Aquarium Case Study... Need Advice BADLY

[thhynes]

90 Gallon Marine Tank
20gallon Sump
10 Gallon Refugium

Calcium Reactor
Phosphate Reactor

Filter media used:
Phosphate absorbing pad

Chemi Pure

Water Source is : RO/DI with a TDS Reading of 0

Calcium 475ppm
Alkalinity 14
Magnesium 1380ppm

Phosphate levels 0

Lights:

Refugium are on timers they are on from 10pm to 6am
it is a Compact Florescent unit

Lights over 90 Gallon is a 6 bulb T5 Unit

Issue:

October 2011 Major snow storm and power outage for 5 days
water temperature dropped to about 60 Degrees for 6 days

Hair Algae has taken CONTROL

I have used API Marine Hair Algae Destroyer to no avail
I have kept an eye on the alk and bumped it up to 15 to no avail

Any suggestions?

 

[fishhead79]

Long spine urchins tend to put a dent in hair algae..

 

[thhynes]

This hair algae issue is just HORRIBLE...I don't think 6 long spine urchins are going to fix this issue LOL

 

[pscott99]

Have you seen the threads on peroxide H2O2. It does work. I will be posting soon. Sounds like you are doing the right things although that alk is awfully high and the mg can go higher to 1600 according to a long time reefer I know. What are your nitrates. How much fish and feeding going on.

 

[thhynes]

No fish they all died after the power

I forgot to mention that I do have a denitrator coil and my nitrates are at 0, nitrites 0, my ammonia is 0....well I do have a wrasse in the tank but hes so small that I don't see him very often...he is alive I saw him about 20min ago! LOL

 

[thhynes]

OMG I must of just picked out and fished out over a lb of hair algae UGH

 

[dirtyBit]

I think you had massive die off after the water getting that cold. Nutrients have probably risen as a result and now the algae is feeding off of the nutrients. Just keep running the GFO and manually remove as much algae as you can. This also probably caused you tank to re-cycle. It should dissipate in time. Good luck.

 

[TheFishTeen]

If there are no fish, then just drain the tank, bleach the live rock and start again!

 

[saveafish]

Start by getting that magnesium to about 1600

 

[Dashiki]

If there are no fish, then just drain the tank, bleach the live rock and start again!

This is what I'd do. This hobby is too finicky to try to band aid a solution. Put the fish in the sump drain the tank. Bleach the live rock. Let it dry and start over.

It sucks but it is the best solution.

Keep the fish in the refugium while you cycle the rock again. Just jeep the refugium offline.