hair algae problem

[clownlover]

ny hair algae is out of control and i cant figure out why. it seems to be bryopsis. also some thicker filament type as well. seems like chaeto, some coulda gotten outta my fuge, does tha attach to rocks??

anyway my trates r at 5, my phates are at .03. i use solaris lights and am down to like 7 hours per day down from 9. i use ro di water that has zero tds. i just dont get whats causing this since all my levels are good, any ideas? are there any fish or inverts that can help clean it?

 

[ireefny]

sea hare...NYAquatics has best kind.

 

[basiab]

Chaeto does not attach to anything.
Critters never get rid of these type of problems. All they do is when it is under control they will clean up whatever little there is left.
You have to find the cause and it is not the lights. Algae can only grow when it has nutrients and even if your tests show up ok all it means is that the algae get it before you tested. I would suggest you read all you can about controllling it. There is plenty of info here and on wetwebmedia.com. Usually it is due to too much feeding. If it will make you feel better I can say that just about everyone in this hobby goes through this sooner or later.

 

[Awibrandy]

Clownlover, are you using and RO/DI? And when was the last time you changed the cartridges? How often are you doing water changes, and how much? Are you using a skimmer? Is the skimmer pulling out the nasties? Do you run any other equipment, or pads to help with the removal of nutrients?

 

[Bob 1000]

sea hare...NYAquatics has best kind.

Yeah the best looking ones also..lol they all look like moving SH&^#...

 

[bronxer]

Sounds more like cyanobacteria. I know because I also have it. It does cling to rocks and grows like crazy. I have to rip it out every other day, as per the instructions from melevsreef.com. I am about to start using RO/DI water, but need a replacement filter and canister - which I'll be buying this weekend. Check out melevsreef.com and you'll be very glad you did.

 

[clownlover]

Clownlover, are you using and RO/DI? And when was the last time you changed the cartridges? How often are you doing water changes, and how much? Are you using a skimmer? Is the skimmer pulling out the nasties? Do you run any other equipment, or pads to help with the removal of nutrients?

yes i use ro.di. havent chnaged the cartridges bc the tds is zero as is are the phosphates and chlorine. i wasnt skimming for a couple months but now am skimming quite heavily. i have 2 denitrators and a phosban reactor. and am running carbon thru my ehiem 2217 right now. the stuff is def not cyano. its green and filament hair like. tough to even pull off the rocks. im sorta cutting back feeding to one small meal a day and have cut back on my lights ( i have a solaris so i don t think spectrum shift is an issue here).

 

[Awibrandy]

Is your tank in direct sunlight? When you feed frozen foods, are you rinsing it?
Clownlover, I ask these questions not to tick you off, but to try and find the cause of the problem.
I had a really horrific hair algea problem at one time. I use to have to WEED my reef weekly. I was pulling a tremendous amount out. Until I did all the changes that my questions refer to. Now the only place I grow any hair algea at all is in 1 of the overflows, which I pull out every couple of months.
I run my VHO's 12hrs. a day, and MH 5hrs. I don't know what else to suggest to you. Unless you feel like doing what I ended up doing.
I pulled all the rock out, scrubbed the heck out of them with a brush, then rinsed them under running tap water quickly. Placed them in a rubbermaid with premade sw, with heater, airpump, shimmer for about 2 months changing the water weekly. I also dumped my 6yr.old sand bed.
I which I could be of better help to you.

 

[clownlover]

Is your tank in direct sunlight? When you feed frozen foods, are you rinsing it?
Clownlover, I ask these questions not to tick you off, but to try and find the cause of the problem.
I had a really horrific hair algea problem at one time. I use to have to WEED my reef weekly. I was pulling a tremendous amount out. Until I did all the changes that my questions refer to. Now the only place I grow any hair algea at all is in 1 of the overflows, which I pull out every couple of months.
I run my VHO's 12hrs. a day, and MH 5hrs. I don't know what else to suggest to you. Unless you feel like doing what I ended up doing.
I pulled all the rock out, scrubbed the heck out of them with a brush, then rinsed them under running tap water quickly. Placed them in a rubbermaid with premade sw, with heater, airpump, shimmer for about 2 months changing the water weekly. I also dumped my 6yr.old sand bed.
I which I could be of better help to you.

no offensive taken i totaly appreiciate the help. one short side of the tank is exposed to direct sunlight but the algae is no worse there thna the rest of teh tank. i dont rinse frozen but dont feed frozen that often. i got a sea hare , hope it helps and have substantially cut back on feeding. i hope i dont have to break it down and rinse sounds like a huge pain and i have zoos and xenia on th rocks that might get pissed.

