algae problems

[butwa20]

I have very bad algae problems i have tried many things. i currently have like green grass every where in my tank algae is growing on top of my corals. i have a lawn mower blemmy and a red flame tail tang to try and help with the problem but its just growing more and more. i have had my water tested at the LFS they said it was perfect no problems i am only using water from the lfs's system. i have started vodka dosing just a cap full a day. i am running 2 250w mhl 4 t-5 56w. and a 4 t-5 56w on my refuge. running mhl for only 6 hours a day down from 9 when the problem started. i am so tired of looking in and seeing algae please give me advice. no phosphates i have checked.

[Regric25]

I was just about to post a new related thread about this. I have hair algae running rampant in my tank. I hope you don't mind me asking a question on your thread lol. What can anyone recommend to combat hair algae? I have a gallon nano and a small cuc consisting of rita snails, astrea snails and hermit crabs. None of which seem to be eating the algae. Any recommendations?

[Europhyllia]

the plain Mexican redleg hermits have worked well for me for hair algae in my seahorse tank. (not the snazzier Scarletts or the Bluelegs)

And of course TIME. Seems like it's not an overnight solution.

PS: all these values could be low because the algae is taking it up

[StevenSeas]

how old are your bulbs? have you had the water tested before adding to your tank? could be like adding fertilizer to your tank if it is from an established tank system. how often do you feed your fish? do you feed flake, pellet, frozen or what? IF frozen do you rinse it before feeding or just plop in a cube or two?

[jroescher]

I'm joining this club too. I've replaced all my bulbs and installed a new RO/DI. And waited, hoping whatever it was would run it's course. My coverage of algae is complete, including my fuge. ReefCleaners sent my their solution but it's still getting worse.

[Louis]

Have your phosphates checked with a digital Hanna meter. NSW has <= .02ppm phosphates. High nitrates, phosphates, and light is all algae needs to become a problem. If you can control these three things you can defeat the algae.

Phosphate comes from fish food(preservatives), can be leached out of Liverock and sand beds, and can be found in tap water.

Using phosphate remover (GFO, phosguard, chemi-pure elite, phosban, etc) is a very effective way of lowering po4 to proper levels.

I use GFO HC from BRS along weekly water changes to control nitrate and phosphate.

HTH

Louis

[Big_Pun]

this stuff just cycle through and theres nothing you can but clean up your system. even with bio pellets and running 0 nitrates and low phosphates I still had hair algae. Troy valentine and I had this talk about algae cycling through and then going away. just keep up with water changes, make sure your water is a good quality(that's why I have my RO/DI) use a good carbon and gfo, trim back your fuge, cut back on amount and frequency of feeding and above all be patient. I used algae fix works great but you gotta keep dosing it, for red slim algae zeovits coral snow worked the best for me. also when you can just manually remove it and toss it. best tool is a reactor with a high grade gfo and keep up with changing it out.

[butwa20]

I feed pellets once a day. My light are 3 months old I have mangroves dragons breath and Cato but they arnt growing. The Lfs I get my water from tests their water and I think they told me their tds are below 5 if that's right I just solely started using them instead of the drive up water places about 2 mo tha ago but I just hate how my tank looks no coralline alge will grow I am just rather anoyed.

[Europhyllia]

well stop feeding crappy pellets and start feeding real food. lol

Pellets, flakes, etc. they all contain fillers and preservatives. I feed only live or frozen. Frozen gets rinsed of course. I feed MASSIVE amounts of foods. If feeding huge amounts of foods is what gave people hair algae I'd have a shag carpet in there. But I don't.
I'll dig up a great article in a minute here. Be right back ;)

[Europhyllia]

here you go:
http://www.maast.org/showthread.php?65445-Some-interesting-stuff-I-ve-been-reading-on-food-and-algae&highlight=borneman

[butwa20]

What do you feed then cuz I heard frozen brine isn't good to just freed it's like candy

[350gt]

I have been feeding frozen brine in my tank, sometimes 3 times a day with no ill effects...... Just some plump fish.

I also feed pellets, flakes and alot of other stuff..... and never a issue, my sons nano gets the same feeding and no outbreaks cause of the food....

[350gt]

How often are you doing water changes? I do mine every other week.........I think thats why I have been so lucky.

[LuckySingh]

if ur levels r under control than u must be feeding something to the algae.....i would cut down more on ur lights couple more hours for a week and dnt know if u dosing iodine or strontium which feeds algae to grow crazy.....stop dosing these untill its gone...

