Controlling Nitrates.

[ratboy]

I use a DSB, refugium w/ chaetomorph and mangroves for my 90 reef - no skimmer on any of my tanks.

I dont know what your lighting is but if you cut the light cycle to only a few hours or only run your actinics that should help alot. I always start my tanks with only actincs for the first few weeks to give the coraline alagae a head start and not encourage the hair algae. My work tank (55 gal) hasnt had lights on it for over a month and the caulerpa and coraline is still growing using only window light from accross the room(slowly but still growing).

questions...
Do you dose Kalkwasser? Kalk binds phosphates and helps control alkalinity and pH encouraging coraline and discouraging hair algae.

What is your makeup water? RO, RO/DI, Doc Wellfish, tap

How old are your bulbs? replace em if they are old

[Jimnorris]

That big clam now is sitting in his own tank at Seaworld San Antonio!
Jim

[alexwolf]

Lettuce nidubranch took ALL my hair algae away.....all of a sudden it disappeared though :o

[Richard]

z28pwr- Wow! That's a very green tank. Have you checked your phosphate level? The phosphate test kit from seachem is an excellent kit. It measures all the way down to zero, many other kits have a lowest reading of .2 which is still too high. I had a lot of problems with green hair algae in my own tank until I got the seachem test kit and used phosguard to bring my phosphate to below .02. Natural seawater levels are .01 - .03 mg/l.

[captexas]

I would be curious to see how much junk gets down in that gridwork and crushed coral bed. That is where food and fish wastes will collect and turn in into nitrates and such. Unless you are able to vacuum it out on a regular basis, it could be a problem.

[matt]

I agee with Chris

[z28pwr]

z28pwr- Wow! That's a very green tank. Have you checked your phosphate level? The phosphate test kit from seachem is an excellent kit. It measures all the way down to zero, many other kits have a lowest reading of .2 which is still too high. I had a lot of problems with green hair algae in my own tank until I got the seachem test kit and used phosguard to bring my phosphate to below .02. Natural seawater levels are .01 - .03 mg/l.

Richard, I used the Salifert Phosphate test kit which gave me a reading of .03 If I recall correctly. But I still dumped some PhosGuard in the filter.


I'm going to put some phosguard in this system aswell just to be on the safe side.