Extreme Algae Problem

[Tangster]

i have just had an extreme hair algae outbreak and it is to the point where my corals are being constrained and not opening to their full extent. i need to figure out a way to stop the hair algae. i have been using RO/DI for about 2 months and nothing has changed. only curtain algae has died off like the brown dust like algae that is usually on the glass. i am using a canister filter, but will be upgrading to a new 90g tank within a month hopefully. the new setup will include a protein skimmer, and refugium. i also have a UV sterilizer that i have running off a powerhead just as a last ditch effort. i have no idea if it will change anything.
i am also now trying to figure out if i could kill off algae by just using white less 1200k or just my 460nm blue LEDs. will this do anything or do you have any better ideas. if not please give me ideas to ad to my new tank and hopefully never experience this problem again.

 

[cmantis]

When was the last time you cleaned the canister filter? That can become a nitrate factory if not done regularly. Also have you tested the TDS of the rodi water? Can you get a picture of the Alge it could be bryopsis and not gha.

 

[marrone]

First, list what size tank you have and how long it's been running. Also are you running anything like a skimmer, refug or reactors. Then what are your levels, especially nitrates. Depending upon your setup and levels you may need to do large water changes and or run a reactors to help eliminate your phosphates.

 

[Tangster]

tank size-55G
nitrates-0 the algae is consuming it so it is unknown
ph-8.2
ammonia-0
nitrite-0

i cleaned the canister about a month ago, i have no sump. i had upgraded to a 90 gallon in june, a week later the tank had a seem failure and i had to switch back to the 55 gallon. my whole system was disturbed and i have had problems with algae ever since. i hope to try again with a different 90 gallon within a few weeks and this time i plan to add a sump and get rid of the canister filter

 

[marrone]

I can't believe your nitrates are zero, especially with all the hair algae that you say you have. I would suggest to get another test kit and retest. At this point you want to remove the rocks and scrub off as much of the hair algae as you can. Then do a number of water changes to bring your levels down. Check for any build up of garbage in the tank, especially under and around rocks, you can siphon this out when you do your water changes. You also should add a reactor and run something to help remove your phosphates.

 

[dubs]

Def check ur test kit ur level cant be on point like that andbur have algy like u are to save u the headache of try tO remove gha which is a pita u can get a sea hare those thing will have ur tank free of gha in no time but u still have find and solve the issue a fuge with macro and and reactor will def help u with some of thw issues ur having

 

[Tangster]

well when i looked up how the nitrates could be so low, most people said that the hair algae is consuming the nitrates so therefor it comes up as 0-10 ppt. so i don't think there is any real way to verify my nitrates. i have used this test kit many times before and it works fine. when i retest it still comes up the same.

 

[kres1024]

It is very possible to have no nitrates and high phosphate which are causing the hair algae ..Bacteria will consume nitrates and phosphates at a specific ratio, which might differ from the ratio they are created in our tanks. So when one zeroes out it becomes a limiting factor and the other starts to accumulate.
Thats why it is best to keep a background level of Nitrates in your tank, a real time zero level of nitrate is not ideal, you need nitrates to remove PO4.

Its a balancing act.

 

[Tangster]

well last week when i tested, the nitrates were 10ppt so they have been going up and down slightly. before RO/DI water my tap read 40 ppt

 

[cmantis]

Clean canister and cut back on your lighting but it won't go away quickly. If you want to speed it up you can add sea hare but you still need to deal with root cause.

 

[duke62]

Do what marrone said

 

[Tangster]

how much should i cut back on with the lighting. i cut back about a week ago to about 7-8 hours. i run 1200k white LEDs and 460 nm blue LEDs. i read that the blue LEDS can acually help algae growth so should i just run my whites? i also cut the algae off the rocks today and i am getting water ready for a water change. i am not sure how much time i have to scrub the rocks, but i will definitely do my best with that. when i switch tanks i will be scrubbing all the rocks and adding more so i will make sure no hair algae travels to the new tank.

 

[cmantis]

If anything whites will not blue but don't be concerned by that cut it to like 4-5hrs and clean that canister.

 

[duromega]

check your test kit, with the description above and running a canister I bet your nitrates are more than 40 ppm

get a reef ready fish tank as soon as you can and setup a proper filtration system your issue is gonna continue if you don't run the proper filtration

 

[Tangster]

i am currently building the sump so it won't be ready for at least a week, i wish i could just hook it up already. within a few weeks i will be upgrading. hopefully halloween. i was in such a rush to get into the hobby when i started that i didn't really research at all, and now i am regretting it because now i have learned that i really need better equipment than an old canister filter, especially seeing that i want to have corals.

i am probably one of the youngest hobbyists on this site so it usually isn't very easy for me to just simple go out and buy whatever equipment i need. especially seeing as i chose one of the most expensive hobbies. my last upgrade i rushed and then payed for it later so this time i have being extra careful and going slower through the process. although inside i just want to get my tank set up.