Hair algae in tank, no phosphates and algae scrubber installed.

[alexx2208]

Hey guys

The title says it all.... I have an algae problem in the DT. I have an ATS installed in tephe sumo, and it and my skimmer maintain a constant 0.00 on Hanna. Is there anything I can do to help get the algae away form the DT?

I considered turning off the ATS and trying API Algaefix marine for a while, but I worry once I stop dosing it, algae won't grow on the scrubber.

 

[silentscream]

How long have you had the ATS up and running? What's the growth like on the screen?

 

[Perth_reefer]

I had a bad hair algae problem from phosphates leaching from dry rock. It took about a month but I increased dosing of Zeobak and Zeostart3, I also did water changes every week and picked as much algae off as I could do suction out the system.
I recently decided to completely change my rockwork and added about 40kgs of new rock while removing about 30kgs of the existing rock. This completely put my biological filtration out of sync and I now have hair algae back. I've increased Zeobak and Zeostart3 dosing and it is starting to disappear again.
You could just try adding these two products, you don't need to go full Zeovit to use them

 

[reefgeezer]

Hey guys

The title says it all.... I have an algae problem in the DT. I have an ATS installed in tephe sumo, and it and my skimmer maintain a constant 0.00 on Hanna. Is there anything I can do to help get the algae away form the DT?

I considered turning off the ATS and trying API Algaefix marine for a while, but I worry once I stop dosing it, algae won't grow on the scrubber.

Nitrates & phosphates are quickly bound by algae and won't show up on your test kit. Algae growth is a nitrate/phosphate indicator regardless of what the test kit says. For your ATS to work, the conditions for growth @ the ATS must be better than those in your DT.

If removing the some of the rock where the algae is growing is possible, scrubbing it with hydrogen peroxide is a way to quickly eliminate a lot of algae. Dimming the DT lights for a while after putting the freshly scrubbed rock back in the tank might slow the algae's return and let the ATS catch up.

 

[rt67ghy]

If you keep the lights for the ATS on much longer than the lights in the DT algae should grow more on ATS and stop growing in the DT. This works for me well; I have algae on ATS but none in tank.

 

[slief]

Hey guys

The title says it all.... I have an algae problem in the DT. I have an ATS installed in tephe sumo, and it and my skimmer maintain a constant 0.00 on Hanna. Is there anything I can do to help get the algae away form the DT?

I considered turning off the ATS and trying API Algaefix marine for a while, but I worry once I stop dosing it, algae won't grow on the scrubber.

What Hanna are you running? If it's the Hanna HI713 Phosphate checker, your results are more than likely inaccurate. The HI713 is not a good low range tester and has a error margin greater than .04 at levels below .10. The Hanna HI736 ULR Phosphorus tester is a true low range tester designed for marine aquaria use and is much more accurate in our target range. In fact, Hanna support will tell you to use the HI736 for our range of testing as opposed to the HI713. It also tests down to parts per billion as opposed to PPM. I've seen the HI713 read 0 when there was as much as .10 Po4 based on the HI736.


As was mentioned, nitrates and Po4 can be consumed by algae quickly resulting in clear tests. You didn't mention how long you have had the ATS running but they can take several months to out compete nuisance algae to the point that it disappears in the display. Also, lighting can play a big role in nuisance algae growth. If you lights are strong in the 5000-6000k range, you can expect nuisance algae to flourish there..

 

[Dan_P]

Hey guys

The title says it all.... I have an algae problem in the DT. I have an ATS installed in tephe sumo, and it and my skimmer maintain a constant 0.00 on Hanna. Is there anything I can do to help get the algae away form the DT?

I considered turning off the ATS and trying API Algaefix marine for a while, but I worry once I stop dosing it, algae won't grow on the scrubber.

Just read the entire thread. I see you have been doing experiments on your system: dosing, adding new rocks, rearranging. I wouldn't do another thing to your system for at least a month. Who can say what's going on to offer up a "remedy".

What is the reason for dosing?

How much hair algae is their? How fast is it growing? How many snails do you have?

How old is the system?

 

[ca1ore]

Regardless of what the testings says, there will always be some transient level of phosphate (and nitrate) in the water. That you have GHA growth anywhere tells you that. The key is to make the conditions in the ATS more conducive to algae growth than anywhere else; and ensure that it is sized properly to the food input. For example, mine is sized for 8 daily cube-equivalents and lit with red/blue LED grow lights. Any GHA that tries to grow in the display is quickly dispatched by my Tangs.

 

[wildman926]

Run your ATS lights 24x7 to out compete the ha in the dt. It will take time, but it can be done.

I have gone through this on one tank, and now going through it on another. I did not want to use the AlgaeFix this time. What caused this, is I had been overfeeding and then had a power outage for 17 hours that caused a mini cycle. Ha came back with a vengeance. I beat it back with what I just recommended on my 90g. It is in progress on my 150g. It is taking a little longer on the 150g due to the the same ats on both. HTH...

 

[mm949]

try blasting your rocks with a powerhead to remove detritus

 

[nuxx]

GFO nuked my hair algae in about 2-3 days...

I had it bad as well. After 800-900 gallons of water changes got my P04 down from .41 to .19. After a week of GFO they were down to .02.

Also remember your PO4 are all in your GHA hence the 0 reading

 

[tmz]

For clarification:
The hanah 713 has an accuracy rating a bit lower than the 736. The 713 is" +/- 0.04ppm;4% of the reading" per the manufacturer. The 736 has an accuracy rating that is a bit more accurate but it performs over a smaller range than the 713. The 713 is not likely inaccurate certainly not over .04ppm . I've been using my 713 colorimeter for over 6 years for over a thousand tests . It is very consistent and seems to be very accurate in the ranges I need. Some folks have had difficulty with reagent batches for the 736btw.


What t type of algae is it? Some is oligotrophic( thrives in low nutrient water) . True zero PO4 is not desireable ,imo. If you create a phosphate deficiency it can harm corals. If you can make the ats more productive that might help. Reduced feeding and cleaning any detritus accumulations can help too. Organic carbon dosing which is my preferred method may make it hard for the ats to thrive..

 

[elegance coral]

As long as you have a culture of turf algae in the system, it will always be attempting to conquer new territory. This is what these organisms have evolved to do and they're very good at it. If there is a highly invasive organism, like turf algae, that you don't want growing in your display, don't culture them anywhere in the system. The more turf algae you have growing in the system, the greater its ability to spread to new territory. It's just that simple.

 

[tmz]

Turf algae and other red algae ( rhodophyta) are invasive ,IME, and do persist in very low nutrient water. The OP notes " hair" algae a term usually not used to describe turf algae, though. I'd like to know what's growing on the ats and if what's growing it he tank is the same .

 

[alexx2208]

Thanks guys for the information. The ATS has been in my system for 6 months, and I didn't have any algae in he DT until about 2 months after I started the ATS. I am not dosing anything to remove the algae, and I am not doing any experiments with it...

Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it. I'll probably go to change my carbon reactor, and add GFO to it. I'll see what happens.