T5 light & hair algae

[Tangquestador]

Water parameters are

Calcium 460
Magnesium 1360
Phosphate 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0
Ammonia 0
Alkalinity 12 (a bit low today)


October 2011 major power outrage for 4 days... Fish survived for the most part even with water temperture going down to 68F.....once that occurred Major break out and a battle of me and hair algae.....I took all the fish out (No corals) and turned the lights off for 2 months. As a result of picking it off the rocks, dosing higher magnesium level...the 2 month battle finally won by me.


Switched to t5's back in early September...bulbs are new....


Hair algae is beginning to cheap back in....I was told by another hobbyist that t5s do make hair algae control a bit more difficult and that it is the nature of the beast.


I was wondering what others are experiencing and if there is something I can do to keep the algae at bay.


Thanks.

[tjm80]

I am currently on the winning side of a nasty battle with hair algae. My bulbs got old and I also began getting a bad hair algae outbreak. Changed bulbs and it started to go away... then one day boom, it was back! I manually removed much of it for it to simply return within a day or two.

Tried dosing magnesium, didn't work. Adjusted timers to reduce light, not much help. Tried Algaefix Marine, helped, but also killed my cheato which made the hair algae problem worse. Then I broke down and bought a GFO reactor from BRS. I put it in my sump on June 6th, then had to go out of town for the next 4 days. When I got back about 25% of the algae was a very light green/white color and was dying!

It's been running for the past 2 weeks and 90% of my algae is gone. I'm still removing a ton of it every few days manually, but it won't be long before this battle will be over!!

[tjm80]

Also, the easiest method for manual removal is to get a small plastic bowl and either fill it with RO/DI or tank water. When you pull some HA out, dip your fingers in the water to remove it all.

[Jake337]

I also use t5s and have never grown any hair algae. I don't overfeed and I believe your tank probably has too many phosphates which is the cause of the algae outbreak.

[Sniperhank]

It is probably a phosphate issue. I had similar in my 55 reef under my radions that I am finally winning. It started because I forgot to change the filters on my RO/DI. It was a field of it. I won the battle by getting my RO/DI back in order...this time with a TDS meter to make sure it doesn't happen again. Between that, manual removal prior to water changes, and a lawnmower blenny...it went away. Was great.

[bavass]

I have T5's no hair algae. You have a nutrient problem, your nitrates and phosphates are reading 0 because the algae is using it up before you can test it. Treat your tank as if you have high levels, do water changes, take rock out and srcub off

[Schism]

Originally Posted by bavass

I have T5's no hair algae. You have a nutrient problem, your nitrates and phosphates are reading 0 because the algae is using it up before you can test it. Treat your tank as if you have high levels, do water changes, take rock out and srcub off

^yep, running gfo during this process can help along with larger than average water changes making sure you are siphoning out any detritus. Also i would figure out where your nutrients are coming from or the problem will reappear. Lights have absolutely nothing to do with the problem, its the nutrients feeding the algae.

What type filtration?
Overfeeding?
Overstocked?
Hows your maintenance schedule?

[Tangquestador]

What type filtration?
Overfeeding?
Overstocked?
Hows your maintenance schedule?


Answers:

Phosphate reactor using Phosban

Overfeeding? No, my fish are lucky if they get fed

Overstocked...I would say no...just one small 3"-4" Yellow tang
1 6" Scribbled Rabbit fish and a wrasse that prefers to live in the over flow

I test water paramaters 3x a week

Filtration I use a Skimmer (big one) clean that out once a week
Calcium Reactor
Phosphate Reactor
Water from main tank and refugium empty into a hang on box I modified
and inthat I have a phosphate matt, polyfiber matt, carbon matt, ammonia matt...and those get replaced every two weeks

Alkalinity was at 14 on Thursday
Phosphate tests I use 2 of them keep reading zero
Nitrites, Nitrates, are all zero
Magnesium I dosed so it went to 1450

Oh and I use a Denitrator coil too.....

[Sniperhank]

It is odd that you run so much to prevent spikes and you still have an issue with phosphates...How big of a tank is this?

[crister13]

Just a guess.......are your overflow boxes filled with detritus? The inside of denitrator coil may have a lot f buildup....... Idk tho.

[Schism]

I would think some sort of maintenance islacking