[butwa20]

Yes I am dosing both!

[Europhyllia]

Here's what I'm feeding:
http://www.dominopads.com/foodbags.jpg

[350gt]

How do you rinse your food?

[Europhyllia]

use tank water to thaw it in a little cup, then rinse it through one of those little blue brine shrimp nets. The seahorse food is very greasy and gets an extra rinse with RO (I got an RO faucet at the sink so that's convenient)

[LuckySingh]

I would suggest stop dosing iodine until algae is gne even strontium aswell


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[Europhyllia]

I would suggest stop dosing iodine until algae is gne even strontium aswell

That sounds like great advice there.

[Texreefer]

The solutions is very simple: First you will need...
1. patience
2. Regular water changes and tank cleanings
3. Good clean up crew. various snails and maybe some hermits
4. Good mechanical filtration that is changed often.(Like Phosphate pad)
5. NOTHING will eat a Healthy thick mat of hair algae (Scrub your rocks so the snails can work on whats left)
6. See #'s 1-5
7. Not trying to be a smart ..... there is no magic involved. other things you can try are reducing light cycle some more( i didn't catch how old the system was so that may help), stop wasting perfectly good vodka,feed less for a while.. add skimmer in there is none.. if you can place some cheato or other macro somewhere in the system as a competing algae for nutrients.
one other question,, are you trying to grow SPS in your sump? why so much light there? I would remove that fixture altogether.. I have a simple 12" Lowes flourescent fixture over mine.. it is only 8 watts and my algae grows fine in the fuge...

[350gt]

use tank water to thaw it in a little cup, then rinse it through one of those little blue brine shrimp nets. The seahorse food is very greasy and gets an extra rinse with RO (I got an RO faucet at the sink so that's convenient)

thank you, I made my first batch tonight.Brine/mysis/plankton/a little squid/krill, hopefully they are pleased...LOL

[350gt]

are you trying to grow SPS in your sump? why so much light there? I would remove that fixture altogether.. I have a simple 12" Lowes flourescent fixture over mine.. it is only 8 watts and my algae grows fine in the fuge...

I have a feeling that might be it....... I had issues with my sons nano and it was the fuge light, removed it and all algae eventually cleared up.....

[alton]

Have your phosphates checked with a digital Hanna meter. NSW has <= .02ppm phosphates. High nitrates, phosphates, and light is all algae needs to become a problem. If you can control these three things you can defeat the algae.

Phosphate comes from fish food(preservatives), can be leached out of Liverock and sand beds, and can be found in tap water.

Using phosphate remover (GFO, phosguard, chemi-pure elite, phosban, etc) is a very effective way of lowering po4 to proper levels.

I use GFO HC from BRS along weekly water changes to control nitrate and phosphate.

HTH

Louis

X2 plus what Texreefer said it will take a while to fix itself. I do not know what types of coral you have but softies love pollution and help control phosphates, just be careful because they will take over a SPS tank. As far as testing for phosphates, algae is the best test. Gary Powell use to always say there are two types of phosphates the one that test kits are made for and the one that grows algae.

[FireWater]

Like others have said as well. The test kits could be showing false readings due to the algae in the tank.
I generally only test the water going in to the tank and look for any excess algae in the tank as my "test" kit.

[Kristy]

I am glad that I haven't had to deal with this stuff much, but when I have encountered it the solution was:
water changes
manual removal
repeat
maybe increase cleaunup crew

Good luck and keep us posted! (You could always send in a pic to the Ugly Tank Contest and maybe win a new cleanup crew!)

[rrasco]

You could also try an algae scrubber to compete for the nutrients. If you can't beat the algae, tell it where to grow.

[Sherita]

Carbon, phosban and religious large weekly water changes. Get rid of the pellets, cut down on feeding and shorten your light cycle. Pick out what you can, get some mexican turbos, a sea hare or a lot of trochus snails (or a combination of all three). I fought this battle in my 30g and I finally won. No algae in sight.

Are you sure it isn't bryopsis rather than hair algae? If it is, you are in for a fight.

Also, if you can tolerate the thievery, tuxedo urchins play the devil with hair algae. Mine doesn't allow even one speck to get started in my 72. However, be prepared, because they will steal anything that is not nailed down. If they can pick it up, they wear it as a hat.