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Are phosphate sponges chemically active? Is it about the same as dumping chemicals in the tank, or is it more of a fine mesh that absorbs them? I'd rather stray from the chemicals.

I know I should not get frustrated, but it's my first salt water tank, and I want it to look pristine. My friend lives in the same apartment complex, and this tank never looked like this at his place. Green cloudy water is gross.

The activated carbon will be good, but only after the water clears up. The new carbon is already in, just waiting for cleaner water to purify.

I anticipated cleaning the sponges at alternating times, but they were both awful, so I wanted to start over with them. Cleaning them in the tap was a mistake - I never even thought about using a separate bucket of tank water. Good idea!

Yeah, keeping fish while in college is tough. I have a 10gal freshwater with the same algae problem - I think it's the stronger sunlight now that it's spring. I honestly don't even know if I could get cleaner water from a fish store, however. If I could just rid the tank of the phosphates (which I really think are the problem now), that would be best. Hopefully the sponges work.

Any more information on the sponges would be helpful. Thanks again.

Well, I just bought a UV sterilizer off of eBay for a very reasonable price. It's going to get here on Wednesday thankfully, so that will really help clear up the tank a lot more quickly. I'm still going to use the PhosGuard stuff, as my phosphate levels are still a big problem.

Hopefully, using both in conjunction with one another will really help clear up the water AND make it more healthy. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one...

Thanks again everybody! Any more advice is still much appreciated!

Don't expect the phosphate remover to have an instant effect, it will take a lot longer for it to have a real visible effect. However, the seachem clarity product ought to have a much faster effect. But like I said, I've not used it myself.

Ok, so the diatom filter did nothing. I think the filter the lfs rented me was faulty. Just my luck.

I'm currently looking on eBay for a cheap UV sterilizer. If I could get that to kill the algae and use the PhosGuard to kill the phosphate explosion, I may just be ok.

I'm still super frustrated. I ought to put a link to a picture on my website here so I could show you all just how green my water is. It's so depressing.

Thanks for the help with the SeaChem Clarity stuff. I'm going to look into that.

Earlier today I bought some SeaChem PhosGuard. I plan on using this in tank to curb the phosphate spike I've got. In addition, the same lfs rented me a diatom filter. I followed all of the employee's directions, and I've been running it for about 4 or so hours now. Honestly, I only notice a little bit of difference in the water clarity. I was under the impression that this stuff should work within an hour or two? My water is still green enough that I can't see to the back wall. I was expecting clear water by bedtime, but now I'm just disappointed again. Could I have done something wrong? Or is there a possibility that this just may not work for the algae problem I've got?

The employee said he gave me more than enough powder for the 20 gal tank. I used a little more than half like he suggested and have been waiting for the water to slow down so I could rinse the filter and use the rest of the powder to finish the job. I'm almost positive that I'm using the thing the correct way.

Total frustration! I wish they could have rented me a UV sterilizer instead. That seemed like more of a guaranteed algae killer.

Thanks again for all the advice. I'm struggling.

Ozone works miracles to clear up the water, but I wouldn't recommend it to start with. The seachem product is a liquid in a bottle, I've not used it, but have been recommend it, and we're probably going to stock it in our shop too. The bottle is white with a light blue "ocean" sort of label with a red seachem logo, says "Clarity.. water clarifier" on the front.

I'm going to look for those phosphate pads tomorrow night when I go out to the store. I couldn't make it today unfortunately.

worley, could you describe the SeaChem stuff you were talking about? Is it a liquid or filter media or what? I'm still kinda new to fish stuff, and I'm really not quite sure what you're referring to. I'm definitley open to many ideas on how to clear up these tanks (quickly and permanently).

I know that I need RO water, but that just won't be able to happen in the next few weeks until I graduate from college. Until then, I'm just going to control my current phosphate explosion, and then minimize the water changes to keep a low phosphate level. Once I get the tank cleared up (algae and phosphates), I shouldn't have much need to do a water change any more frequently than once every two weeks.

