Cass Needs Advice!

[casshoward]

Hello Everyone,

I have been one busy bee lately! I finished my last leg of traveling yesterday (Chattanoga, TN.....cool aquarium), and need to focus on my tank this week.

Question #1:
I have 100# of MI LR in a vat waiting to move into my tank (yes, from the club group order months ago). Three days ago, prior to going out of town, I spent two hours "mowing/removing" hair algea from my sand bed and LR. I hate the thought of giving the hair algea more surface area to inhabit. I have intentionally delayed adding the LR for this very reason. What do you think? Conitue to wait (and do what)? or Go ahead and add the 100#s LR and cross my fingers?

Question #2:
I have a carbon filter (from an Elcipse hood) clampedacross the water flow in my sump. Would it be beneficial to replace this with a carbon sock or an external filter to remove nitrate? My assumption is that reducing my minimal nitrate levels may help eliminate my hair algea problem.

I have tried reducing feeding to a very small amount on once a day, and adding the carbon cartridge. When will the green, evil grass go away?!!!!

 

[Rendos]

Q #1 - add the rock if the water tests good...no ammonia, no nitrite, and no foul smell. Add 40-50 turbo snails. (i.e. Mexican turbos) I added 200 of these to my 225 and they had all types of algae (except coralline) gone with 2 days. I culled 50 from the tank last week so there are 150 left. I will probably cull 50 more sometime this week.

Q #2 - carbon to remove nitrate...I don't think carbon will remove or reduce nitrate levels. You need to get your skimmer working to it's full potential. If I remember correctly, you have an ASM G-1 or G-2??? That skimmer should be pulling all kinds of crap out of your tank.

To reduce nitrates, did you also try water changes? Did you test the nitrates of the water you are using for topoff, and water changes? Maybe your nitrates are high in your source water.

 

[casshoward]

Thanks for the advice

Thanks for the advice

My skimmer is an ASM G-2 and the cup is 1/4 full within 1+ weeks, so I think it's pullin'. I like the snail idea...cheap (got any snails that need a new home?,...).

I guess I will have a LR arranging party this week. Where's Larson!!!

Cass

 

[Rendos]

I will have the 50 that I pull out. PM me and I will give you a price. You know everything I sell is cheap...no...inexpensive quality goods...yeah...I like that.

 

[willember]

I noticed with my G-2 that it skimmed a whole lot better with a clean cup. So if you goal is getting the most crap out as quickly as possible, try cleaning the cup every couple of days, especially the inside of the 'neck'. Like Richard said, carbon wont do much for nitrates, but you may want to use a carbon sock anyway. Additionally, removing phosphates may help as well. Kermits sells a good product. It is called Phoslock by PURA (I think)

 

[Rendos]

That is true...even if nitrates are low, if phosphates are high, you will most likely still have algae problems...that is unless the phosphates are bound to the algae and the test kit shows a false reading. If the phosphates not in the water, but inside the algae itself, your test may show that you have low or no phosphates when in fact they are just inside the algae...not free in the water.

 

[joeycadre]

RO/DI. i have used nothing but good RO in my tank since i set it up in april. no hair algae at all. i've even put rocks in that had hair algae and in a couple days it'd be gone. i also use phosguard just to be sure i don't get phosphate from feeding. and i test for it every week. it's always almost immeasuable.

on some of my older tanks i'd fudge and use tap water for top off. lots of hair algae in those old tanks. use the RO/DI!!!!!

 

[casshoward]

I bought a RO unit when I bought my tank and have never used tap water. However, I have never tested my RO water (figured if it was brand spankin' new, the filters were good). Any advice on a good TDS meter? I have an Aqua FX Stage 3 Dolphin RO (100gal/day) and yes I have flooded my laundry room more times than I can count! I bought a Phosphate kit from Kermit's (Salifert) and had no measureable PO4 but I will retest (shall I grind some hair algea to see if any PO4 is within the filaments....just kidding....no really, just kidding!) .

Cass

Cass

 

[neuroslicer]

I didn't get my nitrates down to zero until I started growing chaetomorpha in my sump refugium.