Still Battling Hair Algae-Pleaseee Help..
- Thread starter Bsmith_SigEp
- Start date
I have battled hair for almost a year now. I started dosing carbon in February and added sachem phosguard in June as well as seagel. I have just in the last 2 weeks seen a major dieback from the gha. Your system probably has phosphate in the sandbed or in the rocks. It doesn't seem to show up on any tests but it is there. The algae is the proof. Persistence and time are the keys to getting it to die. Alamo I put 10 Mexican turbos in a 90 gallon reef. I'm currently still running a low Ph while the algae dies and keeping alk at 15dkh. I'm still dosing 1 tsp of sugar daily in that tank. If you choose to dose carbon READ AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. I learned the hard way on my 30 gallon tank. Killed everything in one night from dosing too much. Go slow and do your research. I am sold on carbon dosing if you know what your doing. Just my two cents.
nam2212
Active member
I have so much hair algae that I am ready to get rid of the tank at this point. I have tried the AlgaeFix and it worked great for about a month. As soon as I stopped dosing the algae came right back. Does anyone have a phosphate checker that they could lend me for a day or 2?
Blindside
New member
First of all run bio pellets never have any algea problems (Its been working for me awhile now). Phosphate removing media is only successful when used with proper water that means no tap water, good bulbs, and a tank owner that helps clean it manualy as well as a clean up crew. Tap water can NEVER be used. Over feedind is also a good contributer to algae. Dont overthink it. I dont believe in the overnight success program never worked for me in life or aquariums!
nam2212
Active member
All filters are replaced on the RODI about 3X a year. Registered 0 on the meter yesterday. I do clean it manually every week when I do a water change. I am using LEDs for lighting. I barely feed the tank as it is. I am running Chemipure and Purigen in the back compartment. It is a 34G Red Sea Max tank.
nam2212
Active member
I use a baster on the rocks about once every couple of months. The nassarius snails and ceriths disturb the sand bed daily. I have an InTank brand media rack in the back compartment of the aquarium. Water is forced through filter floss then the Purigen and lastly the Chemipure Elite. I change the filter floss weekly and the media bags about every 3 months. I am doing a 5G water change on a 34G tank. Total water volume is probably only 25G so about a 20% weekly change. I have a Tunze nano DOC skimmer that skims very well.
Blindside
New member
Sounds like you are doing everything correct. Do you make your own salt? If you wanted to do an experiment to rule out water, buy only memfish water for a while several weeks and water changes and see if it clears up? I would suggest incorporating a 2LF reactor or the like if possible, would take some headaches away. Other than that take a baseball bat 2 the thing!
nam2212
Active member
I am tempted to do just that. I would sell it if I thought I could get anything for it. It has custom LEDs installed into the stock hood. I am in the process of making a remote refugium out of a pellet bioreactor. I am hoping to attach a light to the outside of it and grow some chaeto.
Bsmith_SigEp
New member
i have been using marine algaefix for about 2 weeks now and dosing my tank to raise the magnesium to above 1600 and this has def killed the algae back and the re-growth has almost halted......great product and saved me tons of work...
sail33
New member
did I post this already ? everything you need to know about hair algae
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-07/nftt/index.php
organic material in aquariums
another http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-10/rhf/index.php
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-07/nftt/index.php
organic material in aquariums
another http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-10/rhf/index.php
