experienced reefer with newbie problem Please Help!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dhe420]

I usually dont have much questions to ask just like to give advice, but this time I have the problem. I have a 58 gallon sps tank with 2 250 10 k halides. Water specs are alk- 11 dkh, calcium-480, amonnia 0, nitrate less 0, nitirite 0, ph 8.3, s.g. .125. PHOSPHATES 0 So here the problem. I added a milleapora frag that had a little green hair algea on it. Well six weeks, 1 clean up crew and 1 algea blenny later, green hair algea EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As i said i tried bigger clean up crew and algea blenny, and nothing is helping. Algea bleny, kole tang and clean up crew will not touch it. What can i do PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!
[ October 29, 2001: Message edited by: dhe420 ]

 

[dhe420]

By the way i did numerous searches on this and on other bb and found nothing, so dont think i did not try

 

[flydan]

Hey,
Well, there are a couple things you could try, although if nothing has changed in your setup I can't understand it either. Did you just change lightbulbs or are they getting weak? If you just put new ones in, try reducing the amount of time they are on. If they've been used more than a year try getting new bulbs? Just some idea's to kick around.
The other thing that effects algae is available nutrients. Maybe cut down on feeding or make sure all the food you put in is eaten within a couple of minutes.
Other than lighting and nutrients, I can't think of anything. Sorry.
BTW, do you have any lighting besides the MH? I think you should have some blue actinics as well.
[ October 29, 2001: Message edited by: FlyDan ]

 

[dhe420]

The only switch was from 175 10k to 250 10k. HOW CAN I GET RID OF IT????????

 

[dhe420]

ANYBODY ELSE????????

 

[krazzydart]

How long you leaving on your lights?????? cut back to 5-7 hrs a day..... also, have you changed food types?? try a water change with R.O.Water..... also what type of salt do you use???? you might be over feeding them .... try feeding every other day.... also the good ol' hand pick out method!!!!! get the major of it>>>>!!!!!

 

[burnnspy]

It is partially a problem brought on by better lighting.
I recommend adding Macro algae to compete for resources with the hair algae, since Calerpa grows faster it should starve out the hair algae by attrition. When the hair algae is gone then get rid of the Macro algae also.
Also reduce the lighting time to 4hrs a day. Add 1 hr every 3 days or so until you get the light hours you had before the bulb upgrade.
BurnNSpy

 

[tomato clown]

I had to buy a new bulb after a year, and noticed the back wall of my tank was growing alge uncontrollably(grew closer to the new bulb). I basically cut down on my lighting time and scraped most of it off as well as bought a clean up crew witch has drastically improved the alge growth. Although I dont like the sight of alge in my tank, for some odd reason it is kinda neat on the back wall.

 

[azzala]

Is it coarse or fine? There are two common species one is controlled by herbivores the other species they won’t touch. Just throwing this out because I had the same problem. I increased the water circulation, did a massive clean up and everything went back to normal. (thanks to the advise of my lfs and books, books, books.)

 

[ironreef]

how old is the tank? Whats you filter skimmer? Alga tank? Use ro water? adding a coral with hair alga on it isn't gonna make it take off. You can have 0 po4 in your tank doesn't mean a thing you can have mass organic po4 it can't be test for. And the alga can use it all up. So you may still be getting po4 from another source =bioballs,CC, water. There's alot of factor not enuff info.

 

[dhe420]

Just to answer a few more questions, i have a 5 inch dsb, just a sump, which hold return pump, berlin skimmer, and heater. The problem went out of control when i went out of town for the weekend and my metal halides did not turn off untill the actinics did, which was 2 hours longer than usual. The tank is a 1 year oold sps tank. UPDATE: Last night i took out my trusty littl swiss army knife and got the majority of the stuff of. It is very difficult and my inverts just hate the stuff. Fortunatly it is not really growing rapildly anymore. I will keep all updated. Thanks for the responses......

 

[angelgirl]

Here is a suggestion that you don't want to hear. I had the same problem, nothing seemed to help until I broke down and during water changes I took the rock out and scrubbed it. This took a few times but each month I had less, and between me and the cleanup crew we kicked it.
Good Luck
Angelgirl