 

[marki24]

Awi whats the benefit of rinsing frozen food? Do you rinse it under regular tap water?

 

[Awibrandy]

no offensive taken i totaly appreiciate the help. one short side of the tank is exposed to direct sunlight but the algae is no worse there thna the rest of teh tank. i dont rinse frozen but dont feed frozen that often. i got a sea hare , hope it helps and have substantially cut back on feeding. i hope i dont have to break it down and rinse sounds like a huge pain and i have zoos and xenia on th rocks that might get pissed.

Uhm, yeah, they will definitely get pissed.lol Don't go starving the fish now. I would also step up w/c. I change 30 to 40 gallons out of my 155 I strive for weekly, but quite often it's biweekly.

My best wishes for a successful battle.:usa1:

 

[Dj Orion]

RO/DI water, phosban reactor and Blue vet drops treatment, completely flushed out all my hair algae in a months period. I thought that my tank was hopelessly lost to a hair algae/phosphate vortex, but I stayed true to the plan, and it actually worked.

 

[clownlover]

RO/DI water, phosban reactor and Blue vet drops treatment, completely flushed out all my hair algae in a months period. I thought that my tank was hopelessly lost to a hair algae/phosphate vortex, but I stayed true to the plan, and it actually worked.

bblu vet drops? is that the same as the blue life? i have that and just started using it. hope it works. i guess ill step up the w/c's too.

 

[clownlover]

just thought of one last thing...i hear bulb shifting spectrum from age can cause algae bubt i have the solaris so thats not it, but i have a turbo twist 36w uv steralizer whose bulb is 1.5 years old. could this be causing my algae problem???? does it matter if i buy an oem replacement bulb for 20 bucks or do i have to spend 70 on a coralife??

 

[Dj Orion]

just thought of one last thing...i hear bulb shifting spectrum from age can cause algae bubt i have the solaris so thats not it, but i have a turbo twist 36w uv steralizer whose bulb is 1.5 years old. could this be causing my algae problem???? does it matter if i buy an oem replacement bulb for 20 bucks or do i have to spend 70 on a coralife??

Yes the drops are the blue life brand. dont over dose it tho, its a slow process. UV's are mostly for controlling algae that is free floating in your water, and dont have much affect on hair algae. It is most likely your phosphate levels that are causing your issues.

 

[clownlover]

i just dont see how phosphates could be the problem. my salifert has it so low its hard to even tell what it is but at most its .25 and on my api phosphate kit that test 0.00. i just cant see how it could be the problem

 

[bigbris1]

You have to take into account the phosphates that the algae is using before it shows up on the test kit. I have the same problem but even with 0 PO4 readings I know there is phosphate in the tank.

Here are some steps you can take:

Thoroughly rinse frozen foods before feeding. The biggest source of phosphate is from the frozen food! Make sure all fish eat what you feed as soon as you put it in the tank (feed a little at a time). You may wish to keep your tank dark for 2-3 days straight. This will weaken the algae & make it easier to scrub off. Then try scrubbing the rocks with a toothbrush & do a major water change, as scrubbing in the tank will release spores.

 

[clownlover]

You have to take into account the phosphates that the algae is using before it shows up on the test kit. I have the same problem but even with 0 PO4 readings I know there is phosphate in the tank.

Here are some steps you can take:

Thoroughly rinse frozen foods before feeding. The biggest source of phosphate is from the frozen food! Make sure all fish eat what you feed as soon as you put it in the tank (feed a little at a time). You may wish to keep your tank dark for 2-3 days straight. This will weaken the algae & make it easier to scrub off. Then try scrubbing the rocks with a toothbrush & do a major water change, as scrubbing in the tank will release spores.

i would turn the lights off but wont that kill the corals?

 

[Tonyscoots84]

i would turn the lights off but wont that kill the corals?

dont get me wrong but what happens to the corals in the ocean when there is a storm for 2 or 3 days.. the answer is nothing. but im not saying that doing this in ur tank will help you rid yourself of your algae problem but it shouldnt hurt your corals.

 

[Awibrandy]

Marki, we rinse frozen foods because the liquids they are frozen in contain phosphates, and other nasties. I rinse in tap water. First I defrost in cup, then I strain through a brine shrimp net, and then I rinse 3 more times with running water. You should see the first batch of water. It is always tinted.yuck!

Algeas feed on Phosphates & nitrates!!

I think it is Richie/jackson.... that has the signature "Your phos are not 0"....