hiar algae

[GaryP]

Alkalinity is raised by adding buffer. There are several good brands you can use. I perfer using the solid buffers that you mix in your own water. This may not be as good for you since you are buying water.

The trick to adding buffer is to add it very slowly. You can drip it in slowly by siphoning it into a high flow area using some air tubing and a little plastic air valve to regulate the drip rate. The key is to test before and after adding the a certain amount of the supplement. This allows you to figure out how much of the supplement raises the levels in the tank by whatever the difference between the first and second test readings. This information can be used to tell you what a certain amount of supplement will increase your levels.

I would also suggest you do a lot of testing in the beginning to see how fast your levels decrease in a day or a week. This will allow you to determine how much additive to add per day or week to maintian the levels where they need to be. Alkalinity does drop fairly quickly and you may need to add buffer a couple of times a week.

[leslie]

thank you everyone. My sister was using a buffer once a week and stopped doing it (lazy ). She is going to start using it again, and I suggested that she go to her lfs this week and get some phosban. Thank you again for all your help

[GaryP]

Your welcome, that's why we are here.

[gjuarez]

Good call Joshua, but starving it to death could be a difficult task with this tank. The reason being that there is corals and the light has to be on, so that will make it a bit more difficult. Leslie, have your sister try one of Gary's suggestions and then ask her to get some turbo snails. That should take care of it.

[GaryP]

Controlling hair algae requires a multi-faceted approach.

Increasing export, decreasing import, and increasing grazing. It usually takes more then one action to get control of it.

[Thunderkat]

I have been doing all kinds of things in my tank to combat hair algae and slowly but surely I am winning and in my opinion I think cerith snails are by far the best things you can use to combat hair algae. I wonder what would happen if I loaded up on ceriths...only have about 9 in a 55 gallon.

[GaryP]

I would at least triple that number. I usually recommend one per gallon. They do work well. Unlike turbos they don't mind getting of the glass and working over the rocks. Nerite snails are good for that too.