Is my new lighting causing my hair algae problem?

[melosu58]

A Good check list for hair algea

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

[Lowsdime]

Originally Posted by edmond

My Mandarin seems to be doing fine, I've had him for over a month now. He was captive bred and the LFS said he was eating frozen brine. However, I haven't seen him eat any of the brine shrimp that I feed the tank with. I see him picking at the live rock all the time so I'm guessing he's finding things he likes to eat in there.

You mind telling me how much you paid? My lfs has an Ora for 100$ I think they're a little high, but they're always flexible on theyre prices but I haven't inquired about the mandarin and if they'll budge at all

[mr_X]

it usually takes a couple months for them to starve to death if that's going to happen.

[Tchndie]

I would upgrade the lights to T5 s. Also do you rinse your frozen food with rodi water before feeding it to your tank ? If not that could be another reason you have algea growing. Start rinsing frozen food with rodi water and I would add a reactor with GFO in it. Gfo will help take out the phosphates out of the water.

[Gregcoyote]

Mandarins...drat them all. I love them, have a huge 20 year old reef teeming with pods and I still cannot keep them for more than 6 months. I am done with them as I can't stand to watch them die anymore. Heard all the stories about keeping one in a fish bowl for 5 years, but in my experience it is all baloney.

[Lowsdime]

Originally Posted by Gregcoyote

Mandarins...drat them all. I love them, have a huge 20 year old reef teeming with pods and I still cannot keep them for more than 6 months. I am done with them as I can't stand to watch them die anymore. Heard all the stories about keeping one in a fish bowl for 5 years, but in my experience it is all baloney.

Ahh man that's awful, I really want one but if that's the out come I dunno if I want to :-/

[Gregcoyote]

Do your own research. I don't know everything. I can only say for myself that I have learned when enough is enough. Not everything in the sea needs to be collected and put into artificial conditions. Research is one thing, but killing organisms because of lack of knowledge or ego is not a good use of live stock. I want to grow things, not kill them.

[edmond]

Originally Posted by Lowsdime

You mind telling me how much you paid? My lfs has an Ora for 100$ I think they're a little high, but they're always flexible on theyre prices but I haven't inquired about the mandarin and if they'll budge at all

I must have been mistaken then, he isn't captive bred because I only paid $20 for him. My lfs must have meant that he has been "trained" to eat frozen brine.

[edmond]

Originally Posted by Tchndie

I would upgrade the lights to T5 s. Also do you rinse your frozen food with rodi water before feeding it to your tank ? If not that could be another reason you have algea growing. Start rinsing frozen food with rodi water and I would add a reactor with GFO in it. Gfo will help take out the phosphates out of the water.

I usually take water from the tank to defrost my frozen brine in it then use a turkey baster to feed the corals. The water from my tank comes from my RODI system. You think I should strain the brine and rinse it with my rodi water?

[edmond]

Originally Posted by melosu58

A Good check list for hair algea

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

Thanks for this. I have been doing most of the thing on that list. Except I am afraid to leave my lights off for too long. How long can my coral and anemone survive without light? Can they get by with as little as 3 hours a day?

[Lowsdime]

Thanks for you help w the mandarin advise, didn't mean to hijack the thread

[senemedar]

Originally Posted by Lowsdime

Thanks for you help w the mandarin advise, didn't mean to hijack the thread

Yes... If we could back to the root as I have the same problem - the algae is everywhere!! I only feed my fishes once a day in the evening - is it ok for them to not have any food for a day or two? Also - if I leave the light off for a couple days, won't it hurt my plants? (Not that they are fine now with algae everywhere...)
Also I read something about more Nitrates in the tank - won't it hurt the fishes? What's the correct level for Nitrates, as mine is close to 0...

HELP? Please?

[Gregcoyote]

Originally Posted by senemedar

Yes... If we could back to the root as I have the same problem - the algae is everywhere!! I only feed my fishes once a day in the evening - is it ok for them to not have any food for a day or two? Also - if I leave the light off for a couple days, won't it hurt my plants? (Not that they are fine now with algae everywhere...)
Also I read something about more Nitrates in the tank - won't it hurt the fishes? What's the correct level for Nitrates, as mine is close to 0...

HELP? Please?

You want nitrites, ammonia, nitrates, etc. as close to zero as humanly possible. Plants love nitrates. But algae is a plant and it loves the nitrates too.

Look at your makeup water, be sure it isn't loaded with organics.
Reduce your feeding schedule
Reduce the duration of lighting during the day
Add a protein skimmer if you already don't have one, be sure it is running efficiently
Look into a lawnmower blenny or other efficient green algae eaters.