|
|
|
#1
10-01-2007, 02:27 PM
|
||||
|
||||
Hair Algae
Hey guys,
I have had my tank running for a year now, it is a 10 gallon nano, with 1 clown and 1 clown goby. Over the last few months I have noticed that hair algae is starting to cover my live rock. I have had an aquaclear 500 filter converted into a refugium with light and macro algae running for over a month, and since then the macro has doubled in size, but has not slown down the rate at which the hair algae, and algae on the glass grows. I am using RO water from a local store, and do a water change religiously every week. I even took out a small piece of live rock covered in hair algae out a couple weeks ago, pulled all of the hair algae out, and it is covered in it once again. My clean up crew consists of 2 blue leg hermits, 1 scarlett, 2 cerith, 3 astrea, and 6 black ones from Elite. My clean up crew does nothing for this algae. This is really frustrating. Any ideas? 
|
|
#2
10-01-2007, 02:40 PM
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
Algae as you know needs a food source. Both nitrates and phosphates contribute to this food source. Many times your readings of these 2 might not seem high do to the fact that the algae is consuming it faster than it can enter the water colum.
The first thing I would check is your source water. Most stores that sell RO water do not do the required maintenance needed to keep the Nitrates and Phosphates low. Secondly what are the current nitrate and phosphate levels in your tank? Third what Macro are you using in your refugium? how is it lit? J
|
|
#3
10-01-2007, 02:48 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Nitrates show up a bit on my test kit, but phosphates do not. I heard leaving the lights off for a day or two might kill it, but will this do anything to my fish/inverts? The macro is red, I think its Red Feather Kelp. I got it from Golds in Calgary.
|
|
#4
10-01-2007, 03:03 PM
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
I tried leaving the lights off for a whole weekend and it didn't do a thing for me. Hair algae is evil evil evil evil!
|
|
#5
10-01-2007, 03:03 PM
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
I would still Test your water that you use for water changes.
Leaveing the lights off might help. But you will not have delt with the cause and it would quickly return. How old are you bulbs. This could also contribute
|
|
#7
10-01-2007, 05:16 PM
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
Quote:
 , after around 6-12 months of use your bulbs degrades and then you find nusance algea explodes.Levi
|
|
#8
10-01-2007, 06:36 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
Thanks Kevin
|
|
#9
10-01-2007, 06:45 PM
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
Here are some of the potential causes that I found with my battle with hair algae.
1) Changing out all bulbs, a more yellow spectrum seems to lend it self to algae growth 2) Macro algae, and a variety of macros at that. 3) RO/DI water 4) Manual removal of the algae 5) Running the tank with a reduced photo period 6) A Blackout period, I hear it works for some, but it didn't do anything for me. 7) Run a phosphate remover 8) Larger water changes 9) Ensure all your water parameters are in order with limited fluctuations 10) Add additional members to your clean up crew, e.g. hermits, urchin, lettuce nudibranch, seahare 11) Remove rocks and scrub them all down and pluck them clean. 12) Run a Nitrate spong or remover 13) Changing your salt brand. It seems that some salt brands may have phosphates. 14) Add in GHA eating fish I hope something works out for you! Last edited by michika; 10-01-2007 at 06:45 PM. Reason: typo
|
|
#10
10-02-2007, 12:30 AM
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
Quote:
__________________
No matter how hard you try, you can't baptise cats.
|
Linear Mode
