Green Algae

[badinfo]

I have green algae that you need a razor blade to get off the glass, it's also starting to cover my rocks. The mag-float and scrubbies don't touch the stuff (I've even tried a tooth brush no luck). I've checked Julian Sprung's Algae book and found nadda. no hair just seems to get thicker and thicker. I use RO/DI water, Skim, and my MH's are only on for 6 hours. Any idea what this is and how to stop it? I know it's a bad pic but I can try to describe it if anyone has any ideas.

Thanks

 

[cardiffgiant]

Can you tell us more about your system? (size, inhabitants, sump, type of skimmer, refugium, etc)

Have you tested your phosphates and nitrates?
What kind of food do you feed and how often do you feed?
What's your water change schedule like?
Do you run carbon?

 

[badinfo]

Classifaction - Nano ( 40 Gallons Total), I won't count inverts and coral, 4 fish. ( 2 clowns, 2 Dragonets ) 20L Sump, ASM Gx1, no refugium.

Nitrates 5 No I don't test for Phosphates yet but last time the LFS did it was fine
Tom's Food ( once every other day )
4 Gallons a week ( Reef Crystals RO/DI Water )
Seachem Matrix, Purigan

 

[cardiffgiant]

That doesn't sound that bad.

I might try:
-Switching to Rox 0.8 carbon when your Seachem runs out.
-Bumping your water change up to 15%
-Alternating between the Tom's food and spectrum pellet. Either every other, or 2:1 ratio of spectrum to Tom's food.


How is the performance on the ASM? Has it been cleaned recently? How often do you change your carbon and how much do you use? How do you run it? Active (pumped through a chamber), or passive (hanging out in a bag)?

 

[badinfo]

Thanks for the advice, The ASM rocks I clean it everyday and still can't believe the amount of skimmate I get, Carbon was just changed at the beginning of this month, but I'll give Rox 0.8 a try next change out. I think if it's a 40 gallon system and I'm changing 4 gals a week thats 40% a month right ( or do you mean do 15% a week?)? I might just have to try your food ratio and see if that works I like the 2:1 idea! Thanks for your time, it's very much appreciated. I suck at Math so I could be wrong about the 40% thingy.

Oops - I use double the recommended dosage for carbon ( inside filter sock )
Filter sock is changed once every 3-4 days. just because I have a bunch of em

 

[cardiffgiant]

No problem. I almost gave up the hobby several years ago when I couldn't get rid of hair algae. The advice that I got from the forums is what kept me in it.

I was thinking 15% per week. I don't have experience with nano's, so I don't know if that's too much.

I've never tried it, but I've seen a lot of people recommend against putting carbon in filter socks. The turbulent flow can make the carbon tumble and grind, causing it to release nutrients prematurely as well as carbon dust which can be problematic for fish. It might not be a problem if you don't have a lot of flow through the filter sock.

Some folks run a larger amount of carbon passively in a chamber of the sump. Others use a chamber and run a smooth and consistent flow through it. I tee off a little flow from my return pump and use one of the BRS chambers. They're kind of big. You can make them out of PVC.