Algae hell

[pearsont74]

ok....i have been fighting the green hair Algae for awhile. then i added another dual VHO ligh set on and gezz......its like green hair everywhere.
I'm planning on spending the next month doing water changes every few days or so and i have a way to scrub it off the rocks but how can i prevent it from comin back this bad.
there has got to be a critter that loves to eat this stuff.
I have turbo snails and blue leg hermits and they dont messs with it
my lawmower (who btw ithink starved?? and is current MIA) didnt eat it either.
I am trying to get my tank ready for a new purchase of critters but dont want to intruduce anything else till i get this green Algae
my PS seems to be working....i need to test the water too.

 

[20 20]

Do you use RO/DI water? Run a 'fuge? Overfeed? Those seem to be the 3 questions always asked...

 

[MarineFlake]

Post water parms please?

 

[Hara]

You might find this useful:
http://www.fantasyreef.com/viewtopic.php?t=564

 

[melosu58]

Now that`s some useful information. Great thread Mrs Hara

 

[MACATUA]

Good advice.

 

[Scoot]

100% of my algae, cyano, and diatom problems went away after I got a UV filter. I've actually tripled lighting in the last month.

Maybe this is a coincidence, but after 4 months, algae dissappearing the week after I installed a UV is a sign to me.

Not a single brown spot on the sand or glass, no hair algae, none of that black stuff, nada.

I always used to have a big algae bloom (cloudy, milky white water) after a PWC of more than a few gallons. No more.

The protein skimmer did little to cut back on problem algae and diatoms (but it sure cleared up the water).

Yet, my coralline is growing like mad (with a little help from Purple Up). Even with a couple dozen snails and a blenny eating it off the back glass, I expect it will be covered with pink and purple coralline in another couple months.

YMMV

 

[pearsont74]

good call scoot...
yes i have a RO/DI system...need to replace the filters though.
i havent had red cyno in awhile but this green hair stuff is worse...
i need ottest the water but betwen my full time job....3 boys all under the age of 4 and house i dont get much time for the tank aside from keepin my fish happy and running very disappointing cause i love this

 

[seaham358]

post numbers.. nitrates, phosphates... unless you test you will not know the source and you will not know where to start.
you can still get PO4 and Nitrates from ro/di water if you start with real bad water.

 

[pearsont74]

ok...i tested my water last nite. PH is 8.2
0 nitrite and 0 nitrates
Phos is less then 0.25

 

[roka64]

What is you lighting cycle?
How much/what do you feed?

Hara does have a good link. Try some of those steps. I tried throwing a bunch of algea eaters at my problem. But I found the algea grows faster than they could keep up with. Right now I am using Hara's steps. I have noticed a huge difference.

 

[afilter]

I concur with everything in Hara's link. I had the exact same problem and finally after 2-3 months have removed it. My issue was primarily phosphates over 1.0.

The only thing I would add to Hara's link is to remove the rock from the tank to pull off the manually remove the algea if possible. Otherwise when you pull it off it releases spores into the main. Additionally I used a new tooth brush to manually scrub the algea off.

To rid the phosphate problem I checked food source and eliminated all phosphate containing food as well as added a good phosphate sponge material and changed it out frequently(at least weekly along with PWC.

It takes time, but if you diligent you can beat it.

HTH,

 

[Feron]

Oddly enough, I saw my first patch of hair algae (very short, diameter of a half dollar) this morning.
I fed well last night cause I am going off for a few days on a trip.
Had my new toothbrush in hand ready to pluck the rock out (a super pourous tonga branch stuck in the sand mainly for aesthetics) when I noticed one of my massive turbo snails moving towards the patch.
So I waited..
He devoured the whole patch in about half an hour.
Now the turbos I have are almost the size of golf balls, so maybe that's the difference?
They even go after the seaweed for the tang.. if the tang doesn't get his fill fairly quickly (in snail timelines), then the seaweed is snail food.

Is it possible your turbos are eating it, just not fast enough? Or am I just lucky to have serious grazer snails?

Not meaning to thread jack, just thought it was relevant to the discussion sort of.

 

[pearsont74]

ok...i stoppin gin a LFS and talkin to the guy there and he stirred me away from going the UV ster route and suggested alot ot the same steps....water changes ect...but also mentioned that i probablyshould should dosing the tank with supplements for the reef tank.
He recommneded the Calcium and alkalinity to lessen the amount of alega?

 

[Feron]

A UV steralizer won't rid you of algae, it just kills the spores in the water... it's a good add in my oppinion.
Not sure that C and alk will lessen the amount of algae... water changes help removes the nutrients it thrives on tho.

 

[pearsont74]

What is you lighting cycle?
How much/what do you feed?

Hara does have a good link. Try some of those steps. I tried throwing a bunch of algea eaters at my problem. But I found the algea grows faster than they could keep up with. Right now I am using Hara's steps. I have noticed a huge difference.

i have my light turn on at 8am and then off around 1 for a few hours and back on at about 4 and till at 10:30...not sure if this is too much
iahve thought about the leaving the lights off for a few days and see if that helps along with water changes.
food....every other day a pinch of flakes...i only have the 2 blue damsels and pair of clowns. my blenny is still MIA and assumed to be hermit and worm food now.

 

[roka64]

I run my light for 8 hours. I run mine from 2-10PM. It looks like you are running them a bit too long, is that about 11.5 hours? Remember light helps to feed the algae. Flakes tend to produce phosphates with algae likes, along with lights. A good variety of frozen food, mysis and brine some others, soaked (about 30 mins) in Selcor, Zoe and garlic.

 

[pearsont74]

i think ill try the no lights for a few days...then cut them back to afternoon/night time for maybe 6 hours.
i just want to this under control before intruducing more critters

thanks for all the input

 

[afilter]

...but also mentioned that i probablyshould should dosing the tank with supplements for the reef tank.
He recommneded the Calcium and alkalinity to lessen the amount of alega?

IMO, adding supplements is the worse thing you can do, unless you are first testing for the item you are adding. Proper PWC with quality salt will take care of any elements that need to be in the system including CA and ALK as long as you do them frequently.

Unfortunately the LFS is in the business to sell suppliments. If they recomended without first testing your water I would be vary wary of that LFS or at least that employee.

HTH,

 

[pearsont74]

ok....i keep teh lights off for about 4 days and almost all teh green algea is gone...i set them to only be on about half the time and ill see what happens.