Hair algae

[MrSculpin]

Im having troubles with hair algae now in my tank.
I had a little bit for a few weeks, but now its getting
out of hand.
Im sure part is that I got a new fish and shrimp so Im feeding a bit more.
I've read hand pull, feed less, more water changes, get a lawnmower, or crab
what works best?

 

[depitch]

All of the above.

It is hard to advise since I don't know tank size, lighting or filtration.

Emeral crabs seem to work on hair algae, my lawnmower never touched it.

HTH

Doug

 

[MrSculpin]

Tank is 30 gal
running for 3 months, so new
I have 38lbs of live rock. Well 15 was from a LFS
the rest was bought from marco rocks

Lighting is a Current PC light the 48" has the four 65w bulbs in it. bulbs are old
HOB skimmer, the remora aqua c
I also have two power heads, they were with the tank back when it was a freshwater. I believe they are rated at 175gph and in each corner directed towards the front.

I use tap water. Was told it was fine until I got coral.
Up until a week and a half ago, I only had one fish and the live rock and a few snails.
I was doing a water change once a month as advised by LFS.

water tests show
PH 8.2
no amonia
no nitrites
trace of nitrates
temp is sticking around 76
salinity is 1.024

Hmm what else.

I got some coral about a week and a half ago. four frags of zoa, four kinds of xenia and some kenya tree.
a hermit crab that snuck in.
The hair algae got alot worse but I had it before.
A week ago I added a gobie and shrimp.

I think its a mix of things, the water, the other LFS
says to change the water every two weeks now, that I can get a crab or lawnmower but will need to address the lawnmower eats algae and er poops it out.

Id like to do a balance of things, water changes, pull out some algae, get the snails to eat it, and or something else
ect.
Just wondered what others do that works well.

 

[NC2WA]

What is your phosphate level??


I bet this might be the source of your problem (esp if you are still using tap water).

when you have this number, let us know and we can go from there.

 

[MrSculpin]

What is your phosphate level??


I bet this might be the source of your problem (esp if you are still using tap water).

when you have this number, let us know and we can go from there.

I'll need to get a different test kit and check it.
Mine tests for the basics, but not phosphates.

So once I get that done, what can be done about phosphates?

 

[NC2WA]

provided that the water is the source of the problem, i would do several medium water changes over a period of weeks, this should removed most of it.

you may also look at some type of phosphate removers (phosban, rowphos are good choices).

if you are feeding frozen food, are you rinsing it in RO water before you feed..if not, this is another source of introducing phosphates to your system..

hence, it is recommend to have a RO/DI unit to ensure you remove all nitrates, phosphates from your tap water before it enters the tank.

 

[MrSculpin]

provided that the water is the source of the problem, i would do several medium water changes over a period of weeks, this should removed most of it.

you may also look at some type of phosphate removers (phosban, rowphos are good choices).

if you are feeding frozen food, are you rinsing it in RO water before you feed..if not, this is another source of introducing phosphates to your system..

hence, it is recommend to have a RO/DI unit to ensure you remove all nitrates, phosphates from your tap water before it enters the tank.

Thanks for the help. I do feed frozen food and dont rinse it. That didnt accure to me. I only feed once a day and about a piece about the size of say a pencil eraser. Im sure that adds up over time.

Speaking of test kits.. Mine is the Seachem multitest kit for saltwater. it tests for PH, alkalinity, free/total ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
Besides phosphate, what else is truly important?

I dont like my kit so much. It has the dippers, you put the water in a little tray, add certain drops of things depending on what your testing and wait the correct time, then compare it to a colored strip. For some you put this little yellow plasticy disk in the test water and wait. They never change
color which is a good thing according to the test but still it makes one wonder if its accurate.
Are all test kits similar? I see some fish stores use a dip strip similar to what we use for our hot tub. Seems easier but ??

 

[NC2WA]

Personally,

you need to test for nitrates AND phosphates. Either the Salifert or Elos test kits are good. However, if you really want to get pinpoint professional then, the LaMotte or Hach test kits are good, but expensive.

http://www.hach.com/populartestkits

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~test_kits_lamotte.html

 

[returnofsid]

The advice you got about using tap water "until you got corals" was bad advice. I'd imagine you're experiencing why it's bad advice now.

As for test kits, I'd suggest upgrading to Salifert or Elos. Elos will be hard to find in our area, but can be purchased online. Salifert can be found at Aquarium Solutions or Aquatic Dreams, both in the valley and both sponsors on RF.

Salifert are a bit more expensive, but well worth it for the accuracy. Much better than the all in one master kits.

You should be testing for:

Ammonia
Nitrates
pH
Calcium
Alk
Magnesium
Phosphates

Testing for phosphates when you have a lot of algae in your tank can be difficult since the algae sucks it up as fast as it's produced. You may get test results of zero...but you have it in there. Test your tap water for phosphates and nitrates, or test freshly made saltwater that you made with tap water. That'll give you a more effective test result.


I'd invest in an RO/DI unit as soon as possible. I suspect most of your problem comes from the tap water you've been using.

 

[MrSculpin]

I'll check out the kits you suggested this week.

My all in one is missing the calcium, mag and phosphates.

I'll have to wait on an RO/DI unit for awhile, but can test
meanwhile and go from there!

Id like to feed more than once a day but dont want to make it worse. Fish are sure they are starving!

I've heard people run carbon as well. I know what it does in fresh water, what are the benifits with saltwater?

 

[luke33]

Problem with testing is he has alot of ha from what he says so testing wont show much. The ha is absorbing all the trates and po4 that goes in the tank. The tap water is one problem you have and the biggest. Every time you top off or do a water change your going to fuel the ha. LFS's are nearly worthless most the time, they told you tap water was ok and a remora was a good skimmer : (