Close to giving up!

spmnarciso

Active Member
It would be in the flood light aisle. Do a search on the net for Lights Of America Floodlight and see if you can find it online for cheaper but there is no way around it. Don't look for cheaper alternatives, I think this is it. Unless you really want to get fancy and go more expensive by buying a real aquarium PC fixture. Nothing in this hobby is cheap. There is only so much DIY, but that even costs money and sometimes the same as buying commercial.
 

mary

Member
All this talk about hair algea! I scrape mine off the back of my tank every day and blow off red algea once a week. Wherever the flow is not heavy is where mine grows and getting new lights, all new, didn't help as some on the forums believe it will. Phytoplex and feeding my suncoral and chili has made matters worse but I don't care, I just scrape it away. Its part of the job and I love my tank. It's beautiful even with the "dreaded" algeas. Can't afford all those things one needs to keep it at bay so just use elbow grease.
 

jjboods

Member
But it is really covering the rock too. I'd have to take it all out and scrub it down once a month.
The floodlight I found needs to be hard wired. Is there a plug in? How did you wire it?
 

mobikobeyob

Member
My suggestions
1. Get the TDS meter, or have someone test the rodi. at least flush the membrane. dont use any higher than 7 TDS.
2. how old are your bulbs, it may be time for replacement.
3. Increase circulation, and cut down the photo period to 10 hours, 8 hours of mh.
4. run the fuge light 24 hours a day.
5. run some sort of phosphate sponge to choke the existing Hair algae.
6. invest in a UV light to run a few hours a day. you got some nice equipment and 100 bucks more would make it complete.
I dont personally run a UV light, or phosphate sponge. or have a fuge aside from my corner overflows. but with these suggestions you should not have any problems with any type of nusiance algae at all.
Hope this helps
Mobi:D
 

offshore80

Member
When I started my fuge I went out and bought 100 bucks worth of caulerpa and other algaes. And used a 96 watt PC for the lighting. in about 5 weeks it had all disapeared. I gave up and just let it go. Now it's been about 7 months and some kind of plant is growing like a weed out of the rock. Soon it will take over the whole tank. Do you trim it?
As for your hair algae I would go with a UV and maybe a good clean up crew. Here is a picture of the sudo fuge. That's a emergency medical tank below. The main tank is on the other side of the wall.
 

mary

Member
Do you feed every day. have lots of current? Maybe feed fewer times also give brine shrimp and some frozen and fresh foods. Fish need a very healthy variety. Just flake and pellet is not a healthy varied diet. But, vary the feedings and once a day is enough. Even missing a day once a week is good. Just make sure if fish are carniverous, or herb{algea} eaters. Maybe they are both. I am taking care of a neighbors tank that is inundated with red slime algea and three more weeks of this is not a good thing. Will have to get her ok on cleaning it off because her neons freak out as mine have done, and may never be seen again, just from working in the tank. MIne have not been seen for a month since I did a major algeal cleanup. I love those fish and miss them. My problem is phosphates. Need RO water but not in my budget. So I put up with it. Yes, I brush off red slime in my tank off the rocks but in my neighbors tank she does not have a bottom tank and everything just settles back onto all her corals and rock, defeating the purpose. Can't suction it all out, then new water has to be made up and she does not want a water change. We all have these algeal problems and can become a reals task, but there are remedies outhere. Check Steve Weitz or Wests site. anyone out there know his Email? He mentioned a product that can safely be used for the getting rid of these algeas and it does not affect anything in the tank, but the algea. I can not find the address again. Hope someone will answer this for you.
 

jjboods

Member
I really don't want to run the UV. I don't want to kill the good things that it will kill. I only feed the fish once a day and do skip a day or two every week. I should vary the diet, though. I've added a 32watt PC bulb over the fuge. Now I'm at 4watts per gallon. Maybe it's my imagination, but the macro seems to be "standing" taller. Towards the light as plants will do. It had been more or less flat on the sand. If it doesn't pick up, I'll add another 32watt PC bulb. I'm hoping this will take care of the hair. I don't have room for a bigger fuge, so I really hope this does it. If not, maybe I'll get a Phosban reactor. That might be the thing you were thinking of, Mary.
 
Top