my cleanup crew stays hidden when the lights are on and only come out after the lights are off, which naturally is making the brown algae problem worse. They used to be active during daylight periods as well. Could the trigger be harrasing the snails into staying hidden during the day? I'm starting to think he may be more trouble than he's worth, and that it might be wise to sell him to the LFS and get a blue throat trigger instead, since I can't afford $400 for a crosshatch!

By the way, the trigger's tank mates are a 3" maroon GS clown, a 3" Koran angel, a 2" yellow belly hippo, and a cleaner shrimp, along with various snails and hermit crabs.
 
Did you have algae probelms before you got the trigger? He is probably the prime suspect why your inverts only come out at night.
 
No, I got the trigger 5-6 weeks before the algae outbreak. I also had to replace my 7100K blue PC bulb with a SunPaq dual actinic around the time of the algae outbreak, which could have something to do with it, but I doubt it. I've turned it off since then to see if would have any effect and the brown algae is is just as bad.

I wonder too if I'm possibly overfeeding the tank. I usually fead about a quarter sized chunk of mysis shrimp every day, along with the occasional cube of formula one. I also clip nori to the tank once a day...
 
They won't come out when the lights are on because they know the trigger will eat them. They will eat hermit crabs and your snails. I would suspect that you have an increase in phophates due to excess waste in the tank. Probably due to him, increased feeding habits and less cleanup crew. He probably has already eaten more of than you realize and you do not have enough left to keep the tank clean. Also cut the nori back to no more than every other day.
 
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