Salt water tank?

Question

We are having an issue with our tank. We have algea. It is a 30 gallon, and it's gross. We had gone away for a week and came back and the tank was nasty. I have bought snails for it, but it seems them have eaten themselves to death. I did go get a tang today, hopefully that will help. My real question is how do I clean the live rocks in the tank?

Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

There are several issues that might be triggering the absurd increase of algae in your tank. Among the main reasons it might be due to lighting or tap water use. When you use tap water, it comes with a high degree of toxic elements and properties. I would recommend to use a ROI (Reverse Osmosis) system which you can purchase at any aquarium store. An ROI system will eliminate particles and bad elements in your tap water and you will get 100% clean water in your tank. Once your water is completely element-free, the intense lighting that you need in a saltwater aquarium will no longer cause algae booms. You will no longer experience brown or hairy algae. As far as the rocks you can use a toothbrush and at the same time rinse the rocks with ROI water. Remember to never use tap water. Don't leave the rocks out of the aquarium for more than 5 minutes or everything in the live rock will die and you will have to re-cycle the live rock which will take about a month. If everything inside the live rock dies it is poisonous to the tank as ammonia will rise and then you might again experience algae booms for having unhealthy water. Tangs and snails are used to nib on mild small amounts of good algae in the aquarium (electric green). They are not a solution for algae booms. Make sure your water conditions are the proper ones and you will do fine. Best of luck.

Answer 2

First off, the reason for having bad algae growth in the tank to begin with is from high levels of nitrates, which is caused from organic debris to build up in the aquarium. Many times it can build up in porous surfaces like live rock, which is why having powerheads directly on them is important. The powerheads will blow and debris off the live rock and keep them clean.

For cleaning live rock think of it as neither being seeded nor cured. You can remove anything that looks dead or weak, and you must remove algae if you want the live rock to survive. You can use a toothbrush to scrub the algae off the rock, but keep it submersed in water at all times. Then put the rock back and allow it to re grow.

Answer 3

I would say call a pet store and talk to them about it. I was told to leave the algae alone and it would take care of itself with snails and crabs. Test your water and see if all of your levels are in line. If they aren't then you might need to do a water change. It is possible you could remove some of the algae while doing the water change. I am new to this and have only had a saltwater tank for over a month but I do test my water on a regular basis. Your lights shouldn't be kept on for more than 4-6 hours for the first month or so of having the tank because it will produce excess algae. I would call a fish store and talk to them about it. They may say leave it and let the snails and crabs take care of it. Good luck.