ats algae nice n long BUT main tank also.....

[natureAddict]

this is the side with 20w 2,700 cfl
this is the sun side. It gets about 3hrs of full sun.
nice chunks of gha from the 20w side
My display with gha n all sorts of macro algae. Looks like a FW planted tank

I have a few questions, maybe u guys can add your thoughts -

1. How to get rid of the algae in the display tank?

2. When I clean the ats (which is every 10days) , should like cut/scrub off half/ all the gha or just spray/rinse?

3. Corals eg zoas, gsp not as brilliant as before, any recommendations to get them to shine again? additives?

Thanks for viewing

[greenmachine]

you could remove some algae by hand then do 2 or 3 days lights out in the main display,,at least that would clean things up a bit..

[SantaMonica]

Phosphate is probably coming out of the rocks, which will grow more algae on the rocks for a few months.

No need to add anything.

[natureAddict]

Phosphate is probably coming out of the rocks, which will grow more algae on the rocks for a few months.

No need to add anything.

i wonder if i remove the rocks, scrub it n sun it - would that remove the phosphate faster?

[SantaMonica]

No, it makes it worse. It does not remove anything, and only kills the life in the rock, thus making more nutrients.

[natureAddict]

I'm now on a 10day cleaning cycle which allows the gha to grow better.
How should I clean the screen?
Spray with fresh water? Pluck out one-third of gha ? Or.....

[SantaMonica]

Scrape it all off.

[Floyd R Turbo]

What he means is that each time you clean, you should scrape the algae off until you see most of the screen material (90% ish) but leave that algae in the holes. You can rinse in freshwater (tap, room temp) or take out some tank water in a shallow pan and swish it in that after scraping. FW will kill pods, but can also cause algal cells to burst due to the salinity difference, so if you are having difficulty getting growth going, I would try the SW swish for a few weeks. You will still want to dip the screen in FW occasionally to prevent overgrowth of pods (which will eat at algae an cause detachment)

[natureAddict]

Bud thanks for explaining.

Don't mind me asking-
1.what's the best way to scape it off ?

2. Would the half inch thick gha grow back so quickly in 10days?

3. I don't see any pods in my tank nor screen. Is that cus I flush my
screen with fresh water every 10days? Or other reasons ?

[Floyd R Turbo]

1) plastic pot/pan scraper, with screen laying on a cutting board

2) Yes, with the right conditions

3) you might see them better at night with a flashlight, near the gravel. You can also try swishing the screen gently in your tank before cleaning it.