Problems with hair algae...

[carp31]

I have hair algae all over my live rock. I have had this problem for almost 8 months now. I sold all my corals to my friend to try chemicals to get rid of it. But it still comes back. I scrubbed all the rocks while they were in the tank and then did a 10 % water change. Still comes back two weeks later. My tank has been up for 3 years. Any ideas what I can do to get rid of the algae???
72 Bow Tank
Coralife light 2 65 watt atinic and 2 65 10,000
Rena XP3 Canister 175 GPH
CPR pak Skimmer
70 lb. live rock
2 power heads
9 watt uv sterilizer
Purple tang, Red sea salfin tang, Clown,
Green spotted goby, file fire fish?
Tank has been up since May 01'

 

[eg_hatch]

You can try a Lettuce Nudibranch..I heard they're pretty good for that..

 

[carp31]

hope I dont sound dumb on this. But what is that?

 

[norcalreef]

you need to fing out what is causing the algae, are you using tap water, over feeding?

 

[carp31]

I am using bottle water. I feed once a day towards night time. I started my tank with tap water 3 years a go. Then switched over to bottled water about a year a go.

 

[kpk]

I would say cut back on feeding to every other or even better every 3 days. I had a bad problem for about 5 months and I started feeding sparingly and got a refugium and everything is doing great...

 

[norcalreef]

have you tested your bottled water for PO4?

 

[carp31]

Refugium is that a hang off the back one or underneath. What do you put in them again that attracts algae to them instead of the tank?
I will cut back on feeding. THe tangs can graze off the rock too.

 

[carp31]

What exactly is p04? I just buy bottled water at the grocery store. Should I get a specific brand that is better or cleaner than another?

 

[kpk]

I have a under tank refugium, and you put in macro algaes to suck out the nutrients from the water so the hair algae has nothing to feed on...

 

[carp31]

So where do I get macro algaes at? something I can order?

 

[norcalreef]

PO4=phosphate
hair algae use it to grow off of, have you bottled water tested for it. or else get a RO/Di unit to totally remove it.

 

[norcalreef]

you can buy macro algaes pretty much anywhere, SWF.com seels some kinds. Although I do not suggest you put them in your DT.

 

[kpk]

You can get caulerpa at the lfs sometimes in my area? ---- has some. The best you could get would be chaetamorpha (sp.)
it doesn't go sexual and crash...

 

[norcalreef]

build a cheap rubbermaid fuge to put the macros in.

 

[kpk]

No, not in display looks tacky. You need to isolate it somewhere.

 

[norcalreef]

I agree with KPK, cheatamorpha is the best way to go.

 

[kpk]

Like NorCal said, go rubbermaid it's cheaper. Unless you have tanks setting around...lol

 

[carp31]

Would it work putting the macro in my canister? I just use it for a power head really. I put phosphate remover pads in there once in a while. Does not work.

 

[kpk]

Check this out. If you wanna learn about phospates, steve knows his stuff... https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/114406/phosphate-my-take-on-things