Any other suggestions? I've read some stuff recently about UV sterilizers. I know that this will kill the algae, but I also realize it's a temporary fix. To keep the algae from returning I need to lower the phosphates. However, would a UV sterilizer be a good addition to jump start the cleaning, as well as provide a long term cleaner for my tank?

Thanks again! You guys have been sooooo helpful!

It's also good to remove any decaying algae when it dies off (e.g. slime algae, hair algae etc), if you have lots it can cause amonia spikes as it dies off, which will just add to your problems.
You could always try something like the Seachem "Clarity" product, it's supposed to be able to clear tanks of all clouding problems (bacterial, biological, particulate (including moving sand/rocks) and chemical).
By the way, if you use tap water, you are adding nitrates and phosphates to the tank rather than diluting them down, so R.O. water is really esential.

The ones I had lasted a few months. So it will depend on the ones you get. They work by removeing the phosphate. Then the algea has no food so it starts to die. After a while, it will be gone. This is why you should try to remove what you can first.

Dan


Dan

Ok, I'll have to ask around. There's two lfs and Petland. Petland down here is such a ripoff, so hopefully the other two local places can help me out. I'll go tomorrow and see what they have.

A few weeks, huh? Will I see any difference within the first few days at all, or will I just have to keep on waiting and hoping? Also, will one pad take care of the entire 20 gallons? What about a pad in each filter? Also, when should I plan on replacing them, and do they need rinsed off at all?

Thanks again! I'm starting to feel some hope for this tank!

You may have to ask. The ones I got were in a box. You may have to remove as much as you can by hand. After that you should start seeing a difference in a few weeks.

Dan


Dan

Ok, so the filter essentially pulls the phosphates out of the water - not adding chemicals. I just wanted to make sure before I try it. I will definitley try these things next.

The water changes so far have done nothing. I've only done 1, but the algae is just too overpowering. I have water changes on my freshwater tank full of algae every other day, and it barely helps that one.

In all honesty, the RO water probably won't happen, at least until I graduate in a month and move to my new job. I have no access to this water, except maybe at one of the local fish stores, although it's hard to say if they could even offer it to me.

I do feed my one fish frozen brine shrimp each night. I try not to overfeed, but it's hard to accurately measure a good amount of the shrimp for just one fish. Although this does not directly cause the algae, it definitley does not help the situation. Any other foods I can use and alternate between?

I haven't disturbed the live rock or sand since I got the tank 4 weeks ago. I haven't kicked up muck at all, so this hasn't been a problem.

As a last resort, I may try those chemicals you mentioned. I don't want to yet, but if it comes down to it, I'd like to rid my tank of algae soon. It looks like garbage.

Thanks again for all your input. Hopefully these phosphate sponges will work. The trick is finding some around here - I'm not sure if I've seen any at any of the stores here.

Alternatives to chemical filtering to lower phosphates are:
Small regular water changes (maybe every other day for a week then once a week (say 5-10%), make sure you use RO water, NOT tap water, of course, match the salt levels and tempreature as best as possible).
Another thing that can help, if you have fish in there, and are feeding them frozen food, try rinsing the frozen block in RO water in a net to get rid of the rubbish that the fish won't eat, it will help reduce amonia/nitrite/nitrate as well as phosphates. And DO NOT over feed!
Moving sand and rocks will often kick up detrius and algae etc, causing the water to go "muddy", if you clean the mechanical filters it will help, and carbon may help too (but don't keep it in there for more than a week really}. Of course water changes will help to dilute it down too.
If you do want to use chemical filtration to get rid of phosphates, it would be worth taking a water sample down to your LFS and getting a phosphate test done, if it's high, then try a product like AquaMedic Antiphos Fe (the Fe stuff is better than the normal one)

The sponges are like a granual in a bag. The phosphates attach to the granuals. After a while, you throw them out and add a new bag.

Dan


Dan

I just recently inherited a fully-stocked saltwater tank from a friend. It's a 20 gal with live rock. I just had a few questions, as this is my first saltwater tank, and I want to make sure I take excellent care of it. I already have some freshwater tanks, so this isn't that new to me.

