The battle with Green Hair Algae

[Webmanny]

Hi guys,

I'm sure you have heard this a thousand times before, but after reading all sorts of posts here and in other forums, watching countless YouTube videos and trying more things than I can even count, I am still losing the battle against green hair algae.

The issue is that have reduced feeding to a minimum, been running GFO and bio pellets in two reactors for two months now, I even emptied the tank to change the stand and add a sump a few months ago and while I had everything out, I scrubbed all the rocks and removed ALL the GHA.

Fast forward to three months later, GHA is back and worse than ever before.

I am very close to losing all my hair over this issue. I really need your help. The one thing I have not tried is a total blackout (3 to 4 days), which I was planing on doing this weekend, but wanted to get your feedback before I did.

What am I missing here?
Should I change anything of what I am doing below?
Is it the kind of food I am feeding?

I know for a fact that I am not overfeeding because the food doesn't last 30 seconds in the tank before the fish eat it.

Here is my setup:

• The tank: 36GL Sea Clear acrylic bowfront
• The filtration: 12GL Esshops sump with sock, SCA 301 skimmer, TLF Media reactor with GFO and a CPR Aquatic Tumbler Media Reactor running bio pellets. I also have a carbon bag and a bag of purigen that I place inside the sock.
• The light: Custom built full spectrum LED 240W (But running at about 50%)
• The inhabitants: 2 clowns, 2 damsels, a blenny, a GTBA, a rock nem, a coral banded shrimp and a bunch of snails and blue/red leg crabs.
• The corals: mostly LPS, some Zoas, some mushrooms, some Xenias and two SPS.

Light cycle:

• Blue light: 1:00pm to 10:00pm (30 minute dusk and dawn effect)
• White, green, red and purple light: 1:30pm to 9:30pm

These are my parameters as of last night

• Temp: 78.2
• Salinity: 1.026
• PH:8.2 (This one has been as low as 7.8 some days in the past)
• NH3/4(Nitrite): 0.0ppm
• NO2 (Nitrate): 0.5ppm
• Calcium: 480
• KH(Alkalinity): 9 dKH
• PO3 (Phosphates): 0.25ppm

My feeding schedule:

• Daily: Flakes and pellets mixture once a day at 6:00pm via automated feeder
• Weekly: Coral Frenzy(Pinch on 1/2 cup of tank water (Target fed to corals)

My cleaning schedule:

• Filter sock: Every two days. Wash and replace(I have three that I cycle through)
• Skimmer cup: Weekly Empty and clean.
• Sump: Blow out detritus and clean foam filter.

 

[Easttuth]

Algae scrubber should cure this without any problems. Have you tried that?

 

[CrazyEyes]

Where is your magnesium at?

 

[Webmanny]

Where is your magnesium at?

I have no idea. I don't have a test kit for this. I will try to stop at the LFS tonight and get one. Once I know, I will post here again. Thanks for looking.

 

[Webmanny]

Algae scrubber should cure this without any problems. Have you tried that?

I have read about it on several forums and have gathered that in order for this to work and over throw the GHA on the display tank, it would have to be huge and I don't have the room for it.

What size do you use for your tank and what size is your setup?

I am willing to try anything that will be low cost and high success rate.

Any pictures of your scrubber may help.

Thanks again for looking and your suggestion.

 

[sirrealism]

I am running an algae scrubber on 2 tanks. I have only just started a few weeks ago but so far so good. Its working like it should. i wasnt going to tell anyone because there are some none believers out there but in just the few weeks of running its doing a good job. I run one on my 8g bio cube which is over populated with 3 large seahorses. I needed some way to control my N03 and P04 so after reading about algae scrubbers for a week straight I made one. In 3 weeks I went from 25 N03 to 5. P04 from .40 to .08.
I also made one for my 90g that wasnt way out of line but it had some issues which I found to be my stupidity in not running carbon after meds but my N03 was about 5-8 and P04 was about .15. They have come down a little but this one has only been running for less then 3 weeks. I had all the parts i needed laying around accept for the mesh which cost 3$ I also did not spend more then an hour building them. very simple concept and really easy to make

 

[Easttuth]

I am running an algae scrubber on 2 tanks. I have only just started a few weeks ago but so far so good. Its working like it should. i wasnt going to tell anyone because there are some none believers out there

I guess I would be confused about what there isn't to believe about them? They confine the algae growth into a small area outside of your display and by doing so they use Nitrate and Phosphates that you don't want in your tank. Since it takes away the Nitrate and Phosphates in your display, they are no longer available to grow algae in your display. Right?

 

[Easttuth]

What size do you use for your tank and what size is your setup?

I am willing to try anything that will be low cost and high success rate.

Any pictures of your scrubber may help.

Thanks again for looking and your suggestion.

I originally bought one from ebay because I had never seen one in person and had no idea how to make it. After seeing it in person it's crazy easy and I made another one real easy. I never had an algae problem so I didn't do anything elaborate like you were probably referring to.

