help with an algae issue..

[dclegern]

A 3 year old tank, consistently kept up.
1st year I dealt with a brown slime along the substrate. (now under control)
2nd year I dealt with red Cyano along the substrate. (off and on, but under control)
Now 3rd year............. Green hair algae. (NOT under control)
Water parameters are almost too good, everything is happy and healthy.
Just Green algae popping up everywhere.

I've got a 75 gal. drilled, rolling into a 20 gallon sump, Mag 9.5 return.
Sump is 1/3 loaded with tonga rubble-1/3 skimmer section-1/3 filters and return.
4 strip t-5 lights w/ all new bulbs that only runs for 6-8 hours per day.
6 small fish, w/ plenty of clean up crew. and all softies.
water stays at 77*-78* all the time.

I got off RO water for a while, but back on it.
Just getting frustrated with the whole algae issue on an otherwise beautiful tank.

[allan]

Dude,

First, your tank looks awesome.

Second, not much advice but wanted to show you my conundrum.

My frag tank (aka, Milly's tank) is tied to my tank. Both share a common sump. The frag tank has green algae growing all over. Mine... Not a trace. I actually pull off tufts of the algae and put the rock into my tank. Within a few days the rock is completely denuded.

The only difference is my tank has a yellow tang (that I want out) and a yellow rim tang that grazes the algae.

The frag tank only has a hippo which IMO isn't a very good grazer.

You could try hydrogen.

[kkiel02]

Hair algae is relatively easy to get rid of though. Try gfo, more hermits, feed less, or throw in an algae eating tang/blenny. As you probably know that hair algae is absorbing the excess nutrients your tank is producing. This is why you wont see high levels when you test. So if you reduce your nitrates and phosphates it won't have nutrients to grow. The other critters I mentioned would just eat the algae as it grows.

On the bright side I would rather have hair algae than cyano. :)

[dclegern]

Tangs seem to die rather quick around here.
whereas nothing else does.
And Hydrogen how??

[FireWater]

Water change schedule?
I have dealt with hair algae before and was able to get it under control with manual removal and upping my water change schedule.

I believe what Allan was talking about is dipping the affected rocks in hydrogen peroxide. There is also some people that have dosed hydrogen peroxide in the tanks as well. You can google it and find a bunch of info.

[allan]

Yep, I believe someone here on Maast was experimenting with the peroxide dosing.

[rrasco]

Pretty sure it was Sherita testing on her dinos; with great success to boot. I think we discussed the alternate uses for hydrogen peroxide in that thread, but I don't remember the conclusion off hand.

[Bill S]

Are you sure you aren't dealing with Bryopsis?

[Sherita]

Pretty sure it was Sherita testing on her dinos; with great success to boot. I think we discussed the alternate uses for hydrogen peroxide in that thread, but I don't remember the conclusion off hand.


Yep, that was me. It works wonders on dinos, cleans them right up. I also use it in a diluted solution to knock algae off of frags as part of my incoming qt procedure. I wouldn't use it on live rock, because it most certainly does kill coralline algae, and I have no idea what kind of effect it would have on the bacteria in the live rock.

[dclegern]

Thanks ya'll. I'll keep trying a few things, and continue with the water changes.
I'll look into peroxide dosing, but still a little skeptical.
and yes!! I'm sure it's a type of Bryopsis..

[FireWater]

and yes!! I'm sure it's a type of Bryopsis..

If it is in deed bryopsis then you have a whole new set of problems.

[Bill S]

Here's my old bryopsis thread. I tore the tank down:

http://www.maast.org/showthread.php?45434-PowerSun-UV-bulb-versus-Bryopsis-UPDATE/page2&highlight=bryopsis

[dclegern]

did the peroxide dosing for the last month, with a no win..... just made all my shrooms look ugly.
I've started this startsmart complete that the lfs guy sold me on.
anyone know more about this???? any real cons to it?