I'm on the verge of quitting because of my hair alge! I had a 55gl fish setup and had alge blooms in the begining but I wanted to do a reef. Tank has been set up for 2 mths and the hair alge is out of control. All of my snails died and my pencil urchin cant keep up. What's the best way to clean off my LR until I get it under control?
About to Quit(Hair Alge)
- Thread starter Paulg
- Start date
Welcome to RDO, Paulg!
Don't give up yet. Tell us more about your setup, such as what you use for water top off, do you have a good skimmer, etc., and we maybe able to help you out....
I am sure you will need to do some manual removal of the hair algae...
Don't give up yet. Tell us more about your setup, such as what you use for water top off, do you have a good skimmer, etc., and we maybe able to help you out....
I am sure you will need to do some manual removal of the hair algae...
Hi and thanks for the reply. The tank is a 92gal bow. Running a pro 75 sump, Bio balls, Built in skimmer. 400wt Mh light. I have been using the Calligan water from my local walmart. I don't think it's RO water. My nitrates are showing 0. I don't have a test kit for phosphate. What is the best way to remove the alge in the meantime? The way I did it in the past was to scrub it in the sink using tap to rinse. I know the tap is not good but I don't have any idea how else to do it.
>... Built in skimmer...
That sounds like a cheapo... any info on it?
>..using the Calligan water from my local walmart.
Got a TDS meter handy to test the amount of junk in the water? You may want to "invest" in a reasonably price RO filter (~$100 from Costco) if you have bad result from your walmart water....
>...Bio balls,... My nitrates are showing 0...
I am a bit surprised. Either you do lot of water change, or you have a very low bioload, or your test kit is not good... what brand is the nitrate test kit?
>...The way I did it in the past was to scrub it in the sink using tap to rinse. I know the tap is not good ...
The small amount of tap on the rock will not cause that much of a problem, so it is fine thing to do if you don't mind about the possible problem of shocking the critter on the rock with fresh water. I usually get a gallon of water from the tank, and after scrub the rock, shake the rock in the water to get the algae loose. Discard the water afterward.
That sounds like a cheapo... any info on it?
>..using the Calligan water from my local walmart.
Got a TDS meter handy to test the amount of junk in the water? You may want to "invest" in a reasonably price RO filter (~$100 from Costco) if you have bad result from your walmart water....
>...Bio balls,... My nitrates are showing 0...
I am a bit surprised. Either you do lot of water change, or you have a very low bioload, or your test kit is not good... what brand is the nitrate test kit?
>...The way I did it in the past was to scrub it in the sink using tap to rinse. I know the tap is not good ...
The small amount of tap on the rock will not cause that much of a problem, so it is fine thing to do if you don't mind about the possible problem of shocking the critter on the rock with fresh water. I usually get a gallon of water from the tank, and after scrub the rock, shake the rock in the water to get the algae loose. Discard the water afterward.
the built in skimmer is what came with the pro clear 75. I have been running it for two weeks straight and pulling lots of gunk out. I think I got bad advise from my local fs. Told me to use non cured rock in my new set up with my old LR. I seem to think that put too much load on the tank and he also said not to use the skimmer while the tank was breaking in. I seem to think that it was too much for it.
Depends on the condition of your new rock, you could very well ruined your system by letting the new rock cured in it without the skimmer running. The amount of die offs, etc., is not removed during the process, and it is what is feeding the algae right now. Here is my suggestion:
1, Be more skeptical next time when you hear that fellow speak.
2, you may want to do a large water change with good water (make sure the water from Walmart is good water).
3, remove as much algae as possible with hand.
Sounds like you are not in that bad of a state that need to quit yet. Give it a little patience and effort in the right place, and you will be in good shape
1, Be more skeptical next time when you hear that fellow speak.
2, you may want to do a large water change with good water (make sure the water from Walmart is good water).
3, remove as much algae as possible with hand.
Sounds like you are not in that bad of a state that need to quit yet. Give it a little patience and effort in the right place, and you will be in good shape
You added uncured rock 2 weeks ago and you have 0 Nitrates. If this is correct then your amonia and nitrites are probably off the chart and just have not made the full circle yet. What are they? I think I would check the dates on your test kits. Where everyone is going with this is something is feeding the algea and it probably is not just one thing. I believe that you have a combanation of problems going on. I believe you are going thru a whole nother cycle. If you have critters, get them to a QT tank along with a few pieces of your old LR before you loose everything. This is what I would do.
...and I did a bit of research on the culligan water:
it is RO water BUT...
It has minerals added to improve the taste. You are going to get a lot of phosphates and silicates from that water.
Best short-term solution is to buy some distilled water until you can find a good source or your own RO/DI unit.
it is RO water BUT...
It has minerals added to improve the taste. You are going to get a lot of phosphates and silicates from that water.
Best short-term solution is to buy some distilled water until you can find a good source or your own RO/DI unit.
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