Adopted tank trouble

[MattPLaw]

Hello all!

I am having chemistry problems, here is some background.

I adopted an already cycled tank about 2 months ago. When I got it, it had been running for about 2 years. I brought it home and did a 50% water change but reused the sand and live rock, and filter media. It also came with one mushroom and a couple fish.
I have been monitoring params about every other day with Hannah checkers. For the first month my phosphates where at around 0.9ppm and nitrates at around 35ppm. I have added a refugium, phosgaurd, and very light carbon dosing. And slowly got it down to a stable 3 nitrate and 0.03 phosphate.
All my fish and most of my corals look very happy, unfortunately my algae is very happy too. Also my magnesium consumption seems very high, like 3x my Calc and carbonate uptake. Can this have to do with the algae?

Mainly what I want to know is, how long should it take for the algae to settle down now that I have gotten my parameters in order? Within one day of cleaning the glass it is already noticeable again, see image attached. The image shows the snail trails on the glass and the brown sand.

My parameters over the last week have been stable at:
Ph 8.1
Alk 9.2
Salinity 1.025
Nitrate 3ppm
Phosphate .03ppm
Calcium 430ish (still a little in flux)
Magnesium 1250 (trying to get it up slowly)

I don't want to add too much too fast but I want this algae gone. Now that I have parameters relatively in check, what should I expect? How long should my glass stay clean? When will this hair algae go away?
I have been manually removing hair algae about 1 time a week and I have a hand full of snails and crab cuc.

Any opinions and info would be very well appreciated, thanks!

 

[Coachb1218]

100% opinion so don’t quote me…unless I’m right.
If you have algae, nitrates will be low. The algae is consuming the nitrates. Measuring nitrates is almost pointless with unwanted algae present.
This is really the opinion part. I have a very shallow tank. Dimensions are 4 feet long by 2 feet wide by 10 inches deep. I had 2 AI Primes 16HD and 2 AI Blades over the tank. I had bad hair algae on rocks and the same experience with algae growing very fast on the glass. I removed the 2 blades and bought a bunch of snails. Algae is much slower growing on the glass and is disappearing from the rocks. Could be coincidence but I feel like I had too much light for my set up. My corals even seem happier now.

 

[MattPLaw]

100% opinion so don’t quote me…unless I’m right.
If you have algae, nitrates will be low. The algae is consuming the nitrates. Measuring nitrates is almost pointless with unwanted algae present.
This is really the opinion part. I have a very shallow tank. Dimensions are 4 feet long by 2 feet wide by 10 inches deep. I had 2 AI Primes 16HD and 2 AI Blades over the tank. I had bad hair algae on rocks and the same experience with algae growing very fast on the glass. I removed the 2 blades and bought a bunch of snails. Algae is much slower growing on the glass and is disappearing from the rocks. Could be coincidence but I feel like I had too much light for my set up. My corals even seem happier now.

I have a redsea 90 over my 45gal redsea max e170 tank. It is set on 70%blue and50% white. Here is a map of the par levels.

What type of snails? Turbo snails?

 

[Coachb1218]

My thoughts with mine is that I was getting too much spread so that algae was growing on the glass. I got tiger turbo snails and chestnut turbo snails.

 

[Dan_P]

Algae growth can be a long term issue. The most effective way to remove it is with herbivores, like snails. Trying to get rid of it by adjusting phosphate and nitrate levels might be the least effective method. Herbivores not eating algae is not uncommon. Algae covered with cyanobacteria can deter snails from eating it. Herbivores not eating means that the herbivores will die. Maybe algae never goes away, but remains under control. I believe any aquarium can generate problem algae given the right disturbance and skipped maintenance.

Good luck. The hobby can be fun

 

[MattPLaw]

Thanks for the replies! And I am having tons of fun. What I am hearing us up my number of snails. I will definitely give that a try.

 

[Pod_01]

Things will always grow on glass, biofilm etc… I clean my every 2 days but could go for 5 days but things are not as clear…

Lot of good advice provided so far, one that helped me was that reduced nutrients will starve corals long before you starve algae.

To deal with algae you need to outcompete it. Add corals / coral mass that cover your stones and exposed surfaces so algae will not grow there.

I like zoas:

Also GSP works, but it can be pest so best to keep it on its own rock or back wall:

Some chalices like Hollywood Stunner can grow fast:

Or Devil hand coral:

Later you can replace these with other coral.

Good luck,

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'd look to add herbivores that will consume the algae.

 

[MattPLaw]

Thank you all! So it sounds like I need to transition from nutrient control, now that it's fine and into mechanical algae control. I will work on that, thanks!