Thoughts on rock algae?

[Rumpy Pumpy]

This is my screen today, before cleaning (9 days growth)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-oHJQ0eHy_TE/TuSsNSPoZnI/AAAAAAAAA1I/-5H9WnpAJ-A/s640/2011-12-11%25252013.12.08.jpg

& after cleaning

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bygIPK3dFRE/TuSs9crYaLI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/NadVjmdJLJA/s640/2011-12-11%25252013.15.26.jpg

Yield (about 9 oz)

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-w094UiYibAI/TuSu1r-tzyI/AAAAAAAAA2s/5jFZ7ZC7D2g/s512/2011-12-11%25252013.23.16.jpg

All well & good.

However, this is the display tank

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-H3fF8KBrmZg/TuSrr_B5joI/AAAAAAAAA04/o6zvMnjMwQY/s640/2011-12-11%25252013.09.57.jpg https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qiwG0P_4uVc/TuSru4TKFVI/AAAAAAAAA1A/ARRq06rMO-s/s640/2011-12-11%25252013.10.11.jpg

This GHA problem has been with me for months now and doesn't seem to be getting any better.

I syphon it out every week or so and catch it in a filter sock on the end of the syphon (there is nothing like as much Algae produced in the bag as comes off the screen though), but it keeps on coming.

N & P testing zero.

Tank lights on for 9 hours a day (scrubber on for 18).

Feeding only one cube per day, maybe 5 days a week.


Surely this can't still be P coming out of the rocks can it? It's been going on for months.

Any ideas welcome.

[SantaMonica]

Of course it's still coming out. Mine took 6 months.

As long as N and P are zero with algae on the rocks, it's still coming out.

[Rumpy Pumpy]

Ok thanks SM.

I'll keep at it.

[MorganAtlanta]

I'd throw something in there that will eat it in the mean time. You can re-home whatever it is when you run out of algae for it to eat.

[SantaMonica]

As long as the algae stays green.

Eating algae off the rocks will put nutrients into the water which will cause the scrubber to grow darker, which will slow it down.

[kentth]

I have now been using an AS for about a year now. My first one was a screen hanging down and a CFL on each side in a reflector. I was working but, I didn't think fast enough. This summer I built a SM clone. Changed to normal U-tube CFL's with parabolic reflectors. Algae production went up, but I then started burning the algae, to much light.

My tank pictures a year ago looked just like yours. Now, I still have it, but only on a few of my rocks, it is much better. I have one snail that is growing more on it then on the rocks. About once a month, when I am cleaning the glass, I get mad at it and pull it off the rocks. Tonight, I pulled off about 2 oz, my scrubber cleaning yielded 5 oz. The scrubber was 7 days the rocks 4 weeks.

Just be patient, it will get better. I am seeing less and less tank algae and my AS screen is starting to get greener.

Kent

[Rumpy Pumpy]

I'd throw something in there that will eat it in the mean time. You can re-home whatever it is when you run out of algae for it to eat.


Got a tang and and angel which won't touch it plus two or three emerald crabs if they're still alive & various snails.

I bought a sea hare to try to keep on top of it but he hardly made a dent in it and died after a month. I think he ate himself to death.

[Rumpy Pumpy]

Thanks for the comments and advice above folks.

I'll just keep plugging away at it and hope it eventually runs out of juice.