High flow = zero hair algae....??

[JT101]

OK, so maybe not zero and maybe not all the time but...

I have a recurring hair algae problem but the weird thing is it's only in half my tank! On the left side I have a nice coralline-encrusted Fiji rock that has a Vortech MP10 blowing right through it. It is clean as a whistle.

On the other side of the tank I have some knobbier LR, also full of coralline. Problem is: This side is periodically plagued with HA. I took all these rocks out a few months ago and scrubbed them "raw" in a bucket of ASW until all the HA was gone. I thought I had the problem licked but it slowly came back. It actually came and went a couple times but I really want to find the source.

Now, I have wondered if the high flow on the opposite side of the tank was keeping the LR on that side so pristine so I have considered getting a second MP10 for the opposite side. Before I blow $235 on a guess, do you think its just pure coincidence that the clean rock bas the MP10 on it, or could that really be the answer? Or maybe the "bad" rocks are saturated with phosphate?

I am really distressed by how my tank looks and I really want it clean again. PS - I have run BRS GFO for a long time but even then I had HA so I just gave up on it in case you ask. Also, I only have a total of three fish in this 46g bowfront - 2 oscellaris owns and an anthias and some soft corals.

 

[cmantis]

Where did the other rock come from? Its quite possible it is leaching phosphates.

 

[bizzarro]

Is the rocks porous? I find porous rocks tends to trap detritus more easily which the HA will feed on even if the pump is blowing on the rock directly.

 

[ChrisB]

I know you said you ran Gfo , what is you current phos at , What is your WC sched and are you a heavy feeder?

 

[FocusReefing]

Ive had HA attached to the outlet of the return and to power heads. I dont think it cares as much about flow as it does excess nutrients.

 

[peteyboyny]

Dumb question...could there be any ambient sunlight hitting that particular area of the tank, at ANY part of the day?

 

[mbg75]

Rock is most likely Leaching po4.
Scrubing the rock won't get that out.
If you can remove algae covered rock, u can treat it in separate container to remove po4.
I bet in a separate container that rock will have po4 that is extremely high

 

[Fasthackem]

My Solution when I had this problem

Hey JT.

I had a very similar issue last year.

After multiple rounds of ChemiClean, loading my redactor up with RowaPhos, and dosing Microbacter, I only dented the problem. I went out and bought a dozen Turban Snails. Within 2 weeks my HA problem was nonexistent.

Sometimes nature has the best solutions.

 

[vio]

Rock is most likely Leaching po4.
Scrubing the rock won't get that out.
If you can remove algae covered rock, u can treat it in separate container to remove po4.
I bet in a separate container that rock will have po4 that is extremely high

+1, Scrubbing live rock , is Tricky, if u use small container and use same water and take u time, will be the worst, u remove the HA u see, but u kill everything inside the Rock by keeping the rocks in that container, very low O2 .

 

[ChrisB]

I had same prob since I did a an Upgrade/move and used dry rock my phos was 0.38.
Weekly water changes and changed gfo n carbon every 2 weeks. I brought it down to 0.03 in a month 1/2 time. I did not want to bring it down drastically to quick. Last time I did some corals bleached on me. Plus if you have a fuge with Macro algae trim it , will stimulate plant growth utilizing phos. Phos is a never ending battle lol

 

[Ariel110G]

I?m having the same problem with one of my large rock I got this rock from a MR member that his tank was top notch!! His tanks was Tank of the Month once, I have a MP10 on my 75G, I?m looking to get a MP40 for more flow, but no $$ for that now, after getting my MP10 I don?t want to go back to a hydor koralia.

 

[ChrisB]

https://www.fish-street.com/jebao_wp-25_8000l_wave_maker


I got 1 of these and it cranks