Alright, what do I have to do?

[EdSnyder]

To get ride of this hair algae!

Cal 420
Mag 1125
PH 8.2
Phospate 0
NO3 0
Alk 3.5
temp 78
SG 1.025

This was tested yesterday before a 8gal water change.
Its a 55 with no sump I have 4 VHOs. Two bulbs are about 3months old and 2 about a month old. I have 2 Korilia 3's and a mag 3 on my skimmer.

I used to have a few nitrates. I didnt have hair algae. Then after reading over and over that my nitrates should be undetectable I started trying to get them to undetectible. Less feeding, more waterchanges, tuning the skimmer. No luck with that, so I tried AZNO3. My nitrates were only about 10 when I started the treatment so it didnt take long to get them to undetectable. I followed the directions and the nitrates when away. The skimmer worked like crazy.
So after about a month with the N at 0 I started weaning the tank off the AZNO3.
As soon as I started reducing the dose the hair algae showed up. The tank hasnt had AZNO3 for a month now and the hair algae keeps increasing. I have done a 7gal water change and pulled this stuff out once a week for 4 weeks now, and I am losing the battle.
It doesnt grow on the rocks that have great coraline growth just the ones that dont. And the sand. And the snails and hermits look like Don King.
I am have a week off work starting today and I am going to build a sump/fuge.
I have great coral growth, and my water is good, (because I have plenty of algae eating Phospate and Nitrate), but I have been starving my 4 little cromis for months now and the algae keeps growning.:furious:

 

[jp634]

cut back on your lighting Like about 1/2 for 2 weeks and then start adding 30 min, a day until you are back to the normal lighting times. less food for the fish and then do some water changes, you should look into a good ro unit also

 

[precko]

The tank looks pretty clean, how long has it been setup? did you use reef bones or live rock? Also what if any grazers do you have in there?

 

[EdSnyder]

cut back on your lighting Like about 1/2 for 2 weeks and then start adding 30 min, a day until you are back to the normal lighting times. less food for the fish and then do some water changes, you should look into a good ro unit also

I have a great 5 stage RO/DI unit from the Filter Guys. My TDS are 0. Any less food for the fish and there wont be fish.
I feed them the smallest little amount of flake food every other day.
Maybe I need less light:
My Daylights are on from 12noon till 6pm
Actinics are an hr before and after
Moonlights are an hr before and after Actinics

I am doing 7 gallon water changes every Saturday for 5 weeks now.

 

[EdSnyder]

The tank looks pretty clean, how long has it been setup? did you use reef bones or live rock? Also what if any grazers do you have in there?

I had a 29gal for about a yr and then in Mar I upgraded to this 55.
I added an additional 40lbs of live rock from the keys. I was down there on vacation, and picked up and brought it back in a cooler of water. Tons of life on it. Covered in coraline algae.
I have 1 emerald crab. Some other misc. crabs that hitch hiked, and bristle worms. 10 or so snails. 10 or so hermits. When I first started this tank there were more snails and crabs, but there have been some casualties.

 

[garrettm85]

More cleanup crew critters IMO. The more the marrier and make sure and get a very good variety. For hair algae, consider a small sally light foot, some trochus snails, a small foxface rabbitfish might be nice, and just a good mix of hermits and snails in general.




I have a huge clean up crew in my system and I never have problems with any kind of micro algae. I also have a fairly large section fo the system dedicated to macro algaes which I think really helps. My rocks are sparkling clean with only coraline algae and corals with the ocassional sponge or tunicate growth.




Good luck.

 

[Hawkdl2]

I've always had good luck throwing in a turbo snail to clean up hair algae. They usually mow the stuff down pretty quickly. When they're done, I bring them back to the LFS.

 

[SaltieG]

Yes on the turbo snails. I had a considerable amount of hair algae in my new 75g tank. I added three of those guys and almost immediately they made their way to the algae and took it out.

 

[EdSnyder]

More cleanup crew critters IMO. The more the marrier and make sure and get a very good variety. For hair algae, consider a small sally light foot, some trochus snails, a small foxface rabbitfish might be nice, and just a good mix of hermits and snails in general.




I have a huge clean up crew in my system and I never have problems with any kind of micro algae. I also have a fairly large section fo the system dedicated to macro algaes which I think really helps. My rocks are sparkling clean with only coraline algae and corals with the ocassional sponge or tunicate growth.




Good luck.

Isn't adding more livestock to the system only going to make matters worse. I am really barely putting enough food in this system to keep the fish alive. If I add a bunch more snails, crabs, and fish to the system, I am going to be adding more of a bioload right? Or am I totally blowing it here?

 

[EdSnyder]

I've always had good luck throwing in a turbo snail to clean up hair algae. They usually mow the stuff down pretty quickly. When they're done, I bring them back to the LFS.

"Yes on the turbo snails. I had a considerable amount of hair algae in my new 75g tank. I added three of those guys and almost immediately they made their way to the algae and took it out. "





I just went and counted and I have 13 turbo snails on the back glass right now. But not on the hair algae.

