hair algae

[dieselkeeper]

I need help with a bad hair algae problem. Tank size is 90 gal., with sea clone 100 skimmer, VHO lighting, just replaced bulbs July 2. Tank has deep sand bed with probably 200 lbs of live rock.
Have 10 corals, half dozen fish, one of which is a lawnmower
blenny. Also have two dozen snails and crabs. Nitrates and
phosphates are at 0. Using RO water for months. Tank is 15 months old. Have power heads for current flow and mag 18 for return pump. THE HAIR ALGAE IS TAKING OVER. I'm using marine S.A.T. with weekly harvesting as per bottle instructions. I've already taken some of the rocks out and scrubed in saltwater,
algae returned. There is nothing in sump, only live rock and skimmer. HAIR ALGAE IS GROWING ON MY CORALS. HELP ME PLEASE. Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[Drakis]

I would add a refugium to grow macro algae. Whats marine S.A.T.? A better skimmer wouldn't hurt.

 

[Capt'n T]

I too am at war with hair algae. I think its a constant battle until you can find the right balance of water chemistry, equipment and the right livestock to help out. Manual removal and water changes helps a little but wont get rid of it completely. I just got my skimmer set up so hopefully it will help. Also I tried the "cooking method". I took some of the rocks out and put them in the nano tank I have and then covered it up, the theory is that the dark helps kill off the algae and then you do 100% water changes to remove any and all nutrients, so between the dark and lack of nutrients the algae dies off and supposedly won't return.

 

[cw150]

Agree the skimmer isn't big enough/good enough. Also agree you need a fuge with macro to out compete your tank algae. In the short term, an urchin/nasso/rabbit will make short work of your hair algae.

 

[gman19]

I have to agree that a skimmer upgrade might be in order.

Is your deep sand bed held off the floor of the tank via a plenum or is it directly on the bottom of the tank? I had the exact same problem only I had a macroalgae problem several years ago with my deep sand bed/plenum system. My problem turned out to be my sand bed had solidified and the grains had fused together. Why?? Well, I had let the magnesium level drop, and low Mg levels evidently cause calcite to form between the grains and fuse them together. I could never detect ammonia, etc. because the caulerpa/macroalgae were removing them from the water column so efficiently. These are the best conclusions that Bob Goemans and I could come up with.

My current setup is not the plenum method, but an inch or so of Carribsea special grade reef sand and indo pacific black on the tank floor. I have about 175# live rock in the 100G Long tank and run a Lifereef Filter Systems skimmer. No refugium. The tank is nearly a year old now and virtually NO hair algae.

If you haven't done so, you might want to poke around in the sand bed and see if you have any clumping. I didn't know mine was clumped until I started digging around...from the top it looked just fine.

Hope this helps.

 

[Bluemorningwind]

Your clean up crew needs to be much larger. Much, much larger.

Triple it, I reckon.

 

[jun_celis]

What test kits do you use to read your Nitrates or Phosphates? Salifert Test kits always gives me an accurate reading. Some test kits would give you 0 - PO because the PO is already binded with the algae. Try getting an acurate reading from a relyable test kit before you do something. Just my 2cents

 

[Bluemorningwind]

Get a few urchins and a conch or two. Diversity is important.

Remember, biology before chemistry. You will save a lot of money, time and trouble sticking to this very simple (but correct) adage.

 

[gman19]

I use the LaMotte #7416 Low Range Phosphate kit for PO4 testing. The LaMotte #4463 kit for Silica on the rare occasion that I might suspect problems. All other tests are done with Salifert except Alkalinity, which is a LaMotte also.

 

[Bluemorningwind]

Hang on,...I'm talking to a lab technician! I have no chance of convincing with such a simple solution, do I? LOL

Have fun chasing your tail, won't you.

 

[gman19]

Well, Automotive lab tech....LOL!

Everything else in this hobby I learned the hard way!!

 

[dieselkeeper]

Thanks for all the help. Any suggestions on which skimmer to purchase, I would like one in sump (leaks would not matter). And only 24 inches in height in cabinet. I am thinking on Aqua C. Would like refuge, sump can not be removed unless tank is removed, sump made from 30 gallon tank. Can I just put macro algae and add light?
As far as clumping of sand, I learn to be careful when adding limewater, if there is a shortfall in carbon dioxide, calcium carbonate is produced, which will cement coral sand together. Sand is clumping in some areas, I would think the algae is consuming the carbon dioxide.
I'm still learning by doing, trial and error. Read, read, and read some more till something works.

 

[jmicky41]

I battled hair algae for over a year, despite having some nice equipment on the tank. Rock scrubbing, srabs, snails, tang, foxface and numerous water changes made no difference. When a local shop suggested I add a DI onto my RO I figured why not? After several 25% water changes with RODI water, there isn't a speck of hair algae to be found. I always thought the RO should be good enough but the TDS were 50ppm, now with the DI they are 2ppm - 20 times purer.