Hair Algae Help

[tush]

that looks more like cheato...any hair algae i have had has been alot finer in texture - but i might be wrong...

 

[seapug]

Ahhh....the eggcrate. That's probably the issue. There's been a few threads in the past about algae's natural attraction to eggcrate when new. Take it out and give it a good scrubbing and see if that helps.

 

[klondike4001]

Hence the "type of hair algae" comment, I'm pretty sure it isn't chaeto. The chaeto in my sump is pretty much stuck there.


Is there a specific test you'd recommend meschaefer?

 

[klondike4001]

...Again, old eggcrate, from my old frag tank...

 

[oldsaint]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12725509#post12725509 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by klondike4001
Hence the "type of hair algae" comment, I'm pretty sure it isn't chaeto. The chaeto in my sump is pretty much stuck there.


Is there a specific test you'd recommend meschaefer?

Just wanted to make sure we weren't dealing with bryopsis. Looks like the lovely HA.

10ppm is a little high IMO. I would bet your PO4 is high also.
What are your feeding habits? Do you do water changes and how much, how often? What is you bio-load/current fish levels? Light cycles?
IMO the skimmer is border line for that size system but not saying that's the problem. I've seen many great systems with NO skimmer.

BTW, nice frags

 

[klondike4001]

Tank actual volume is closer to the 140 mark


I don't feed this tank yet... Water changes are every 2 weeks 40-50 gallons, current bioload are the CUC and a single Randall's Goby (Feasting on pods atm)

Light cycles on the frag tank are 12 hours w/ actinics, 10 hours w/ 10k.

Dt is 10 hours Actinics (t5) and 8 hours 10k (250W SE MH, Reeflux)

Fuge is dual 65W (6.5k) PC's and they are always on.

 

[klondike4001]

And thanks for the comment on the frags, most of those will end up in the display after I move in a month

 

[meschaefer]

I hear that the Elos and Hatch kits are pretty good, though i have not used them. I personally use a Hanna Colorimeter. All are pricey.

The cheapest test, is looking at your tank. If you have algae in your tank, you have high phosphates. I test my tank occasionally, but I use my display tank glass as a barometer of phosphate levels. If I need to clean the front panel of my glass more than once a week, I know that my phosphate levels are rising and that I need to switch out my GFO.

 

[klondike4001]

Ok, if I go by your standard test I haven't cleaned the glass on either the main tank or frag tank in about 6-8 days.


I'll change out the phosban, carbon and a water change and see it anything changes.

 

[klondike4001]

Just a quick update, left the lights in the frag tank off for 24 hours, didn't seem to affect the hair algae at all. Besides changing the phosban and carbon, I'm going to get a 2nd K2 for the frag tank and also going to grab a few turbo snails when I visit my parents this weekend.

 

[luke33]

How often do you prune your chaeto? And the skimmer is undersized, how much skimmate are you pulling per week?

Reason i ask about the pruning is because i just had my chaeto take a po4 dump on my system and HA blew up on my rocks. I didn't ever prune mine for nearly 2yrs. I'm now skimming extremely aggressive and have a sea hare taking care of the rest.

 

[klondike4001]

Like I've said earlier, it's a new tank ~2 months, this weekend will be its first pruning.

Just curious, the skimmer is rated for a 150 gallon system, mine's right around 140, wouldn't that be perfect? I get a full cup per day.

 

[klondike4001]

If I was to completely fill the sump to the max fill line I would hit the 150 mark, but I deliberately underfill it, w/ my auto topoff I don't have to worry much.

 

[Slakker]

Most companies drastically overrate their skimmers, but if you're pulling a cup of dark skimmate a day it's probably working.

If your tank is only two months old, it could very well just be part of the algae cycle.

 

[klondike4001]

I'm pulling a cup of what nearly looks like coffee, but I still can't convince my roomates to drink it .

Again, if this was a cycle/nutrient problem, wouldn't the algae be growing everywhere? Not just in the frag tank?

 

[Slakker]

Maybe, maybe not. If water throughput in the frag system is pretty slow, it may be collecting nutrients.

Does water to the frag system come straight from the display drain, or is it hooked to the output of the return?

 

[klondike4001]

Straight from the DT, it has a tee, so not all water if going through it, but a lot is. It's funny really, the majority of the HA is right where the K2 is pointing.

 

[Slakker]

Maybe you need more flow THROUGH it, not just in it?

 

[klondike4001]

~700-800 gph not enough? I can always try to run more.

 

[Slakker]

You're getting 700-800 gph out of the frag tank's drain line?