Bad Hair Algae

[Myka]

Have you ever researched high magnesium levels as a solution to hair algae? Check this out: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...lgae+magnesium

Aside from that, all we have are some basic details from you about your tank. If you're not into trying the Magnesium idea, then take the time to write down all your daily maintenance, weekly maintenance, monthly maintenance...everything you do to your tank and how often. Include amounts like size of waterchanges, amount of food, dosing of any additives, etc. Also include brand names, and product names. List all specs - all testing from the last 6 months; ph, amonnia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate. Also salinity, temperature, lighting hours, hardware, bulb brands, last time bulbs changed, etc. Don't leave anything out.

[jasond]

No problem, for some reason I missed that and thought you were in calgary.

I would get a phosban reactor. It really will STOP it from growing. My sea hare ate away, but the phosban really stopped it from growing. The key was to keep the media changed during the beginning, and after a couple weeks it all pulled right out, and has not come back.

Phosban, sea hare, and hermit crabs and it will be gone!

[calkrog]

the high magnesium solution is for bryopsis only, which is what i am batteling right now, i am trying the high mag solution, but it depends on what mag you use. apparently kent tech-m is the best solution for this, followed by epsom salts because it is magnesium sulphate and not magnesium chloride or whatever magflake is. i wish it was just high magnesium that was the solution, because then my OPP salt that was 2300 ppm mag would have taken care of it. so after lots of water changes using reefcrystal i am now able to does tech-m to battle the bryopsis. i will let everyone know as to my progress.

[Matthew N]

I had that exact same problem, so I know what it feels like.

What seemed to be my problem was phosphate, I started to use RO water from the local grocery store and that helped alot, but at the same time it seemed to hurt coral growth which I thought was weird.

So I mixed half and half (well water and RO water) and that made a huge difference, I also increased my lighting to 120 Watts, because I noticed the hair algae was bleaching that was closer to the light, This seemed to clear all the hair algae out but the red slime started to grow like crazy.

I then bought another powerhead, and that seemed to take care of all the red slime.

Oh and I also started to pour tons of seachem's reef complete which raises calcium.

I live on the east coast so my make up water might be different then your's but I really hope this helps

Matthew

[likwid]

I am using pre-bottled RO water from a company called Arrowhead that is less than 5 ppm per bottle. I dont think the water is the cause of this. I would try a phosban reactor, but I dont think I have room in my tank for another ugly pump. I have an aquaclear 500 converted into a hang ob back refugium, and I run a bag of rowaphos, a phosphate sponge, and a bag of de-nitrate in there along with my macroalgae and live rock rubble.

I am almost ready to give up on saltwater.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by likwid

I am using pre-bottled RO water from a company called Arrowhead that is less than 5 ppm per bottle. I dont think the water is the cause of this. I would try a phosban reactor, but I dont think I have room in my tank for another ugly pump. I have an aquaclear 500 converted into a hang ob back refugium, and I run a bag of rowaphos, a phosphate sponge, and a bag of de-nitrate in there along with my macroalgae and live rock rubble.

I am almost ready to give up on saltwater.

Can't help without more info. Answer the questions I laid out for you in my last post.

Sometimes there ends up being for much waste breaking down in an aquarium that the rocks and sand become loaded with phosphates and nitrates. The only decent way of fixing that problem is to break the tank down, and "cook" the rocks in a dark bin for for several weeks doing waterchanges (using RO and salt obviously) every few days, until phosphates read 0. It may also be neccessary to replace the sandbed with new sand. Since your tank has been like this for a long time, I'm lead to believe this may be your problem.

If your phosphate and nitrate test kits are reading 0 that doesn't mean anything. You have so much hair algae that it is eating all the phos and nitrate out of the water so your test kits won't read it.

Get rid of the hair algae and the cyano will follow.

[TANGOMAN]

As mentioned, RO is good but the resins in DI will eliminate compounds which are suspended in a liquid form. Phosphates were mentioned, silicates are another pottential nutrient for the nucience algae. I've been there and replacing the DI resins made the difference. It's a small system which makes it very unstable! Change your Source water, try a different salt too. Keep it simple and stick to the basics. It's a crappy battle, I think we've all been there.

[likwid]

Originally Posted by Myka

Have you ever researched high magnesium levels as a solution to hair algae? Check this out: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...lgae+magnesium

Aside from that, all we have are some basic details from you about your tank. If you're not into trying the Magnesium idea, then take the time to write down all your daily maintenance, weekly maintenance, monthly maintenance...everything you do to your tank and how often. Include amounts like size of waterchanges, amount of food, dosing of any additives, etc. Also include brand names, and product names. List all specs - all testing from the last 6 months; ph, amonnia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate. Also salinity, temperature, lighting hours, hardware, bulb brands, last time bulbs changed, etc. Don't leave anything out.

I do not add any additives to my tank. I do a 15% waterchange every week using instant ocean salt and RO water. Feed hikari mysis shrimp twice a week, presoaked in water. PH: 7.8, ammonia: 0, nitrite: 0, nitrate: 10, phosphate: 0, Salinity: 0.023, temperature: 78 degrees. Photo period is 7 hours actinic, 5.5 hours actinic+daylights. Bulbs are each 36w coralifes, changed in october.

[BC564]

Can you put a T fitting after your return pump ....put a valve on it and then feed your phosban reactor and then back into your sump.....just control your flow with the valve? Do you have room for that?

[jasond]

Without making some changes, it is not going to get better or go away. Try to make the phosban work, it is a cheap fix. My rock was totally covered, I thought no way am I going to get rid of this stuff, and there isnt a "hair" left.