adding refugium to help combat algae?

[drobbins]

(15 gallon reef tank) I've had a bad geen hair algae bloom and am slowly battleing it. I'm thinking about adding a refugiume with some mangrove in it. Does this sound like a good idea? Currently, Im syphoning, pulling, reduced the time on the lights, water changes, and nitrate remover in the biowheel filter.
Also, if I did add a refugiume, that would replace the biowheel filter, right?
Any thoughts?

 

[demodiki]

Your hair algae is most likely due to nutrients in your water. A sump/refugium would help with this problem. Instead of adding mangrove, i would look to add some chaeto.

What kind of water are you using? RO/DI? What is the phosphate level of your make up water? What is the tds reading of your water?

What are you feeding? How much LR do you have? DSB?

 

[drobbins]

I'm using RO. I havn't checked phosphate or tds levels. I plan on reading up on that. (Are there kits for those?)
I wasn't exactly sure what you meant by "what are you feeding". In my tank is a clown, two gobies, 2 shrimp, snails and hermits. I have a leather, polyps, ricordea(sp?), acrapora, and anemone. I use frozen brine shrimp every other day(about a fourth of the little cube) or so and about once a week I use a squirt of phytoplankton.
As for LR, not sure the wieght but about 25% of the tank is LR. There's no more than 2" of sand.
Thank you so much for your reply

 

[melosu58]

Yes check your tank for nitrates and phosphates. These are fuel for hair algea.