picture of my problem . HELP!

amadent

amadent

Member
here is what my six moth old tank looks like. My problem is green hair algae.water parameters are ok with only the nitrates being a little high (25ppm). Water turnover is supplied be 2 mj1200's 1 rio 1400, remora pro, and cascade canister. About 1200gph. I have noticed that I have detrius in the caves and in the nooks and crannies of the LR. Clean up crew is minimal with only 3 scarlet hermits and a few snails. I bought a lawnmower blenny and a kole tang to help. not much help. Should I get a clean up crew and stonger PH? My tank also gets some inderect light :help:
 
T

tizzo

Guest
A stronger ph?? Emphasis on "A". You only have 1?? You should have a few. What size tank is that?
Other contributing factors to algae besides trates are phosphates, and old lights.
Do you use tap or need new bulbs??
 
autofreak44

autofreak44

Active Member
i would pick up at least another 15 or 20 snails and the same for hermits. they should take care of your algae problem
 
amadent

amadent

Member
tizzo,
ph meaning power heads. Right now I have 3 total about 800gph.
ph 8.1 po4=2.0,no3=25 dkh=8.3 alk=2.97 sg=1.023 temp = 79.5 size of tank =72gal
 
barchtruong

barchtruong

Member
you gotta have 2 Emerald crabs in that tank.
Ur hair algae will be in a big trouble once the crabs are in.
My 2 emerald crabs ate all my tanks hair algae and brown algae, now I am thinking how to get those hair algae stuff to grow in the tank so the crabs can eat.
 
socal57che

socal57che

Active Member
Lighting? spectrum and length of operation
Phosphate level?
How much and often do you feed?
Green hair likes protein caused by overfeeding. Your skimmer will help, but if overfeeding is the problem, maybe it can't keep up. How often do you need to dump it? Is the waste nasty or just dirty water?
 
autofreak44

autofreak44

Active Member
Originally Posted by amadent
auto freak, Any particular types of snails. What about the cleaner crews on this web site?
if i were you i would pick up 5 nessarus, 5 cerith, and 10-15 margarita snails
also definately the 2 emeralds and some 15 hermits.
hope that helps
 
socal57che

socal57che

Active Member
I have never had a crab that would eat the stuff. (including 2 emeralds) Never had a snail that would eat the stuff. I've heard that a sea hare can go both ways. Maybe he'll eat it maybe he won't.
I say fix the cause, not stock something to eat it.
BTW, you still need a cleaner crew.
 
T

tizzo

Guest
Originally Posted by amadent
tizzo,
ph meaning power heads. Right now I have 3 total about 800gph.
ph 8.1 po4=2.0,no3=25 dkh=8.3 alk=2.97 sg=1.023 temp = 79.5 size of tank =72gal
Yeah, sorry. One day I'll learn to read. I skimmed to the end where you asked about getting "A" stronger ph.
 
amadent

amadent

Member
what about water turnover. Should it be increased. The water in my collection cup is medium green and smells.
 
T

tizzo

Guest
You can increase the turnover to 1440 gph without any ill effects. That's a 20X turnover.
Smelly skimmate is a good thing, but green?? Are you adding any suspension foods, additives or supplements?
 
T

tizzo

Guest
No. As detritus, it will not raise your levels. Food that falls into the cracks, will rot and THEN become detritus. The rotting foods will affect your levels if there is to much of it...
 
socal57che

socal57che

Active Member
The stuff in the live rock crevaces will be taken care of by bacteria in the rock, it is your filter. Blow it off occasionally with a baster, but don't be overly concerned unless it REALLY becomes a buildup problem, then change flow.
 
socal57che

socal57che

Active Member
Recommendations from what I see here.
1-introduce a phosphate magnet.
2-if by "indirect" you mean sunlight, block it.
3-reduce feeding by half for 2 weeks.
4-try adjusting skimmer to give you a darker substance.
5-manually remove hair with your hands to reduce spreading and make it easier to monitor growth or lack thereof.
If you want to increase food slowly after hair subsides do so slowly and monitor skimmer output and hair regrowth.
 
amadent

amadent

Member
I'll start tonight. One thing. My skimmer, remora pro is set with the collection cup is set almost all the way up already. I have a prefilter box on it. Any suggestions?
 
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