hair algae on new setup

kwirky · #1 09-13-2006, 01:43 AM

My tank's at it's first week now. I'm running just the actinics (half of a 4 foot, 8 bulb T5 fixture).

It was set up with tap water. I had a diatom problem, then my RO/DI unit came in last friday. Did a 25% water change with RO/DI two days ago, which obbliterated the diatoms almost overnight, but now this hair algae's showing up.

the same thing cleared up in my nano within a week, but I'm more nervous about it in this setup, since my cleanup crew only consists of 5 trochus and a single blue legged hermit.

I'm figuring the tank's moving up the algae heirarchical ladder, but here's my tank specs ATM:

120 gallons
81F
nitrate: <= 0.2ppm (salifert kits are great!)
calcium: 450mg
euroreef RS135 skimmer skimming.

should I just sit tight, waiting until the tank's had more RO/DI water? I'm thinking of ~25% changes every week for the next month. is that overkill? I'm nervous about this tap water, since i WOULD like to turn the lights on full at SOME point...

on another note, anyone know how to make a euroreef skimm wet vs. dry, and which I should be skimming? heard it should "skim wet" but don't know how to get it to do that exactly, or if I'm doing it already.

albert_dao · #2 09-13-2006, 02:12 AM

Hair algae rarely resolves itself. I'd consider Iron Oxide.

Moogled · #3 09-13-2006, 02:30 AM

Funny, because I just let my hair algae sit. Probably pulled an obscure bunch here and there during water changes.

HAI-YA!

That or my Foxface takes care of it. Maybe you can sit tight and hope it doesn't infest the cycling tank.

kwirky · #4 09-13-2006, 02:38 AM

hrm... I might just get that phosban reactor earlier than I had planned.

b_james · #5 09-13-2006, 09:19 PM

Option 1. Buy a sea hair to eat the hair algae

Option 2 Or better, install refugium with lots of macro to help starve off hair algea from your system.

I did both and I havent seen a single strand of hair algae in the last 4 months, BTW a month after startup I had a hair algae problem aw well. Because your tank is new you will probably go through a few algae booms.

kwirky · #6 09-14-2006, 04:34 AM

I installed a phosphate reactor today. Heard nothing but good about them. I don't run my ph at 9.0 or so, so I shouldn't get the pH drop.

I'll be away for the weekend. When I get back, I'm gonna see about setting up a fuge, and finding a sea hare somewhere. I don't want to pay $15 for J&L to ship just to ship a few sea hares but if nobody in the city has them, I guess I'll have to. Or else I could try my luck with a lawnmower blenny... but... I'll look for the hare.

Any advice on setting up a fuge? I was planning on getting a little 20 gallon, drilling an overflow and return, and tapping it in with my sump. Was going to light it with those screw base PC lights with the reflectors built in, Albert_DAO was telling me about.