Alge out of control -HELP!!!-

[bjgwilliam]

OK, I have an enormous problem with alge. My tank is 3 months old. I have 4 fish about 20 crabs, and 10 snails, emeral crab, and brittle star. All parameters check out great.
I am running MH 150W 10k.
My problem is several fold. I have a hair alge problem. I started last weekend by picking the big clumps off of the substrate, and yes, I pick up the clump and the substrait surrounding it comes up with it.
I have a small cluster of green star polyups that has been ovetaken by the alge. Several times I have scrubbed the rock with the polyups lightly with a tooth brush to clear it out, but it comes back within about 4 days. Just enought time for my polyups to recover from the scrub.
My biggest frustration is the groath on the glass. I can scrub the glass clean. I will come back 3 hours later and there is already a light green film of alge on the glass.

I am continually running carbon and phosguard to help with this problem. Have started 20% water changes bi-weekly and still cant get rid of this problem. could it possibly be to much lighting? Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.This is very frustrating.

Thanks in advance

 

[fishfreek]

Hay man, i know what you are going through, it really sucks! I am in the same boat. I changed my bulbs last month and now have a huge hair algae outbreak. I am doing 15% water changes every second or third day, running chemi-pure, phosphate removal pad and shortened my photo period to eight hours. So far, so good. It will probably take a few more weeks to fully rid my tank of it, but i would say the algae has receided about 40% in the last month.
What kind of skimmer are you running?

 

[bjgwilliam]

I got my skimmer off of ----. I am not realy sure it has a brand name and looks to be home made. Would I have better luck with a better skimmer. Would that help remove nutrients that the alge loves to feed on?:notsure:
I have shortened by photo also but to 10 hours. Should I shorten it more? Is it possible that the MH is to much for a 46 bow? Not sure where to go from here. Anymore suggestions??? :help:

 

[bjgwilliam]

:needhelp:

 

[daisy]

If you are interested, Lawnmower Blennies are cool little fishes that love to feast on hair algae -- and about any other kind of algae except the bubble. So while you are trying to get the source of the problem pinned down, maybe you want to invest (not too much -- they're not expensive) in one of these fishes. Cool personality, too.
-Daisy

 

[jdreef]

ok test the water for nitrate,nitrite and ammonia. one or all sould be high. if none are high then its the mh. nitrate will also develop a blue-green algae and hair algae. i think that there too many watts for that tank.

 

[bicolor225]

No, sir. There is no such thing as too much light.

I have a forty gallon reef with 175mh 20,000 kelvin rating with 2x watt pc lighting. And the only time i had problem with algae when my spectrum went out of wack due to old bulbs. But it cleared up week after i changed the bulbs.

 

[bjgwilliam]

Thank you for all the information. I was hoping that the MH was not the sourse of the problem. I plan on a lawnmower blenny within the week. Hopefully I can get this thing under control. I love this hobby and hope to soon add another tank for fish only. :joy:
If anybody has any other suggestions I am open for anything.

 

[mrmaroon]

How old are your bulbs? What and how often are you feeding. Are you using RO/DI water? And when you say you are using carbon and a phosphate remover, how are you using it. I was having a similar problem and I added a fluidized bed filter with a mix of phosban type stuff and a little carbon. My problem seems to be improving after about a month. You may want to give up one fish to reduce you bioload as well.

 

[andretti]

All of the things you mentioned have little or nothing to do with your problem. You need to be using R/O D/I water. It's basically a must when dealing with saltwater tanks/reefs. You can get a decent one on that famous auction site for about $70 + 20 shipping. If not, you will CONTINUE to have green hair algae and all other nusiance algaes and you will continue dumping $$$$ for phosphate and sillicate removers. Just get a R/O unit...they remove everything! No more chlorine, chlorimine, sillicates, phosphates, copper, flouride, heavy metals, etc. It basically leaves your H20 99.8% pure. All you have to do is add salt, pH buffers, trace elements and vitamins. Hope this helps.

:happyfish

 

[mrmaroon]

I would agree with Andretti for the most part, but a RO/DI is only the start. I use one, but if you overfeed, have poor filtration, and leave your lights on to long; you could still have an algea problem.

 

[himandher]

I also have a HUGE hair algae problem. My water is sea water that is trucked in to my LFS, so I dont think that my water is the problem. I have a phosguard, and I have a lawnmower blennie, and it is still completely out of control. I have my MH lights down to 6 hours a day. My tank is pretty well established, but I only feed every other day. Any other suggestions?

 

[thomas712]

What causes bad algae?
Nutrients
Start there, test your water, post the results, you are looking for phophates and nitrates. "my water is good" doesn't cut it. You may also have to find some low test kits. Sometimes the bad algae can use those nutrients up faster than you can test for them, or they can simply be below what you can test for.
I would do some weekly water changes, and when you do them manually remove all that you can pull/or scrub, the suck it out and wait for your mechanical filtration to pull what it can out and then clean that as well.
What else can cause bad algae?
Lights
Especially new lights at a full photo period, you may have to cut the lighting back and I mean at least in half and then slowly build back up while you attack the source of the problem, which brings up back to the nutrients.
A few other things mentioned can help, that is the RO/DI water and protien skimmer, keep the skimmer clean. One other thing that can help keep the phosphates down is by dripping kalkwasser.
Remember - nutrients and lights, one or both are the problem.
Thomas

 

[bjgwilliam]

Thanks all, I am and have always used RO/DI water for top offs and water changes, so I know that is not what is contributing. IMO my lighting and photo period needs to be reduced for the time being. I am going to take it down to 8 hours today. I will be trying those things that have been suggested and I'll let you know how it goes.:jumping:
I honestly think this whole thing started when I brought home a frag from a buddies tank that had alge on it. Then (KAPLOWWWW) explosion!!!!!

Thanks again

 

[reeferman1]

Great advise from everyone. Daisy, what's the official name for the lawnmower blenny? I can't find one with that name. Thanx. D.

 

[bjgwilliam]

Salarias fasciatus

 

[reeferman1]

Thanx!!!

 

[the reef]

Originally Posted by HimandHer
I also have a HUGE hair algae problem. My water is sea water that is trucked in to my LFS, so I dont think that my water is the problem. I have a phosguard, and I have a lawnmower blennie, and it is still completely out of control. I have my MH lights down to 6 hours a day. My tank is pretty well established, but I only feed every other day. Any other suggestions?
I noticed you said you have been using phosgard does your phosgard start to loose color and go green or brown if so the phosgard is used up and you need to put more phosgard in if you have such an out break the phosgard can only hold so much phosphate so if i were you i would check the phosphate levels if all other conditions are fine how high are the phosphate if it is a blackish color on the test then you have so much phosphate that you would have to change your phosgard once a week. and if your phosgard is not getting used up and discoloring and you still have lots of phosphate then you dont have enough watter movement in your tank you need 10 gallons of watter movment per hour for every gallon of watter not enough movment will keep the phosphate from getting to the filter where the phosgaurd is. any questions just ask the reef