Green Algae Help!!

[ryankei88]

So I just upgraded my tank from a 20g to a 55g...everything in my 20g was PERFECT as it can get..well I wanted a larger tank so I bought a 55g and moved my live rock, some water, new sand bed, and filled the rest with rodi water..phosphates ammonia nitrates and nitrites all read 0 yet I have green hair algae starting to bloom EVERYWHERE...what did I do wrong?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ryankei88 http:///t/394887/green-algae-help#post_3514962
So I just upgraded my tank from a 20g to a 55g...everything in my 20g was PERFECT as it can get..well I wanted a larger tank so I bought a 55g and moved my live rock, some water, new sand bed, and filled the rest with rodi water..phosphates ammonia nitrates and nitrites all read 0 yet I have green hair algae starting to bloom EVERYWHERE...what did I do wrong?
Hair looking algae, or just green on everything?

 

[ryankei88]

It's a hair looking algae.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ryankei88 http:///t/394887/green-algae-help#post_3514981
It's a hair looking algae.
You most likely have phosphates. If you do a test you will get a false negative reading. The hair algae acts like macroalgae, and absorbs and feeds on nitrates and phosphates.

• 
  You can to starve it out. An algae scrubber or adding macroalgae. some macros go only in a refugium, other decorative types can be placed in the display.
• 
  Doing a weekly water change, and getting a phosphate reactor is another solution.
  You can also get eaters...lemonpeel angelfish love algae and will pick at hair algae if it is growing in a certain problem area. A Seahare will clear the tank of hair algae, but will starve after no more food is available, and algae sheets are not enough to keep them going.
  An urchin will also eat every drop of algae...but again it will starve when the algae is gone.

 

[ryankei88]

Do you think running GFO in my reactor will help reduce the phosphates?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ryankei88 http:///t/394887/green-algae-help#post_3515000
Do you think running GFO in my reactor will help reduce the phosphates?
Yes, a Phosphate reactor will most definitely remove Phosphates but not nitrates. If you have a phosphate reactor...why aren't you using it?

 

[ryankei88]

I can run carbon or GFO in it but I have carbon in it right now

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ryankei88 http:///t/394887/green-algae-help#post_3515039
I can run carbon or GFO in it but I have carbon in it right now
Why do you run carbon? Do you have coral wars, or do you just run it for a water polisher? If you have coral warfare you don't want to stop the carbon.
Also, how old are the bulbs in the lights, and does the tank get natural sunlight exposure? Either of those will also cause grenn hair algae...if you don't have coral at all, you can turn off the lights altogether. Without light algae will die....run a skimmer if you do that, to remove organics in the water from die off.