Hair algae

[Flyin Fish]

Just finished cycling. I have noticed and increase in hair algae. I haven't been "feeding" the tank, my nitrites=0, nitrates=0, ammonia=0, ph=8.2. How can I stop this? I'm just afraid of the problem running away from itself.

 

[TigerBarbs]

Phosphates are your problem I bet. Its part of a new tank too. Everybody gets it. Just stay on track with water changes. Running some gfo would help. How long are your lights on?

 

[crister13]

Also natural sunlight will increase growth.

 

[Readingexcalibur]

Not saying this is a fix all to your problem. Normally you would need to get to the root of the issue first. But emerald crabs love to dine on some hairline algae.

 

[Flyin Fish]

Today I put a yellow Tang 3 turbo snails and 3 hermit crabs. They had it cleaned up in a few hours. The tang started eating after about 10 minutes and didn't stop all day! Definitely going to look into the cause. I don't have a phosphate test today but suspect the carbon I got in bulk from the lfs may be bad. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

 

[Schism]

Today I put a yellow Tang 3 turbo snails and 3 hermit crabs. They had it cleaned up in a few hours. The tang started eating after about 10 minutes and didn't stop all day! Definitely going to look into the cause. I don't have a phosphate test today but suspect the carbon I got in bulk from the lfs may be bad. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

Slow down. What size tank is this?

Carbon will not cause an algae problem. Algae is caused by light and nutrients (nitrate and phosphate). Adding things to eat it doesnt do much when you consider the fish eats it and poos it right back out into nutrients that feeds more algae. You have to break the cycle by removing the source.

More info on your setup would help a lot. Also algae in a new tank is normal. If its excessive growth then its a problem.

 

[MikeYQM]

Carbon can leach phosphates if not rinsed or soaked well; especially if it's low grade.

 

[TigerBarbs]

Slow down. What size tank is this?

Carbon will not cause an algae problem. Algae is caused by light and nutrients (nitrate and phosphate). Adding things to eat it doesnt do much when you consider the fish eats it and poos it right back out into nutrients that feeds more algae. You have to break the cycle by removing the source.

More info on your setup would help a lot. Also algae in a new tank is normal. If its excessive growth then its a problem.

It's fine to add that. Inverts are almost 0 bioload. More info would be helpful though.

 

[melosu58]

FantasyReef Databases-Viewing item "10 Step Plan for Nuisance Algae Control"

 

[Schism]

It's fine to add that. Inverts are almost 0 bioload. More info would be helpful though.

Never said it wasnt ok, im more concerned about the tang. Adding things to fix a problem will never work.

Oh and about the carbon i was assuming its used properly. Low grade carbon is exactly that so why buy it to begin with.

 

[Flyin Fish]

It's a 100 gallon tank (as advertised). My calculations put it at closer to 90g. 60x18x20.

20g Sump
reef octopus in sump skimmer
Magnum 350 filter
Carbon bed under overflow
korallin 1502 calcium reactor (not hooked up at moment)
60" aquaticlife t-5 HO light fixture
2x 12k 54 watts
2x 460 54 watts
950 gph return
2 x 1200 gph circulation pumps

Cycled with 40 lb live rock and later added 50 lb dry rock. 60 lbs aragonite and 2 cups live sand.

 

[Schism]

It's a 100 gallon tank (as advertised). My calculations put it at closer to 90g. 60x18x20.

20g Sump
reef octopus in sump skimmer
Magnum 350 filter
Carbon bed under overflow
korallin 1502 calcium reactor (not hooked up at moment)
60" aquaticlife t-5 HO light fixture
2x 12k 54 watts
2x 460 54 watts
950 gph return
2 x 1200 gph circulation pumps

Cycled with 40 lb live rock and later added 50 lb dry rock. 60 lbs aragonite and 2 cups live sand.

Looks good. Just something to be aware of, canisters can cause a nutrient problem in turn causing an algae problem. I dont recommend them however something that could help with you algae that i see you dont have is a GFO reactor. Cheap and no reason not to have one. It will constantly help keep your phosphates in check and help avoid algae problems.

 

[Flyin Fish]

Checked phosphates they are at 0.
The overall water quality is better than ever and the critters are very active and eating constantly exposing more and more Coraline. Will definitely let it rest and make sure things are stable before adding anything else. I'm not a big fan of canisters either but I had this one and decided to give it a shot. It seems to work fairly well, but I also clean it 2-3 times a week.
I appreciate all your comments.

 

[Schism]

Checked phosphates they are at 0.
The overall water quality is better than ever and the critters are very active and eating constantly exposing more and more Coraline. Will definitely let it rest and make sure things are stable before adding anything else. I'm not a big fan of canisters either but I had this one and decided to give it a shot. It seems to work fairly well, but I also clean it 2-3 times a week.
I appreciate all your comments.

Thats a good cleaning schedule for it. Also testing 0 phosphates does not mean your phosphates are 0. Algae binds phosphate and nitrate only way to get out the nitrate and phosphate is to manually remove it. It getting eat only frees up that nitrate and phosphate for more algae. The process will continue. To eliminate it you have to remove it along with controlling all nutrients.

 

[Flyin Fish]

Thats a good cleaning schedule for it. Also testing 0 phosphates does not mean your phosphates are 0. Algae binds phosphate and nitrate only way to get out the nitrate and phosphate is to manually remove it. It getting eat only frees up that nitrate and phosphate for more algae. The process will continue. To eliminate it you have to remove it along with controlling all nutrients.

That's good to know. I obviously still have a lot to learn. I'll keep an eye on it and see if it returns. I'm not in a hurry and am trying to do this right, but as it goes when I think I have something figured out and take the next step I always come across something I missed.

 

[TigerBarbs]

That's the great thing about saltwater; there's always more and more to learn!

 

[Schism]

Understanding water chemistry and biology of marine organisms is key. Obviously this is a vast subject thats hard to wrap your head around but alot of information that will help you understand so much even if you learn a little it can go a long way in avoiding problems and how to fix them when they occur. My head hurts thinking about how much ive read and how many hours ive poured over numerous articles, studies, youtube, forums, blogs etc. after all that and years if experience you still learn new things continuously. I still consider myself a beginner in that sense.