Hair Algae issues

[ENB]

If anyone can help me with this issue it'd be great.
first a little about my system.
125G dual corner overflows
3 Radions gen 1 at 60% hanging from canopy lid about 6-8 inches of surface.
30-35G Fuge/sump with Radion Gen 1 over the fuge (i had an extra :biggrin: )
RODI unit from Buckeye Field Supply 50G a Day
2 MP40w vortech pumps synced to lights
Eshopps skimmer not sure which model it's huge though.
160+ lbs live rock.

livestock.
2x Solomon island true perc (courtesy of J10369 :splitspin: was an excellent buy)
1x Baby true perc
1x saddleback clown
1x 4.5" hippo tang
2x dispar anthias
3x baby cromis
1x red dragonet
1x green mandarin
1x red scooter blenny
2x Sea hare
1x six line wrasse
1x Flame angelfish

Corals/inverts
1x large colony of birdsnest (again courtesy of J10369)
1x small white sea urchin
1x radiant sea urchin
1x feather star
3x small colony of zoas downin the sump (for now)
5-7x small birdsnest frags also in sump (for now)
1x Clam (max something)
various small crabs and snails (i have a million baby snails) but i dont know where they go or if any of my hermit crabs still live
and bristleworms ( :frown

my water parameters are
Salinity 1.024
nitrate 20
nitrite between 0 and .5
alkalinity 240
Ph 7.8
phosphates .25
Mag 920

Red sea Mag titrate test
Mardel 5in1 test strip
API phosphate test
I had a hair algae issue a few months ago and was told to switch to RODI and add magnesium which long story short killed all my corals and all the algae.
Now the algae is coming back. I only use RODI and I dose with Kents Essential Elements in addition to a w/c every three weeks
I do 20G w/c at a time.
And I dose Vodka to keep my skimmer filled with waste (this officially works so i do it)

If there is something that can help me get rid of this algae for good it'd be awesome.
There also seems to be slight red patch of alage but its not the cyanobacteria slime type i used to see when i cycled my tank.

I was thinking of making a diy upflow algae scrubber to go inside my sump or maybe a phosban reactor but I have read on MR that GFO can harm some hard corals.

Also If anyone has any good programs for the radions I'd appreciate it right now I use a slightly tailored version of mr saltwatertank's radion program but i dont really go for the ugly green color it highlights my tank in during the early morning.

Anyways Help would be appreciated.

ENB

 

[Mattl22]

Do u check u source water b4 u mix with salt with a tds meter (total dissolved solids meter) ?

What r u feeding if frozen r u finishing it?
How old is ur tank hair is normal for new tanks to go through!
Gfo is definitely gonna help you should get a tlf or similar Gfo reactor !

 

[Mattl22]

Ment to write r u rinsing ur frozen food?

 

[ENB]

I dont have a TDS meter I thought it was supposed to come with my RODI but it didnt and i didnt buy one yet.
I feed mostly Pellets for marine fish I give a little at a time to make sure they all get eaten.
But i am starting to feed some homemade frozen food (ground salmon garlic and little lemon juice)

the tank is about 1.3 years old

 

[Mattl22]

Ok first things first order a tds meter check ur source water first!
When's last time u changed ur rodi filters?

 

[ENB]

I haven't had it for that long it's rated for like 6000 gallons each and I got it maybe 4 months ago so I've only made about a few hundred gallons of rodi water what do I do if the TDS says my rodi water has stuff in it? Change the filter even though they are fairly new?

 

[Mattl22]

Ur tds should read 0 some ppl change when it reads 2 if I get anything other then 0 I change the cheap filters if the DI resin still looks good if that looks like its exhausted I change that also it changes color so u should be able too tell!

 

[Mattl22]

I'm not saying that's the issue that's just first thing I check!

 

[Pax-Bellum LLC]

First thing, before anything else. UPGRADE your test kits. Salifert at the least. Make sure the dates on the reagents are recent and then retest. Without real data on your water params you are just looking for answers with blinders on

 

[piranhapat]

I agree on test kits. But just looking at your tank. Your phosphate are high. You can run a reactor with GFO. That will help get rid of algae.

 

[ENB]

What are good test kits companies?
I thought Red Sea was a good one :frown:
Are the any kits that come with all the tests I need? Salifert only sells each test by itself.
I need ammonia nitrate nitrite cal alk mag phosphate ph
Is there anything else I should be testing?

 

[Pax-Bellum LLC]

If your tank has been established with cured live rock and the number of water changes you're doing you won't require the ammonia or nitrite test kits. Get the nitrate, Ca, Mg, and Alk kits at minimum. Ph is best tested by a ph meter with a probe that is calibrated regularly. If you want to test phosphate accurately get a colorimeter based test such as the one made by Hanna.
Your Mg is way to low, I doubt adding Mg killed your corals. You'll need to get the level up to 1400-1500ppm range. Without Mg at this level you will have a constant imbalance between Ca and Alk. Right now your Alk is high and I can bet your Ca is very low.
I would also suggest stopping the vodka dosing until your Ca, Alk, and Mg levels are at the correct levels. Vodka is a carbon source and with your high phosphate and nitrate levels is just adding fuel to your hair algae problem. N:K:C are the pillars of any good fertilizer. Knock out one of those pillars and the growth of the hair algae will cease. Since you can't knock out K for the health of your corals, you can limit Carbon by stopping the vodka. Next limit phosphate by algae reactor, refugium, or GFO. Don't use a nitrate reducer if you are going to go the algae nutrient export method. The algae will consume the nitrate rapidly and require it to limit Phosphate and carbon.

