PDA

View Full Version : will this stuff ever go away?


Jarett
08/16/2006, 05:54 PM
im having a small problem with hair algae.

first off the tank is actually two seperate tanks plumbed together. One is above the other. The top tank is 65 gallons, and the bottom tank is 30 gallons with another 10-15 gallons in the sump built into the back of the bottom tank. Both tanks are bare bottom. The top tank drains down into the bottom tank and sump. Then its pumped through a chiller(kept at 79) back up to the top tank with a gen-x mak 4. The top tank also has a closed loop with a dart through an oceans motion 4way. Top tank has 2- 250 watt mh and 2 vhos. bottom tank has 1-250 mh and 2 vhos. Both tanks are full of live rock(not sure on how much), it starts at the bottom front and goes to the top back. I use coralife 125 super skimmer, and a phosban reactor. Fish include 4 small damsels, a scooter blenny and a six line wrasse. split between the tanks is 100-150 blue legs hermits, and about 100 snails. I test weekly before i change water(5-10 galons with ro/di) and suck up the bare bottom spots. I use i/o salt. The only thing i add is seachem reef builder dripped in every week, due to low alk.

tank paremeters tested weekly
salinity 1025
ph 8.0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
amonia 0
kh 8
calcium 400
phosphate 0
magnesium 1410
temp 79

hair algae is not bad but it is on several of the rocks. It doesnt seem to be getting any worse or better. Some of the smaller rocks i have taken out and scrubbed with a tooth brush, and it usually wont come back.

sorry for the long list on the tank.
is there any thing else i should, or could do?

oh, top tank is full of sps frags(about 15) a few zoas, and two kenya trees.
bottom tank has a large branching hammer, gsp, and two kenya trees.

Jarett
08/16/2006, 06:09 PM
all three of the mh bulbs are the cheap ones from ebay, if that makes any difference

PatMayo
08/16/2006, 11:39 PM
Your magnesium is a little high. 1325 is better. I don't know if that will contribute to the HA.

You might be able to solve this by getting some macro algae. Cheato or some other type. Usually this will outcompete the bad algae in the main tank. I didn't see where you have any of this growing.

I would try that and see what kind of result you get.

And I would change the bulbs if they have not been so in the last 6 months.

Regards,

Pat

outy
08/16/2006, 11:43 PM
its the bulbs more then likely.

also even though i always test 0 for phosphates i started running a phosban reactor with rowaphos to help with HA [like you]

lighting is all thats left

whats the kelvin

Randy Holmes-Farley
08/17/2006, 06:48 AM
Getting some organisms that eat it may help, as would changing out the GFO more frequently. Lowered phosphate will nearly always reduce hair algae. Just because you cannot detect it does not mean that there isn't plenty for the algae. :)

Jarett
08/17/2006, 07:23 AM
thanks for all the replys. Ill try and answer them.
the phosphate reactor was added on 8-02-06 and was filled with rowaphos.
Before that i just had a bag of regular phosguard sitting in the sump for about three weeks.

The mh lights were 20k, added in feb of 06(so right at 6 months), i just changed them yesterday to 10k, also the cheap ebay bulbs from china. (was going to order new good bulbs in the next couple of days)

As for the macro algae, im trying to figure out where i can make room to add some.

any other suggestions?

also, why would my mag. be so high. I dont add anything to boost it and I have checked it everyday for a week with no drop.
Using a new salifert kit at home, and double checked at my lfs.

Randy Holmes-Farley
08/17/2006, 09:46 AM
Some salt mixes, like Oceanic, come with excessive magnesium, and magnesium drop is very slow, unless the calcification rate is high.

I'd swap out or add more GFO and see what that does after a week or so.

Jarett
08/17/2006, 10:01 AM
I only use instant ocean, mixed with ro/di water. which i always thought was low in mag.
So I change the rowaphos in the reactor even though its only 2 weeks old?

Randy Holmes-Farley
08/17/2006, 10:31 AM
Depending on how much GFO is in it, you can swap it out or add more.

Maybe your magnesium kit is not accurate. In any case, it isn't high enough to worry about. it is not impacting the algae.

DrPeaches
08/17/2006, 12:34 PM
Please pardon my ignorance, but what's GFO?

dweakl01
08/17/2006, 01:31 PM
granular ferric oxide = rust pellets

Randy Holmes-Farley
08/17/2006, 02:30 PM
It is sold as Rowaphos, Phosban, Salifert Phosphate Killer, and many other brands.