HA problem killing my tank outlook

[Dapple]

Well I've got to say hair algae is nasty stuff. I want this crud gone. Do you this a phosphate reactor would help me. My problem lies with my own fault. I overfed homemade food. Since then I have stopped using it. Would you go with brs or phosban. Should I start a magnesium regiment. I'm so puzzled here.

 

[pumarjr]

Try dosing hydrogen peroxide for 6 days. 1ml to every gal.

 

[VegasRick]

Definately need a phosphate remover of some type. Different things may kill the algae but if you don't get the phosphates out it will just come back.

 

[k2parkstar]

I use phosphate filters from AM, change them out every 2 weeks when i do a water change. That along with chemipure elite, keep phosphates out of my system and algae free.

 

[gmoney243]

Install algae turf scrubber u wont see algae ever again

Sent from my Vortex using Tapatalk 2

 

[cee]

Mg is only effective on bryopsis

 

[Engloid]

I recently bought about 200lbs of rock, most of it had hair algae on it. I scrubbed off what I could get to, and put it in my tank. I know many people really attack phosphates to get rid of algae, but do remember that without it, coralline algae won't grow either (somebody correct me if I'm wrong). I do still have phosphates that are a little high, but I wanted a natural way of keeping hair algae under control. Hermits didn't seem to do anything for it at all, and I've spent probably $200 in hermits through a couple years. The Scarlet hermits were a failure also. they are so inactive it was pathetic. Turbos...well, they didn't seem interested in it as much as the film that grows on the glass. Top Crowns? They blazed a path right up my rocks, eating coralline and all on the way...making a pretty crappy looking tank. They were moved to the sump where they eventually died or got killed and eaten by emerald crabs. Astrea snails...I actually seem to keep them better than turbos. They don't really eat hair algae either though.

Within a few days after scrubbing the rock and putting it in, I got a Tennenti Tang, which is said to be a "voracious hair algae eater." One rock in particular, I could see some short hair algae on, and he did seem to wander the tank a bit and always come back to graze on it. He also gets along great with all my other fish. He's very active, and out in the open almost always. They aren't the most colorful of fish, but pictures on the net aren't as good as what he looks in person. He has a nice yellow srtipe along the bottom of his dorsal fin, and a blue stripe on the bottom fin that's like a neon blue. Like many fish, colors change with mood and their stress level. I also have read that they get much more color as they mature, but I'm not sure if the pics I have seen are of a mature fish, or not. Either way, I'm happy with this fish, and he's working for me.

 

[Rob.D]

I pulled this from Google: To promote the growth of coralline algae, you will need to have really good water chemistry. What this entails is having your calcium, alk and magnesium all in balance and as close to NSW as possible. Calcium should be kept in the 420 mg/L range (give or take a little), alk around 9 dkh, magnesium about 1200-1300 and salinity around 1.024. In addition to this, it is said that coralline doesn't do well where phosphates are present as well as nitrates so you will want to make sure that these levels are kept minimal (like 5 ppm at most to O) if at all possible. Coralline algae almost acts more like a coral than an algae as it requires basically the same thing's as corals do to thrive and grow including light. Speaking of light, as I mentioned earlier in the article, coralline will grow under either high intense lighting or low lighting. All that lighting will determine is which type (and even possibly color) of coraline will grow in your tank as some prefer low lit aquariums whereas others prefer more intense lighting.

http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l569/cehlers/2011 Reef Pics/IMG_7930.jpg

 

[Engloid]

..., it is said that coralline doesn't do well where phosphates are present as well as nitrates so you will want to make sure that these levels are kept minimal (like 5 ppm at most to O) if at all possible. Coralline algae almost acts more like a coral than an algae as it requires basically the same thing's as corals do to thrive and grow including light.

My tank is living proof that this is not truen (at least in all cases). My phosphates have been as high as 1.0ppm, for long periods of time, and my tank grows coralline faster than it does hair algae. haha!!! Last I checked my phosphate, it was something like .5ppm...still high.

 

[cee]

PO4 gets trapped in LR fueling algae growth. It usually cannot be measured with a test kit.

 

[Engloid]

PO4 gets trapped in LR fueling algae growth. It usually cannot be measured with a test kit.

Now, I'm lost. I know it can be absorbed in LR, but all of it isn't going to be absorbed, is it? I would assume, like other things in the world, as they spread, they seek to equalize their concentrations...such as perfume in a room, as it evaporates. Granted, phosphate isn't going to go in or out of LR at the same rate it will spread in the water.

In other words, if your live rock is kept in a tank with high phosphate, then pulled out and put into pure water, it will leech out. If you have LR with no phosphate, put it in phoshpate rich water, the phosphate absorbs in until the concentration in the permeable areas of the rock equals that of the water...

Am I correct? If not, explain what I'm missing, as well as why it can't be measured with a test kit...cause I have been struggline with high phosphate...or at least with whatever keeps showing up on the test kit. I'm suspecting that it is the cause of my slow coral growth, and irregular coral health.

 

[cee]

PO4 concentrations in LR vary highly depending on many things. Yes PO4 can be substantially higher in the rock than in the water and may never reach an equilibrium. I suggest you read Randy Holmes-Farley's write up on PO4 as it is a complex subject and not well understood by many.

 

[cee]

High PO4 can prevent animals from uptaking calcium. Randy's article discuss that and all the other issues you highlight.

 

[Dapple]

Here is some pics of the crud I'm fighting.

Nothing I have touches it so I'm going to order a reactor.

 

[Rob.D]

Darren that does not look so bad, especially for a new tank. I had a huge hair algae problem in my old 75, until I placed a brighter light over my cheato and started doing weekly water changes.

 

[cee]

Try blowing the rocks off and increasing flow. Itwhere detritus is trapped. looks like it is growing

 

[Dapple]

It has gotten a little worse now. Should I turn my lights off for couple days. I believe it all started after I cleaned my overflow box. And the loose cycled back through the system.

 

[Dapple]

I think you may be right Dave. I run hydor koralias 550 left - 750 right. On wavemaker. I'm thinking of putting a 1050 or 750 on the left and putting 550 in the middle running constant.

 

[Dapple]

Boy its rocking now. It now has 550, 750, and 1050 powerheads on it.

 

[cee]

Detritus is full of phosphates so wherever there is detritus it is prime real estate for algae. I'd give it a week or two and see if there are improvements before doing anything else. BTW, I don't believe you can have too much flow. In the 125 I was up around 10,000 gph and exceeded 12,000 gph in the 320.