hair algea vs corraline

[emonemo420]

So if I got a bottle of purple up does anyone think it would help get ridof my hair algea? I know corraline is a stronger algea ..u think it could out compete the hair algea??? I just can't get this hair algea under control. I have tried pulling it out and putting additives and down to the point of putting mollies in which we all know didn't work but idk it just makes my tank so ugly.

 

[Jocephus]

No need for purple up, just get your alk, pH, Cal, etc., etc..

Yeah man give it a shot. It works well to encourage coraline in a newer tank. And it's like twelve bucks. I may even have some around here. Let me check the closet...

 

[emonemo420]

hawk fish is still alive...i saw him kicking around when i got home tonight (after i put him in before i left for my buddies house)

 

[a1amap]

I think you should fix the hair algae problem first before you worry about coralline algae. It will happen. Once I fixed my hair algae problem it grew pretty well. If you have your have good calcium and low phosphates (fuels hair algae), coralline algae will grow.
http://www.garf.org/coralline.html read the third paragraph

his picture shows tank grown aragonite live rocks that are 8 weeks old. The Coraline algae has started to cover the aragonite. You must keep the Phosphate level in the live rock grow out tank very low. Protein skimming is important in the grow out tanks because it controls phosphate. Make-up water can be a source of phosphate. You may need a reverse osmosis or deionization system if your water source has phosphates. Feeding is the most common source of high phosphate levels. We use a phosphate removing filter in tanks that are not producing coralline algae fast enough.

If you have some live rock in the tank already knock off some of the coralline off or scrape a tank that has plenty to spread in you tank.

 

[Jocephus]

Good to hear, on the hawk. Nice little fish, just won't play well with hermits. Al makes a good point on the 'phates, but you're already working on that. The purple up people also make rowaphos, or phos-out, or something like that. They are supposed to be used in conjunction. I've had good luck with purple up, but I don't dose calcium and all that crud that the "stick reefers" do.

PS. Tank looks awesome, man. I'll try to put up a couple pics later on. Thanks again

 

[4n4sd4]

Not to take your thread into a different direction, but i was at East Coast Aquatics tonight and I saw that they had about 10-15 pretty yellow sailfin mollies swimming around their tank. They were only selling them for $4.99 too... kinda takes all the difficulties about acclimating away. Just a heads up.

 

[Jocephus]

Man, I thought the sailfins were supposed to be easier to acclimate. Road trip Josh? PS, the tang is ordered, along with my two. Don't have a date yet, I'll keep you posted...

 

[kaptken]

well Josh,

You have a need to get rid of the hair algae feed!

so when you do water changes, first stir up the muck in the bottom sand, and get it air borne, then syphon water out for the change, taking some crud with it . a fine filter on a power head intake will also help to filter out the FLUFF that is still decaying and keep it from turning into nitrates. clean tank, clean sand.

sand on the bottom collects a lot of "fluff". unless you have a bare bottom tank. then disregard all the above. a power head works good to blow the crud out of the sand and the rock too. then suck it up with the dust buster.