Help with phosphates

[g13]

I've been fighting hair algae for a while now. 7 weeks ago my tank was flooded with hair algae, I tested water and it came out as 2.5. I did many water changes and got it down to about 1.0 (still too high). Since then I purchased Phosphate and Silicate Magnet made by marcweissco, its a sort of mud/sand that I put in a filter bag then placed in my powerfilter. P04 went down to 0.25-0.5, I took out the live rock and scrubbed the rocks with a toothbrush taking off practically all the hair algae. Till this day my tank still reads at about 0.25-0.50 and that is with a polyfilter in my powerfilter also. What can I do to get it down?
I use distilled water for water changes, I tested that and it reads at 0 for p04. I use RO/DI water for topoff that also reads at 0. I've been feeding my tank everyother day, and very little enough for them to finish it completely( I don't starve them). I don't have many test kits but the ph is at 8.3 and ammonia is at 0. Do I need to test something else?
My tank inhabitants are...
2- black percs
1-dwarf yellow angel
1- sixline wrasse
2- blood red shrimp
the rest are snails and hermit crabs
frogspawn, branching hammer, sun coral, and a yellow fiji leather.

 

[beaslbob]

As you have found out the phosphates are not comming from you input water but the livestock.
the best way is to add other plant life to consume the same nutrients as your green hair. That way the very beneficial plant action will continue but with plants you want not plants you don't want. Or even use the same green hair but in an externial refugium where it can do it's work outta site. Either way the uglies in the display will be reduced or eliminated.

 

[cprdnick]

Whether you feed too much or not, fish waste breaks down and creates phosphate, there are very few people without refugiums that keep their PO4 at zero. Mine is constantly around .25ppm.

 

[rangermonroe]

I am having the same problem. Mine began with nitrates. I let the algae go wild. Nitrates are at manageable levels, but what to do with the hair algae? I have been scrubbing my rocks with a fingernail brush and skimming the stuff out with a net . IT IS WORKING, BUT SLOWLY. My phosphates are down to 1ppm now. (from 2) I am trying this addative that supposedly removes phophtes, but we'll see (sorry bob)

 

[g13]

Well my hair algae is coming back slowly but surely. My ammonia is at 0, so I think my nitrates should be that low also, not sure though.