Lighting and hair algae

[cantfindnemo]

I have a friend who is runing into a problem with hair algae and need some help. First off some basics

30 gal aquarium
1 550 powerhead 200ppg
seaclone skimmer
2 blue damsels
1 pulsating polyp
1 green star polyp
10 lbs live rock
corallife compack light with 2 50/50 bulbs

Ok now her phosphates and nitrates are 0 her ph is at 8.2 and I don't no where her alk is.

Her tank started to do this when she put the compact light on and I just found out she had 2 50\50 bulbs in it, could this be the wrong lighting and cause the outbreak. The outbreaks start with a green film over the substrate and then blooms to green algae within a couple of hours.

Is it the light or something else?

Here are a couple of pictures

Thanks for the help.

 

[zoltetov]

How old is the light? How often are her feedings? How much is she feeding? These are jst some of the considerations. As far as the 0 reading for phosphates and such, algae eats phosphates, so of course they would register as 0. That's why the hair algae is looking like a Scott's lawn.

I'd have a few things to look into, if I were here. The seaclone probably isn't doing much of anything. I'd bet if she added another powerhead, say, a maxi-jet 1200 or even a smaller seio, and upgraded the skimmer to something decent, half the problem would be solved. Algae thrives off f excess nutrients in the water. I doubt there's much in the way of water movement going on in that tank, so she'd need to increase the flow. I'd also look into adding a refugium if she doesn't have one.

Anyway, just a thought to consider...

 

[cantfindnemo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7370967#post7370967 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zoltetov
How old is the light?

She just bought the light, but the 50/50 bulbs have nothing to do with it you think.

Thanks for the help.

 

[zoltetov]

Nah. I think it's more the other stuff. No problem!

 

[jer77]

Is the tank just breaking in? Does she have anything that will eat the algae like a tang or hermits and snails?

 

[cantfindnemo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7371548#post7371548 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jer77
Is the tank just breaking in? Does she have anything that will eat the algae like a tang or hermits and snails?

Yes it is a fairly new tank, I think 4 months. So is this normal for all tanks because I never had anything like this.

She has a snail that eats it I think.

 

[zoltetov]

When I first started out with my 29g, I had almost no flow, no refugium, and not much in the way of nutrient export. After about 5 months, I had such a hair algae problem, it wasn't funny. Then my tank leaked, i had to make a make-shift rubbermaid aquarium, didn't have much in the way of lights for it, and after a month, i was up and running in my 46 that i have now. I added two seio 820s, a big protein skimmer, a hang-on back 5g CPR refugium, a sump, and change my lights regularly, no hair algae problem.

 

[smleee]

Where is the water coming from? RO/DI unit, LFS, tap?

eee

 

[cantfindnemo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7372132#post7372132 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by smleee
Where is the water coming from? RO/DI unit, LFS, tap?

eee

She gets her water from LFS and uses Distiled bottle water.

 

[kau_cinta_ku]

my guess is the phosphates and the tank being a new tank. get some turbo snails and if there is room some macro alage

 

[smleee]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7375796#post7375796 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cantfindnemo
She gets her water from LFS and uses Distilled bottle water.

Does she test them with a TDS meter? LFSs are notorious for not changing their filters. Test their RO/DI water and the distilled. Sounds like she has phosphate tests; use those too and let us know the results.

eee