Along with the live rock, there are two Aquaclear 30 power filters hanging off the back. Is this sufficient filtration? It may need new carbon - how often do you replace the carbon? Also, I've never seen anything on the live rock - how do I know if the stuff survived the transport to my apartment?

Right now, the water is a little cloudy. At first I thought that it was just a little bacterial bloom from the move, but that was three weeks ago, and it hasn't completely cleared up. How can I make the water clearer, and might this be related to the filtration?

Also, water changes. Are regular water changes necessary? Or should they just be performed on an as-needed basis?

Thanks for everybody's help. I just really want this tank to thrive and look beautiful in my apartment. The lights right now have a nasty yellowish tint, and that doesn't help the cloudy water situation. I'm going to get better lights soon that are more white.

Thanks again.

ledzepcjs

Try not to get too frusturated with this new tank. Keep your chin up, things will work out. Small tanks are often frusturating. In a small tank, it's harder to keep the water quality in perfect shape. Bigger tanks keep things steadier. So dont worry, the problems you are experiencing are perfectly normal.

Activated carbon can do wonders for fish tanks. It often adds that extra little sparkle and makes the water just that much clearer. I'd recommend changing the carbon every 4 weeks. Make sure that when you play with the foam media in the AC's, you rinse them out in a small bucket of tank water. If you rinse 'em under the tap you're going to kill off all that beneficial bacteria. Also, dont do both at the same time. Try numbering them, and put them on a four week rotation as well. Do one sponge every two weeks. You follow?

RO/DI water is probably the best way to keep the algae down. Being at college complicates things a bit though. You can go to your LFS and buy it for cheap, but then you have to drag 5 gallon buckets around. And it prolly isn't convenient at this time to have your own unit. So we're kind of at a deadlock here. Dragging buckets may be the best option if you continue to have problems and the phosphate sponges dont work. Try those first.

Good Luck.




[hr width='40%'][font color="#000080"]
My hopes are so high,
that your kiss might kill me.
So won't you kill me,
so I die happy…
[/font]



-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Phosphate sponges are cheep. It's a bag that you drop in your HOB filter and the water runs threw it. It should cost less then $10. An option for water is to go to your LFS and buy water.

Dan


Dan

Phosphates, huh? Never would have thought of that. Are those sponges a cheap solution to this? I'm not even sure what they are, and I didn't see them when I went to the fish store earlier in the week.

Yeah, I have been using tap water because I'm in college, and have no other water sources in my apartment. Reverse osmosis is expensive, and this is my first serious tank, so I've never had to worry about the algae before. Getting rid of the phosphates is now my next step in clearing up the aquarium. Ideally, it will be the last!

I've been careful about overfeeding since I got the tank, I don't leave the light on too long, and it does not receive direct sunlight. So far, I've changed the carbon, rinsed the sponge, and done a 25% water change with no luck in clearing up the water.

I have to look into this phosphate stuff now. Any ideas on brands of stuff? How does the remover work? How much will it cost? I'd be willing to spend a decent amount if it will probably clean up the water. I'm getting desperate.

Thanks again!

Are you using tap water? If so, start using RO/DI water. Phoshates in tap water feed algea. You can add phosphate sponges, that will help. You can also use kalk water to do your top offs, this tends to remove phosphates as well. Once your phosphate levels drop, teh algea will clear up.



Dan

Ok, so now I'm really at a loss. I just did a 25% water change, and it came out a lot more green than I had thought. The water isn't bacteria cloudy, but it's algae cloudy, and that's frustrating. I don't know how I'm gonna clear it up.

I don't wanna do any more of a water change, but I can't think of any other way to clear up the algae. The tank isn't even any direct sunlight, and I'm always careful not to overfeed.

Now I'm depressed, and I feel like I wasted my money on a tank that I can't even keep free of algae. There has to be a nonchemical way to ride the water of floating algae...

Thanks again.