Can someone please expain this to me

gc1962

gc1962

Member
I have been battling hair algae for the past 4 months, I have done like 8 water changes in this time of about half the total water volume each time. All my water is rodi and I have replaced the filters in the rodi unit in the past two months. My test on phosphates is at zero and my nitrates were less than 10. I have replaced my metal halide bulbs that were currently around 8 months old. There have been no fish in the tank now for 3 months only coarl and live rock so there has been no fish food going in the tank for 3 months. Why want this algae stop growing? I have scrubbed the live rock several times and it still keeps coming back. One other thing why is it that I have checked my local fish stores water when I have purchaced somthing from them and there nitrates were like 40 and they never have any hair algae problems. It just seems like the ones here who try to keep there water paremeters where they need to be or at least as low as possible have these problems and the local fish stores whos numbers is out the roof seem to never have these algae problems, is there somthing here I am missing? Sorry for being so long winded but this is about to drive me nuts. Thanks for any help.
 
veni vidi vici

veni vidi vici

Active Member
Originally Posted by gc1962
http:///forum/post/2936605
I have been battling hair algae for the past 4 months, I have done like 8 water changes in this time of about half the total water volume each time. All my water is rodi and I have replaced the filters in the rodi unit in the past two months. My test on phosphates is at zero and my nitrates were less than 10. I have replaced my metal halide bulbs that were currently around 8 months old. There have been no fish in the tank now for 3 months only coarl and live rock so there has been no fish food going in the tank for 3 months. Why want this algae stop growing? I have scrubbed the live rock several times and it still keeps coming back. One other thing why is it that I have checked my local fish stores water when I have purchaced somthing from them and there nitrates were like 40 and they never have any hair algae problems. It just seems like the ones here who try to keep there water paremeters where they need to be or at least as low as possible have these problems and the local fish stores whos numbers is out the roof seem to never have these algae problems, is there somthing here I am missing? Sorry for being so long winded but this is about to drive me nuts. Thanks for any help.
It sounds very strange however if you have trates then there is nutrients for the algae,Maybe try shortening light cycle and elevating Magnesium levels to around 1500ppm.It did the trick for me with my Bryopsis outbreak i had awhile back.
 
gc1962

gc1962

Member
Have cut back to 4 hours a day on halides and still continues to grow. I have been running this lighting schedule for around 3 weeks now. Dont know what else to do.
 
coralreefer

coralreefer

Active Member
if you have a QT tank with sufficient lighting for the corals you have, i would stick them in there and turn off your lights for a couple of weeks.
hope that helps
 
shyfish

shyfish

Member
Hi,
I scrubbed my rock as much as possible in salt water so I wouldn't kill it with fresh water. Got a lawnmower blenny, emerald crabs and a blue spotted Kole tang (eats hair algea!)
My problem is solved. all my water reads perfect too. I did over feed my corals. I slowed down on that.
 
gc1962

gc1962

Member
I am still going crazy over this problem. Anyone please give me some ideas on how to kick this problem.
 
bizzleb01

bizzleb01

Member
Why don't you have any fish in there? I was having a problem with it and got a foxface rabbit fish and it was gone within a week!
 
gc1962

gc1962

Member
Put all fish in another tank I got trying to reduce all nutrients that I possibly could to try to stop the growth. I have tried 2 Water changes each month of more than half the total water volume each time for the last 4 months all have been done with rodi water filters have been changed before all these series of water changes rodi measures no nitrates or phosphates no fish food in the tank in over 3 months halide bulbs have been changed in last 3 months, shortened light cycle to 5 hours a day scrubbed scrubbed and scrubbed every water change. I just done another 65% water change yesterday and my nitrates are reading 10 now they were around 20. This is the only measurable reading I have between nitrate and phosphates. It just drives me nuts when I purchace a coral from my local fish store and measure the water that came from that store and the nitrate measures around 50 in all his tanks and he never has any problem with hair algae and all his corals and fish seem to be thriving. This just gets me discouraged.
 
copperhead3690

copperhead3690

Member
man i tell you, i had a problem with the hair algae, got an emerald crab (i hear they are hit and miss though) and my crab ate ALL of my hair algae. not a bit of it in my tank nor signs!! knock on wood... crabs are cheap, why not give it a try with a couple? good luck man, hope you get it under control
 
drtito

drtito

Member
I would get one of the reef packages sold here on SWF.com. They will eat till there is nothing left in the tank. Good luck.
 
alabama reefer

alabama reefer

Member
It seems you still have nutrients in your water with your nitrates and your phophates are probably being absorbed by the algae. What about direct or indirect sunlight on your tank? Even a room light that shines in your tank? Also it could be the pic but I don't notice a lot of coralline algae on your rocks. I had some low calcium readings while I was battling hair algae and I got my calcium level up where it should be and the hair algae started to subside within two weeks(so I beefed up my cuc) and the coralline started spreading better on my rocks where the hair algae disappeared. Haven't had any in a long time.
 
bizzleb01

bizzleb01

Member
I haven't heard of emerald crabs eating hair algae, more likely bubble algae, but I could be wrong. I would def try a foxface or a lawnmower blenny. I've got a big cuc, with emeralds, and nothing touched it for two months. The foxfade had it gone in a week.
 
bizzleb01

bizzleb01

Member
What are they and what causes it? Is it the brown dust that gets on your sand, and if it's not what is the brown dust looking stuff that gets on the sand and how do you get rid of it?
 
gc1962

gc1962

Member
Lots of coraline algae in the tank it is just being covered by the hair algae as you can see in the pic. Could it be the flouresent light in the room causing this problem? Just wished I could get a hold of the problem
 
alabama reefer

alabama reefer

Member
I know it is frustrating and it came close to making me give up the hobby but I am glad I didn't. I have read of a lot of instances where room lighting would cause algae outbreaks. I can't tell you that is what is going on in yours but just look at how much light is getting in your tank with the room light on. A Lawnmower Blenny usually won't touch the long stuff. A foxface will pick at it fairly well. Also an urchin will eat this stuff but will also take coralline algae as well.
 
blue oasis

blue oasis

Member
I have a 90gal and had some hair algae and went out and bought 40 Blue hermits crabs 40 Red hermit crabs and 5 Turbo snails and in 3 days my hair algae was gone. I have 2 - 250 MH lights and reduced the lighting to 6 hours which i am sure also helped.
 
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