running t5 lights and algea

i have crabs · #1 08-26-2008, 01:28 AM

id focus your energy on other issues like phosphates and skimming,
i know you say their is 0 phosphates but thier is a cycle of adding or creating phosphates as other things use it up which makes it a hard thing to control/monitor, if you feed frozen food test the water you defrost the food in also alot of other things that get added to tanks have phosphates.
if you dont have a ro/di unit get one right away, biggest improvement i ever seen fighting algae is when i started using ro water.
also a bigger/better skimmer wouldn't hurt but also wont be the cause in most cases,plenty of tanks run quite well with no skimmer,if you have a sump or area to grow some macro algae it is probably worth the effort to do so.

matix · #2 08-26-2008, 01:39 AM

Currently using RO water from safeway from a culligan refill water station. Any reason to question the quality of the ro water?

JDigital · #3 08-26-2008, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matix

Currently using RO water from safeway from a culligan refill water station. Any reason to question the quality of the ro water?

Yup... read quite a few things that culligan isn't as pure as it could be, lots of times the RO membranes aren't changed out as often as they should be. I've read many people take TDS readings and getting readings that are not 0. Might want to test your next bottle.

Myka · #4 08-26-2008, 01:46 AM

I was getting RO water from Save On and when I tested it ranged from 8-15 ppm.

I agree you need to look at nutrient load - phosphates and nitrates primarily. Hair algae doesn't need much light to grow.

RonPeter · #5 08-26-2008, 01:45 AM

Yes, what is the TDS of the water being used? When you say feeding is normal do your fish eat everything within a few minutes? What types of food do you feed? Also how old are your bulbs? And as you already know your skimmer is a bit small for your tank.

matix · #6 08-26-2008, 01:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonPeter

Yes, what is the TDS of the water being used? When you say feeding is normal do your fish eat everything within a few minutes? What types of food do you feed? Also how old are your bulbs? And as you already know your skimmer is a bit small for your tank.

A TDS test, how do I do one of those?

Fish are feed with a few pinches I m feeding New life spectrum and formula 2

bulbs replaced in may 08

looking at getting a euro reef rs100 and now maybe a RO unit, any suggestions/recommendations would be great. I want to fix this

RonPeter · #7 08-26-2008, 02:03 AM

You need a TDS meter to check that...they are cheap, about $25.00 or a bit more if I remember right. A good RO/DI unit is AquaFX or Spectra Pure or there's one on eBay that a lot of people use with good results called AquaSafe I think.

Myka · #8 08-26-2008, 03:06 AM

Here, I just made an HA guide: http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=44473

kwirky · #9 08-26-2008, 04:02 PM

handling your detritus is a big boon to combating hair algae as well. Old tanks usually have built up detritus in the rocks and sandbed and it takes a long time to remove that.

Just blowing your rocks off daily is a big help against HA. Hair algae tends to grow where the detritus settles on the rocks. You'll notice when you do blow at the hair algae TONS of crap is released, because the hair algae catches detritus, snowballing the problem.

And once you've blown it off, you gotta get the detritus out. Siphoning the bottom if it's bare bottom is great. If you have sand, you could completely remove the top 1/4" layer of the sand and replace with new sand.

A 2 year old sand bed is usually ridden with phosphates and nitrates and they're quite difficult to deal with. Nobody wants to remove their sandbed, and removing it can release all sorts of nasty chemicals stored in the deepest areas of the bed.