More Hair Algae Problems!... response appreciated

[Snorkel in my tank]

There has been a lot of talk about hair algae lately, but please help me out with this...

I have red hair algae growing everywhere, it is killing stuff, growing on my polyps, ect. People on this board told me that they thought it was because i have been using tap water and DI should fix the problem. I have new ideas/questions since then, does anyone think that they could be more of a factor than the treated tap water?

1) The tank is only 14 months old, but there is a fair amount of organic matter mixed in with my shells and sand, when I clean the glass it makes a huge cloud and then settles again. Is this normal? Could this be the red algae cause?

2) Should I put a power head on the sand bed and lower rocks where a lot of it/most of it is and blast it out? (its really loose and easy blast out) Could it be occurring partially due to lack of current down there?

3) I use DT phytoplancton and Reef Solution which is an all-in-one additive of trace elements and vitamins.... could over using either of these be the cause or contributing to the red hairy algae?


Thanks a lot in advance to anyone with suggestions.

 

[Mikef1]

I would try cutting down on the DTs and other additives. What are you keeping? You nedd to get more current so you dont have any dead spots in the tank. Also do you have a skimmer if so which one?

 

[Snorkel in my tank]

okay you asked for it...

I didn't use a skimmer for the first 9 months and fed a little heavily, but I have a Berlin Red Sea Skimmer for up to 180 gallons (it doesn't make hardly any liquid waste, just very thick green/black bubbles sometimes). I have a 150 gallon tank with about 60 pounds of live rock (I know it's not much but I have a ten square foot sand bed and a wet dry filter, and wanted a lot of open of open space... I figure the coral and fish i have would not over stock a 75 gallon tank, so its like adding open water to that system.... another issue... any comments?) a huge bubble coral that is losing one of its six major branches, it won't open and I don't know why, three different kinds of open brain corals, a gargonian, an anemone, a torch coral, a large umbrella coral, a bunch of polyps and a few other little corals, all soft, an antheas, a sail fin, pacific blue and yellow tang, rabbit fish, little clown, long nose hawk fish, dottyback, three cardinals and a cleaner shrimp.


my current is okay, don't know how to measure it but I use two Magdrive 950's, and they get the water moving pretty well in my 5' by 2' by 2' 150 gallon tank... when i used to have a power head in there too my bubble would open, it didn't like the extra current... but i could try and blast some of that algae out, maybe see how the bubble handled it now that it is acclimated.


I know thats a lot of info, but if any of it gives anyone any ideas, please let me know, becuase I really want to nail down some of these issues and get it more stable, Thanks!

 

[Lostmind]

Do you test your water param's?

Sounds like you have a fair amount of fish - 11, including 3 tangs...

That skimmer, is on the small side for your tank imo. I had the same one on my 120 and it sucks compared to my aqua-c 180.

If the bubble doesnt like the current blowing at it, face the powerhead away from the bubble.

 

[Snorkel in my tank]

Do you test your water param's?

Sounds like you have a fair amount of fish - 11, including 3 tangs...

That skimmer, is on the small side for your tank imo. I had the same one on my 120 and it sucks compared to my aqua-c 180.

If the bubble doesnt like the current blowing at it, face the powerhead away from the bubble.

Thanks a lot for the feedback. Yeah, there are a few, but the fish are all medium to small size, and 65 or so pounds of live rock, a big sand bed and a wet dry filter that turns over at least 10 times an hour should be adequate filtration, right? I have heard aqua-c is very good. My water param's are nitrite and ammonia= 0 and nitrate= 10. Not sure about phosphate and ph. The tank is pretty big and the bubble is in the middle, so anywhere I face a power heard that isn't directly dispersing the flow against a wall will make enough current to piss it off. But I'll try again, see if its more acclimated than before and more hardy about the current.

Any other comments? I'm starving for them, I started reefing 14 months ago, this is my first reef tank, I've read a few books and articles and learned from limited experience, but of course I am finding out that it is all more complicated than it seems at first when you get the basics down and your corals grow for a year very well... I'm kind of in that second phase of struggling to understand the issues/methods people disagree on, sorting out the bad from the useful opinions and applying them to my tank.

 

[Anonymous]

you need more flow.

....i just thought that needed to be stated twice.

 

[Anonymous]

wet dry!?!?!?

what are you using for media?

 

[Snorkel in my tank]

wet dry!?!?!?

what are you using for media?

Yeah wet dry to supliment the filtration capabilties, 65 pounds of live rock wouldn't cut it would it? I'm using bio bale for media. A square foot of it. You think the problem is not enough flow, or its just an issue? Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

wet dry!?!?!?

what are you using for media?

Yeah wet dry to supliment the filtration capabilties, 65 pounds of live rock wouldn't cut it would it? I'm using bio bale for media. A square foot of it. You think the problem is not enough flow, or its just an issue? Thanks.

if you have detritus building up on the bottom of the tank then you need more flow.
i think the combination of tap water additions, heavy feeding, lack of skimming and low flow have led to your present condition.
there could be more.
keep the skimmer going full time and up the flow. i would add some phosphate removal media if i needed to as well as carbon if my water was yellowed.

i would think the sand and liverock would be enough to provide your biofiltration needs.
some people love wet/drys. i don't because they can get mucked up with organics. you sound as though you have plenty of organics but use the wet/dry if you prefer.

 

[Snorkel in my tank]

i think the combination of tap water additions, heavy feeding, lack of skimming and low flow have led to your present condition.
there could be more.
keep the skimmer going full time and up the flow. i would add some phosphate removal media if i needed to as well as carbon if my water was yellowed.

Thanks for putting it in perspective for me. Any other opinions?

 

[hillbilly]

I agree with podman. Sounds like your tank has a lot of food for the algae.

 

[Snorkel in my tank]

Okay great, I'm glad there is some consensus... one more question for anyone: does the fact that it is bright red algae indicate anything? Isn't most hair algae a dull dark green color? The bright red seems pretty distinctive and i was wondering if its color holds any clues as to its cause.... ? Any ideas? Thanks very much to everyone who who has suggested things to me so far.

 

[JohnD]

Besides all of the extra food, I think you need to have something stirring up your sand bed. Did you seed yours with live sand from another established tank? Do you have and queen conchs, fighting conchs or other sand stirrers? That can help alot.

HTH

 

[cdeakle]

Not sure about phosphate and ph

NOT SURE ABOUT PH??????? WHAT???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????????

 

[Anonymous]

Okay great, I'm glad there is some consensus... one more question for anyone: does the fact that it is bright red algae indicate anything? Isn't most hair algae a dull dark green color? The bright red seems pretty distinctive and i was wondering if its color holds any clues as to its cause.... ? Any ideas? Thanks very much to everyone who who has suggested things to me so far.

That souds like cyanobacteria not hair algae.
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