 

[ENB]

Adding vodka is growing algae!?!?
I thought it was supposed to absorb the phosphates and nitrates and then get skimmed out!!!
So let me see If I got this straight.
Calcium test
Magnesium test
Phosphate checker from Hanna
Ph probe
Nitrate test
Alkalinity test

I already have a fuge if I put some chaeto in there will that eat up nutrients?
I want to get some chaeto and some mangroves for my sump.
Will I still need a phosban reactor?
I'm prob going to ocean gallery ii
Tomorrow I want to see if Gary will make me a package of all the things I am wanting to buy for my tank.
(I got my 125g and sump and radions and vortechs from them and they gave me a good deal and they have better fish and corals than anyone on the island)
RBTA ( I want a hyper red one)
10x baby chromis
Tabling acro frag ( it's in their display tank)
Phosban reactor
Thrive frag tree
And all these test kits

Is it a bad idea to add all the fish and a nem if my levels are where they are?


What brands are good I know lots of people use salifert but is Red Sea a reliable test brand?
I already have a mag test from them
And I added tech-m for magnesium and apparently the max dose of 100 points a day (I only did about 80) is way too high for corals and it bleached them out.

Thanks for all the help and info.

 

[ENB]

wondering if a reefkeeper or apex would have cal mag ph and alk probes? that would be basically be a one time expense vs the almost as much for all the test kits each time i need to replenish.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

wondering if a reefkeeper or apex would have cal mag ph and alk probes? that would be basically be a one time expense vs the almost as much for all the test kits each time i need to replenish.

ph & salinity - yes

The rest i wish :sad2:

 

[ENB]

Oh well :frown:
Is red sea a reliable test kit because i found a good bundle from them
Ammonia Nitrates Nitrites PH and Alk
I already have a red sea pro mag test so all id need was a Ph probe and Ca test.

 

[Pax-Bellum LLC]

I can't vouch for the accuracy of red sea test kits. The only ones I trust are salifert and lamotte.

Please don't add any fish or inverts to your tank until you have your water parameters straight. Knowledge is the most important investment you can make in this hobby, read as much as you can. It will save you a ton of headaches and cash.

ESV sells a Mg supplement that is just that, no extra snake oil added. Its safe I've raised tanks with it by way more than 100ppm in a day and the corals were ecstatic and happy that I did.

Vodka feeds bacteria that consume phosphate and nitrate and presumably get skimmed out. That bacteria rocket fuel (vodka)also requires a lot of dissolved oxygen to burn. If your Ph is 7.8 with your Alk at that level while the lights are on it may be because your dissolved oxygen levels are low. Vodka dosing can be beneficial when your phosphate levels are already low and you're trying to get them that extra bit lower. That would be when you're around 0.1ppm and striving for 0.03ppm. At your levels its feeding not just the bacteria but also the hair algae. If not directly its being broken down by bacteria into CO2 and then taken up by the algae. Also you don't know what kinds of bacteria its turbo charging or how its tilting the balance of the bacterial population. Possibly giving a pathogenic bacteria the edge it needs to damage your corals.

We do sell highly efficient algae reactors, the ARID PB and ARID Enhanced if you're interested that use Chaetomorpha as a nutrient export. It can also increase and stabilize dissolved oxygen levels and balance Ph swings from day and night. If you are interested PM me.

 

[Pax-Bellum LLC]

Probes are only as good as the person calibrating them and the reagents used to do so. My personal advice, restock with Salifert kits (they are worth EVERY cent in the long run), get comfortable using them and getting consistent numbers. After you have become comfortable with them and are testing accurately, then, only then, change 1 parameter at a time. The name of the reef game is PATIENCE and SCIENCE. Pax cannot stress that enough. I understand we all want perfection from day one, but that is simply a pipe dream. Take a deep breath, test accurately and OFTEN. Slow changes. Slow. Tanks take yrs to stabilize. Remember you are the master of a complete eco system. - Leo

 

[duke62]

I think you should do the basics before you jump into the advanced stages of reefkeeping. I hope you followed the chart when you started adding vodka and followed it to a tee. I know people say the Red Sea kits are good by I didn't like them. Get a tds meter then do a very large water change and cut back your feeding and even switch to commercial frozen foods and rinse them very well. Your Alk is extremly low and your mag. Low mag will cause algae problems. Mardel 5 in 1 is garbage and if you got .25 on phosphate kit better believe your po4 on a good kit will be through the roof. Get some gfo as well and do half what's recommended till your tank adjusts. You didn't lose corals because of adding mag. Your parameters are all over the place. Don't add anything till your back within range on good test kits.

 

[Pax-Bellum LLC]

Duke62, agree with everything you said, except he said his ALK was at 240ppm. I think in meq/l so I had to go to a chart to convert http://ozreef.org/library/tables/alkalinity_conversion.html its high. That's assuming the test kit is right. Not saying its the cause of coral death, I can't contribute high alk to causing an issue in tanks I've cared for. Just a sign the Mg is low and Ca is low, balance of those three elements is off. Might question what salt mix is being used, if its redsea I'd consider switching slowly using regular water changes to a consistent well balanced mix like instant ocean.