Was my decision to switch a mistake?

[cbianco]

Hey all!

I recently switched from Instant Ocean salt mix to Red Sea salt mix. I have not heard anything bad about Red Sea so I decided to purchase it due to price.

Well... since I have switched to Red Sea I have a heck of a hair algae problem. I syphon this stuff weekly and it will not go away, only come back stronger. Has anyone else dealt with Red Sea and had a problem?

According to About.com Red Sea has a higher level of phosphate when compared amound leading brands. (http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/seasaltmixes/l/aa090503b.htm)

I use 50/50 bulbs 10 hours a day. Feeding is no different than usual. I am still buying my water from the WalMart dispenser.

So my main question is: How do I get rid of the hair algea without it coming back?

Thanks for any help or insite that you can provide me!

Christopher

[::pete::]

What fish do you have? An lawnmower/eyelash/sailfin blenny will make quick work of it.

Im starting to think that mixing salt is not a good idea. My outbreak is confined to my calfo on the inside, but all the threads that are bad about Oceanic are when people switched. Coincidence ... maybe, but I switched back to IO and have been using up my Oceanic ... mixing it. There was no algae before and like you that is the only change.

[cbianco]

No fish in my tank. I don't want to put fish in my tank that bury into the sand, they make a mess. I have thought about it though.

I am sure that there is another way to rid my tank of the hair algea (I hope :blush ).

[Thunderkat]

It might not be your fault or the salt you are using, maybe it is just time for maintenance to be done on the machine you are buying your water from.

[bigdscobra]

I have not noticed a difference in algea, I switched from IO to oceanic and now I am mixing IO to oceanic and still no change in algea. After the oceanic is used up I will stick with IO.

[::pete::]

A lawnmower doesnt kick up the sand

[gjuarez]

How old are the bulbs? Bio-load? Filtration? Fuge would help. Can you give us a little bit more info.

[Shark_Bait]

I'm not a chemist but I don't think the water machine takes all the same stuff as RO units do... Would go with time for the machine to get a filter change.

[thedude]

A big problem that not many consider are the actual concentrations you're mixing the salt to. What salinity are you running? With most salts the recommended salinitily is 1.021 or lower and with people such as myself running at 1.026 you run into problems. No salts are determined to mix at NSW levels.

[cbianco]

Sorry for the delayed response guys! I no longer have internet at home so I have to wait until I am at work or school to post on the boards.

Thunderkat

You may be correct in stating that it may be time for the water machine to be maintained. On the LCD screen it states that it has been maintained on time. I hope it is not "lying" about the scheduled maintenence.

~pete~

I was under the impression that blennys bury themselves into the sand. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here.

gjuarez

The bulbs (2 x 36 watt CFL 50/50) have been in use since February. My bioload is minimal, few coral and a clean up crew. I only feed occasionsally (hermits) to supplement my lack of algea in the tank. I have no fuge and can't really make room or afford one.

I do regular water changes that consist of 3-4 gallon change a week.

Shark_Bait

The water machines state that they remove excess nutrients by using: RO, DI and UV.

thedude

I run my tank at about 1.024-1.025. Is there an article which discusses salt concentration and algea problems? If so I would be very interested in learning more!

Thanks

Christopher

[RobertG]

I would not worry about your salt. Make sure the RO Water you are using is not leaching phosphates into your tank. I once had 1000+ blue leg hermits roaming the tank munching away. Never had to deal with the algae after that. Phosphates is my first guess. Gotta be coming from somewhere. Not salt in IMO. Good luck!

[cbianco]

Brainfart! I just remembered something!

Recently, about a week ago Louis at AW tested my water for Phosphate and told me that he was getting a reading of .2 if I remember correctly. I have NEVER tested for phosphates before.


If I am not mistaking .2 is quite high. Has anyone had luck with phosphate sponge or another type of phosphate remover?
Christopher

[Shark_Bait]

I like the Seachem phospate sponge... I think it removes it pretty quickly.. But on the other hand if you forget that you put it in or what ever it will start to leech it back into the system. As long as you rember to take it out when the system drops it's what works for me.

and get a test kit! Remeber you get what you pay for as test kits go.

[JimD]

>Lawnmower< blennies dont sift sand, theyre algae eaters for the most part and they normaly wont eat filimentatious hair algae, they will however eat the shorter layer thats left behind after manual removal. Some have been successfully trained to eat frozen brine or whatever. There, youve been corrected. :-)