Still fighting h algae. Lights out?

[Scotty Fraiser]

Still having problems with hair algae. Think I have figured out how to turn the lighting time down. How long can I go completely lights out. I read somewhere a while back 3 days. Should I put a blanket over tank? Have mostly soft corals with 2 nems. Parameters are good and phosphates read 0. I'm sure bc it's in the algae. Also should I let the hair algae grow in fuge with the chaeto algae?

 

[Mebbid]

Still having problems with hair algae. Think I have figured out how to turn the lighting time down. How long can I go completely lights out. I read somewhere a while back 3 days. Should I put a blanket over tank? Have mostly soft corals with 2 nems. Parameters are good and phosphates read 0. I'm sure bc it's in the algae. Also should I let the hair algae grow in fuge with the chaeto algae?

When was the last time you checked your parameters and phosphates? You really shouldn't get out of control algae growth unless you have high nitrates / phosphates.

I seriously doubt the wisdom of doing a full tank blackout with 2 nems in it. They will tend to move to find a better place and can decimate a tank if something bad happens to them.

The hair algae needs to be removed from both the fuge and the DT or else the hair algae will just keep spreading from the fuge back into the DT.

 

[aadair22]

If you do a blackout, the HA will die, release phosphates all into your tank, and as soon as the lights come back on, it will come back with a vengeance. I don't know how the nems would like a black out.. Maybe a day or 2 would be ok but I wouldn't do 3. Also, if you do this, make sure you have a BIG water change ready and do it before you turn the lights back on, this will help remove some of the phos

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

Thanks for the response. Will check all parameters tonight and repost. Been battling this stuff for a while. Added chaeto. Bought reactor. 25 gall pwc every week to no avail! Not sure what else to do. According to Hanna phos checker phos is 0. Which is hard to believe. Running reactor with several cups of phosguard.

 

[Mebbid]

Rubber band some plastic tubing to a tooth brush so you can brush the algae off while siphoning it out and you won't have to worry about it spreading as much. It really is a battle of attrition to get rid of hair algae that has gotten as bad as yours is.

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

Am I overstocked. 110 mixed reef with 35 gall sump.
Sailfin tang
Yellow tang
Hippo tang
2 engineer gobies
Coral beauty
6 tiny blue and yellow damsels
2 nems
Starfish
Assortment of small crabs 2 turbo
3 clownfish

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

Have been siphoning weekly through filter sock in sump. It will only come loose when it is long. Fuzz stays bh and continues to grow. Bound and determined to beat this stuff. Have too much time in it to let it beat me. Not to mention cash! Cuc does a good job on the flat spots but not so good o. The steeped slopes. Added a couple sea hares about two weeks ago and have not seen them since! 150 lbs of live rock.

 

[Mebbid]

When the green hair algae is broken up, all of the parts that break off are able to grow more algae. A lot of this is invariably getting stuck to your live rock so it is really helping spread the algae around rather than eradicate it. It would work a lot better if you were siphoning the algae out the exact same time you are scraping it out to get all of the stray bits that might be floating around.


Check out this link. DIY Aquarium Tips & Gallery at Blane Perun's TheSea.Org

 

[Andyden71]

A question regarding this tread I hear the white light feeds the algae is that right ??? I also heard blue light doesn't so could you turn white lights off earlier so reduce the amount of white light but leave the blue lights on for coral and nems as the preferre blue light is this right and could you do it thanks

 

[Animal-Chin]

I've had 3 tanks and each has had it's algae issue. With everything I've tried I truly believe (my opinion) that you can't kill algae by reducing light or even blacking out. To really get rid of hair algae you have to remove it manually and reduce nitrates/phosphates to zero. I got so pissed at hair algea once I took the rock out and decided to re cure it. I put it in a bucket of water in my garage in the dark. I went back a month later, took the lid off and I kid you not it wasn't all dead, there was still some green strings on the rock. No way will blacking out your tank for a few days get rid of it...

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

Since it has gotten hot here in Arkansas my temp has been 80 at night and 81 in the daytime. Put fan on it today hoping to lower it a little. Will these higher temps encourage more algae growth. Is this adding to the problem? Running maxspect LEDs with no chiller. Room temp is a constant 69 degrees.

 

[Mebbid]

Since it has gotten hot here in Arkansas my temp has been 80 at night and 81 in the daytime. Put fan on it today hoping to lower it a little. Will these higher temps encourage more algae growth. Is this adding to the problem? Running maxspect LEDs with no chiller. Room temp is a constant 69 degrees.

The temperature shouldn't effect the algae growth any.

 

[Jaketit]

How much flow you have in your tank and how much are you feeding??

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

I'm feeding every other day. Alternating granules and frozen rods food. Over skimming. Only a couple small pinches of granules. Nothing hits the floor. Testing parameters again right now. Red Sea phos shows .06. Hanna shows 0. Nitrates show o on Red Sea.

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

As far as flow goes. I bought two 600 gph heads about a month ago. I also have two 1600 ? Gph on each end of the tank plus the return. Not sure how big it is. My tank is a 110 and it is deep. That makes it even harder to clean the algae.

 

[Mebbid]

Sometimes it feels like this is the only option for getting rid of algae.

Just keep at it and you will eventually win the war. If I were you I would even increase the frequency that manual removal is performed.

This link has some good ideas on controlling hair algae

Nuisance Algae ID Guide

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

Phos .06 (0 on Hanna)

Nitrate o
Alk 8.1
Cal 430
Mag 1500
Extremely disgusted and frustrated. Help please!

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

Haha. I liked the picture!!!!

 

[Scotty Fraiser]

Any other suggestions?

Mr x?