Possable hair algae help

[Paul B]

I know that a lot of people have problems with hair algae including me from time to time. It is very common in a new reef and it usually disappears on it's own with good aquarium practices. Some tanks never get it but in my opinion thats because most tanks do not get over a few years old for one reason or another. My reef was relatively algae free for about twenty years or so then it would get cycles of various kinds of algae. I could probably replace my rock which may help because the pores are undoubtably clogged but since I collected my rock myself in various Islands I am kind of attached to it. I could go bare bottom but I don't like the look and I use a reverse UG filter which I believe is one of the keys to my tanks longivity. I could also give away some of my fish which got a little too large and eat too much but I have also grown attached to them.
I know all about ozone, RO/DI water which I use and snails, crabs, sea hares and rabbit fish all of which I have. These things will not stop algae and I do not want to eliminate algae, I just do not want it on my corals. I, and others, also believe that algae makes the tank more stable and a tank with algae in it has healthier longer lived animals. (we can argue about that later)
anyway I have been doing an experiment that keeps algae in the water but keeps most of it off my corals. I built a trough out of light diffuser plastic which is the length of my tank 6'. It is towards the back of my tank above the water and a little under the lights. It shields the back of the tank from light which I like and it is angled so the water flows fast from one end to the other.
Water is supplied to one end from the skimmer and it flows to the other end where it returns to the tank. There is a plastic window screen in the trough to make cleaning easy. Every two weeks I lift out the screen and wash off the hair algae. Much less of it grows in the reef. There are snails in the reef but none in the trough. By cleaning off the screen I am removing nutrients. The algae grows better on the screen because it is closer to the lights and the water moves fast. After two months it seems to be working well. When I have time I will build a larger trough away from the tank with it's own light supply and faster flowing water just as an experiment.
Take care.
Paul

 

[mpoertner]

Can you post a picture of this setup? Sounds kewl!

Thanks,
Matt

 

[Paul B]

I don't have a picture of the trough but it is just a plastic trough about 2" deep and about 5" wide 5' long. It is higher on one side so the water rushes to the end where it gently falls back to the tank.
Of course you can't see it in this picture but it is partially under the lights towards the back of the tank.
Paul

 

[ToddG.]

Sounds like the same principle as a refugium growing macro algae to remove nutrients to starve hair in your case you supplied a better growing area for hair so its using nutrients faster thus starving the hair lower in the tank.

 

[Paul B]

Todd, that is the plan, to provide better conditions for the algae and more room than a refugium in less space.
Paul

 

[Paul B]

It has been about six monthes since I installed the algae trough under my lights. It seems to be working well and keeping algae out of my tank. There is still a little algae but I like it that way.
The algae trough is also loaded with amphipods that I collect. They breed under the screen and the adults, for the most part stay there and escape being eaten. I rarely have to clean the algae off the trough anymore which is fine. When I get time I want to build a slightly larger, better looking trough. Home Depot sells 6" wide PVC fence posts that I will slice down about 2" thick and 6' long. I also want to increase the pitch so the water flows faster.
Take care.
Paul

 

[Potsy]

The visual I'm getting in my head is something like an "algae scrubber" - a surface intentionally covered with algae over which a large volume of water flows for nutrient removal. Is that an accurate comparison? I think the Smithsonian uses one on their large reef aquarium.

Golly, you started your reef aquarium the year I was born.

 

[Paul B]

Potsy, thats it. The only difference is that it uses the same lights that are over my reef and it shields the back of my tank from light which I want to do anyway. It also uses the return water from my skimmer so no pump is needed.

(Quote) Golly, you started your reef aquarium the year I was born. (Quote)

Yes, that is amazing. No not that I started the reef when you were born, but that you used the word "golly" I haven't heard that in years.

:lol:
Take care.
Paul

 

[mpoertner]

I set up the same thing after reading your first post and I really think it helps. It took a while for anything to start growing on the PVC but now that it's been running for several months it's been working great. I'll try and take a picture of my setup as soon as I find my camera

Cheers!
Matt

 

[Paul B]

It is still working great.
Paul

 

[Paul B]

Matt, to get the algae growing on the plastic screen I first sandpapered the screen to roughin it up a little then I smeared wet cement (Sakrete) on it. I let it cure damp for a few days then I rinsed it off and there was a very fine coating of cement on the screen. I did this because I noticed that on my homemade cement rocks, coraline and regular green algae grow much faster than it does on "real" coral rock. I really don't know why but I take advantage of this fact to force the algae to grow on the screen instead of the tank. I just cleaned almost a pint of hair algae off the screen and there is almost none in the tank.
Paul

 

[mpoertner]

Matt, to get the algae growing on the plastic screen I first sandpapered the screen to roughin it up a little then I smeared wet cement (Sakrete) on it. I let it cure damp for a few days then I rinsed it off and there was a very fine coating of cement on the screen. I did this because I noticed that on my homemade cement rocks, coraline and regular green algae grow much faster than it does on "real" coral rock. I really don't know why but I take advantage of this fact to force the algae to grow on the screen instead of the tank. I just cleaned almost a pint of hair algae off the screen and there is almost none in the tank.
Paul

My setup isn't nearly as elaborate as yours. It's just a short half-pvc-pipe that goes from the skimmer outlet in the back of the tank to the front of the tank. Even still, it works great. I'll have to give the sandpaper trick a try though....

Cheers!
Matt

 

[pangea]

Glad I found this thread. I like to do the same thing w/ plastic rain gutters, mostley for pods and plankton to feed 125gl display and not soo much for nutrient export. That is just a plus.

Do you guys think a siphon surge could be used or do these need more flow?

 

[Paul B]

If you just want to raise pods you don't need much flow. Go for it.
Paul

 

[Paul B]

I figured I would update this thread. It has been about 10 months since I installed the shallow algae tray (or trough) and so far there is no algae in my tank. This is the first year in many when I don't have an algae cycle (yet)
I also confirmed my theory that algae loves cement. I recently added a new freshly made cement "rock" and the only hair algae in my reef is growing on that rock.
I also found that the effect does not last long, maybe a year. My older cement rocks do not support algae anymore.
Thats why I use cement on the screen in the trough but now I realize that I have to put in a new freshly cemented screen every year. It just takes a few minutes to "treat" the screen with cement but hair algae only grows on the screen and not in the reef. I am not sure if the cement will leach something in the rest of the water causing algae to grow elsewhere, but so far it is only growing on the screen. I will be making a new screen today to replace the depleted one.
This is a really cheap method to reduce or eliminate hair algae and it is free to run.
I have been feeding way too much because of an experiment with a moorish Idol and it is really messing up my water but besides that, everything is very healthy with new things sprouting up all over the place. The tank has more microscopic life in it now than it ever had.
Have a great dau.
Paul