Algae problem help please

[Jeepman3sk]

I am having a green hair algae problem and now some red algae is there anything I cna do to get this to slow down maybe ever get rid of it. Im getting my skimmer on monday i think. My water conditions are good. Its a 10g reef tank with 2 clowns. 96watts PC light...umm yeah just need to find a way to get rid of this algae i have pulled some of it of the rocks and it didnt grow back very much at all. So any help I can get to get rid of this problem will be much appricated.

 

[bertoni]

The algae both need food to grow, so one idea would be to check your feeding level. How much and what are you feeding?

How much live rock is in the tank?

A macroalga like Chaetomorpha that doesn't attach can often outcompete hair algae, if you don't mind the looks.

 

[szwab]

i would also check your phosphate leveles although be aware you can get q false reasding if the algea is using it up quickly.
keep pulling it out.
what and how much how often do you feed?
are you keeping up on water changes?
with a 10 gallon tank i'd suggest doing a series of small water changes as a start

 

[Jeepman3sk]

about 10 pounds of rock I have a hand on filter in the back could I put some of that stuff in the filter in back, take out the the filter media (bio filter). I also reduced my feeding. And duration of lights during the day.

 

[szwab]

might want to try a poly filter in you HOB

 

[mg426]

A poly filter gets my vote !!!!!!

 

[mg426]

the sort of Algae you have can be very annoying.It can use up the nitrates (Lock them up so to speak) as fast as they are produced sometimes giving you very low nitrate readings via your test kit. Dont be fooled if you have cyano or hair algae you have a nutrient problem.

 

[bertoni]

If you remove the filter media from the hang-on at this point, you might possibly see some cycling effects. I'd be ready if I were going to make that move. Plenty of water on hand for changes. If the filter is big enough, it might help with the various algae.

 

[Avi]

A friend of mine had persistent algae problems with his ten-gallon tank. It was only remedied when he put a skimmer on the tank and also, at the same time, put another 10-gallon tank under it as a refugium. Within weeks the algae disappeared. We don't know if it was both the skimmer and the refugium that remedied the problem, but since you are getting a skimmer for your tank, see if that resolves the issue.

 

[DaveAngie79]

all new tanks go through that alge cycle just keep pulling it out stir up the water a little then do a 2-4 gallon change every 4-5 days and it will be gone in no time

 

[SumoBlenny]

I have had problems with both green hair algea and brown algea in the past. Both went away on their own as the tank matured, however adding a few hermit crabs and maintaining control of nutrient levels certainly spread the process along. The skimmer is a great mechanism for nutrient export and should help a lot. Adding a competitive macro algea like cheato morpha can also help.

 

[boviac]

Hair algae usually Debresia spreads very easily when disturbed from what I've read. Best thing to do is a water change into a container you can work in. Remove contaminated (algae) rock into the container and scrub off there with something (I use a old and throughly rinsed toothbrush). Shake underwater to see if any strands are left and to rinse before replacing into your tank.
Red algae (cyano bacteria) could be from old light's shifting as well. How old are your lights?
Overall, most algae is due to excessive phosphates usually from overfeeding or certain additives that may have expired.
If you have a sand bed and have moved utilizing the same sand may be a culprit to release phosphates as well.
See reefcast.com listen to Melev's talk about how he reduced his phosphate down to zero. For me my phosphate measures zero but I know thats only because hair algae is using it up because it's growing!!!
Good luck getting it under control. HTH