Here is a link to something like the original one I purchased. It was plug and play out of the box and I had algae within 14 days and it's worked perfect ever since. The one I made myself is a little more crude, a little bigger, and works just as good.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HOG1-UAS-Up...872211581?pt=Fish_Filters&hash=item43b955b87d

 

[Webmanny]

Great feedback on the scrubber and seems like something fairly easy I could make myself.

Other than the scrubber, would you guys recommend a total black out to get me started right? I just want to give my tank the best chance of success possible and get rid of this thing as soon as possible.

 

[likefish]

is there a chance that what you are calling GHA is bryopsis?

Bryopsis is green hair algae looking but is a slightly differant critter. It grows with minimal available nutrients. there are lots of threads about how to beat/reduce/control it. I have flare ups from time to time and dose with Kent Tech-M to raise Mag over 1600 and it goes away.

If what you have is simply hari algae, it can be beat. Take out more nutrients than you put in and you will get ahead of it eventually!!!! Paitence and persiatance. Nutrients can get locked or hide in you tank in many places. Biomass (fish/critters), detritus in nooks and crannies, burried in sand bed, algae is concentrated nutrients.....

Whenever you make these nutrients available in the system something will "grab ahold" algae is best at it. Take out nutrients at a greater rate than you put em in. You can do it!

Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank.

 

[Themonsterisme]

I have read about it on several forums and have gathered that in order for this to work and over throw the GHA on the display tank, it would have to be huge and I don't have the room for it.

That information isn't correct ...algae scrubbers are usually based on feeding amounts...I'd look into scrubbers more detailed on here...Santa Monica has a few threads on upflow scrubbers and waterfall scrubbers and floating scrubbers...for most people with space issues a floating scrubber or upflow scrubber in the sump will be a easy fix...also try dropping your lighting down 2-3 hours less than what your running now before going to a black out and see how it looks a week later while still running the gfo

 

[snake1]

Start by bringing your nitrates and phosphates to 0 .....cut your day time lights back to 6 hours a day ....and i would use cheato in the sump with a light on it running opposite of the main lights ....and if possible change the filter sock everyday....how often do you do water changes and is your RO water pure and reading 0 with a calibrated TDS......how good is your skimmer working maybe ramp it up a bit and skim a little more wet to help remove more nutrients

 

[listen2bob]

I would check the rodi, or the rock is leaching phosphate

 

[MJNTWise]

I would start changing your filter sock everyday....And make sure you are using the good ones that are sold at faois.....

 

[sirrealism]

i am with Bob. check your water sorce. if its good then your rock is prob leaching which if thats the case an algae scrubber would do a great job. They dont have to be big. The one on my 90 is a bit bigger then I needed and its 1'x1' lite on both sides. the one on my 8g is 3"x5" and only lite on one side. Even if you make it under sized its going to help.

 

[Webmanny]

is there a chance that what you are calling GHA is bryopsis?

Bryopsis is green hair algae looking but is a slightly differant critter. It grows with minimal available nutrients. there are lots of threads about how to beat/reduce/control it. I have flare ups from time to time and dose with Kent Tech-M to raise Mag over 1600 and it goes away.

If what you have is simply hari algae, it can be beat. Take out more nutrients than you put in and you will get ahead of it eventually!!!! Paitence and persiatance. Nutrients can get locked or hide in you tank in many places. Biomass (fish/critters), detritus in nooks and crannies, burried in sand bed, algae is concentrated nutrients.....

Whenever you make these nutrients available in the system something will "grab ahold" algae is best at it. Take out nutrients at a greater rate than you put em in. You can do it!

Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank.

You got me there. I can't tell the difference by looking at the Google pics versus mine. I believe it is GHA, but I may need to do some more digging to find out.

 

[ichthyman]

Take out more nutrients than you put in and you will get ahead of it eventually!!!! Paitence and persiatance. Nutrients can get locked or hide in you tank in many places. Biomass (fish/critters), detritus in nooks and crannies, burried in sand bed, algae is concentrated nutrients.....

Whenever you make these nutrients available in the system something will "grab ahold" algae is best at it. Take out nutrients at a greater rate than you put em in. You can do it!

Best advice so far with no belief necessary.

 

[Webmanny]

Start by bringing your nitrates and phosphates to 0 .....cut your day time lights back to 6 hours a day ....and i would use cheato in the sump with a light on it running opposite of the main lights ....and if possible change the filter sock everyday....how often do you do water changes and is your RO water pure and reading 0 with a calibrated TDS......how good is your skimmer working maybe ramp it up a bit and skim a little more wet to help remove more nutrients

This makes sense. I will bring the light cycle down to 6 hours. As far as water changes, I do them every Saturday morning and I use pure RO water from my LFS. I haven't purchased my own RO unit, but I will soon.

I will also try to better calibrate the skimmer to bring out more nutrients.

Thank you for your suggestion.

 

[Webmanny]

I would start changing your filter sock everyday....And make sure you are using the good ones that are sold at faois.....

Yep. I got them from John at faois. I was changing them every two days, but I will also try daily. I am willing to try any and all suggestions to get rid of this problem.

 

[MJNTWise]

Yep. I got them from John at faois. I was changing them every two days, but I will also try daily. I am willing to try any and all suggestions to get rid of this problem.

It made a BIG difference in my tank....