 

[Peter Eichler]

"Yes on the turbo snails. I had a considerable amount of hair algae in my new 75g tank. I added three of those guys and almost immediately they made their way to the algae and took it out. "





I just went and counted and I have 13 turbo snails on the back glass right now. But not on the hair algae.

Those aren't turbo snails they're Astraea snails. I also think you should add more clean up crew and perhaps a phosphate reactor with some GFO. Keep in mind that hobby grade test kits of phosphate are virtually useless and that it's unlikely that your phosphates are 0. This is sort of typical for a tank at the satge your is, in the first year tanks typically go through various stages of algae blooms while they mature.

Don't starve your fish for the sake of keeping algae down, your tank should adjust over time to higher nutrient input, and the GFO will help. You also might want to consider a better protein skimmer depending on what you're currently using.

 

[garrettm85]

Isn't adding more livestock to the system only going to make matters worse. I am really barely putting enough food in this system to keep the fish alive. If I add a bunch more snails, crabs, and fish to the system, I am going to be adding more of a bioload right? Or am I totally blowing it here?

Adding inverts will only help with controlling nutrient levels. They will eat leftover foods and fish waste and will break it down to a smaller state where things like bristleworms, pods, other detrivors, etc. will be able to then break that waste down even futher. Then things like bacteria, sponges, protein skimmers, GFO(phosban or the like) will be able to more effectively do their job.

Inverts are also just another interesting and benefitial addition of our reefs.

As for a lawnmower and foxface or other algae manageing fish, I would think that in a healthy system, and assuming their isn't already too many fish, they could only help matters. Obviously fish should be added in moderation and with careful consideration of boht the tanks needs and each animals needs but I definately like what these critters do.

 

[EdSnyder]

Those aren't turbo snails they're Astraea snails. I also think you should add more clean up crew and perhaps a phosphate reactor with some GFO. Keep in mind that hobby grade test kits of phosphate are virtually useless and that it's unlikely that your phosphates are 0. This is sort of typical for a tank at the satge your is, in the first year tanks typically go through various stages of algae blooms while they mature.

Don't starve your fish for the sake of keeping algae down, your tank should adjust over time to higher nutrient input, and the GFO will help. You also might want to consider a better protein skimmer depending on what you're currently using.

Aqua C Remora Pro. It seems to pull a lot of gunk. But it will soon be replaced. I am buying the acrylic tommorrow for my new sump build.

So the Salifert test kit for Phosphate I bought is virtually useless?

So I am guessing you know what kind of snails I have because they are on the glass?

 

[ludnix]

Aqua C Remora Pro. It seems to pull a lot of gunk. But it will soon be replaced. I am buying the acrylic tommorrow for my new sump build.

So the Salifert test kit for Phosphate I bought is virtually useless?

So I am guessing you know what kind of snails I have because they are on the glass?

Even with an accurate phosphate test kit there isn't much point to it. If you have algae then you obviously have excess phosphates regardless of what the test says.

The snails in the picture are Astraea. Turbos are rounder and upwards of 2" in size.

 

[EdSnyder]

Ok, 1 pound of GFO is in the mail. Well hopefully in the mail tommorrow. And I am going to hit the LFS in the am and get me some Turbo Snails. How many should I get?

And one more thing. When I get this sump set up and installed, (hopefully by the end of the week) am I going to have to go through more of a cycle and more algae? Is there a good way to reduce the cycle?

Thanks for all the replies guys, man, Reef Central is sweet.

 

[Peter Eichler]

Ok, 1 pound of GFO is in the mail. Well hopefully in the mail tommorrow. And I am going to hit the LFS in the am and get me some Turbo Snails. How many should I get?

And one more thing. When I get this sump set up and installed, (hopefully by the end of the week) am I going to have to go through more of a cycle and more algae? Is there a good way to reduce the cycle?

Thanks for all the replies guys, man, Reef Central is sweet.

Go slow with the GFO, you can shock things a bit if you use too much right away. Also, make sure you use it with a reactor or else you're just throwing money away. There won't be any cycle just from adding a sump. Getting a better skimmer than the remora and a refugium will help as well, though I think you're just experiencing a typical algae cycle more than anything.

As for turbo snails, you want Mexican turbo snails and depending on side I'd go with 3-5. That way once the hair algae is gone they don't starve. Pulling out the longer starnds of algae so they can mow the rest down is a good idea as well.

 

[EdSnyder]

How do you go slow with the reactor? Less media or less flow?

 

[Peter Eichler]

How do you go slow with the reactor? Less media or less flow?

Less media, flow wise you want it to lightly tumble.

 

[EdSnyder]

Ok, I went to my LFS today in search of Mexican Turbo snails. The guy tells me that they do not and will never have Mexican turbo snails. They destroy your tank, meaning they knock over frags and what ever else they run into. They also do not eat anymore hair algae than Astraea snails.
They are actually Astraea snails, just older more mature Astraea snails.
They will die within a couple of months of putting them in my tank because they are old.
And, Astraea snails are Turbo snails, just not "mexican turbo snails."