hair algae on the back of tank

[big deddy]

I have gha growing but only on the back panel of the tank. I have been siphoning the algae out and scraping with razor blade. I have done a 3 day black out and that seemed to help. Tank is a 75 gallon. Only 2 fish. 1 yellow tang and 1 purple firefish. Not much clean up crew. I have 1 red leg hermit crab and 1 blue leg. 1 tiny pointed shell snail, and green sea cucumber. Also have a brittle star ,and sand sifting star. My Rodi membrane and di resin probably need replacing. I have a 6x54 t5 ho with new ATI bulbs. Sump has super reef octopus 1000sss skimmer. Fuge has chaeto. I really want this cleaned up. I have ran out of ideas. I'm willing to add fish and or add to clean up crew. Even consider a sea hare or an urchin. Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated. I also have frogapawn, hammer, goniporia, zoa frags, birdsnest frag and a sea fan. Cabbage coral and couple leathers.

 

[thehammer1985]

Can you give parameters? How old is the tank? At this moment I wouldn't add anymore fish. Herbivore fish may eat the algea but the are gonna add to the problem due to increasing the bioload. Also what kind of lights are you running and what is your light cycle. Do you have a tds monitor for your rodi?

 

[big deddy]

Can't give water parameters now as I'm not at home. No tds monitor. I run the lights about 12 hours trying to get some coral growth

 

[thehammer1985]

What kind of lights? And when you get home shoot over parameters so we can get a general feel for what's going on. I would also strongly suggest at least a 2 probe in line tds for your rodi. This Will atleast Allow You to know when your membranes going and when to replace your di resin

 

[big deddy]

T5 ho. New ATI bulbs. 2 coral plus, 2 purple plus and 1 actinic and 1 10000k

 

[twilliard]

I have gha growing but only on the back panel of the tank. I have been siphoning the algae out and scraping with razor blade. I have done a 3 day black out and that seemed to help. Tank is a 75 gallon. Only 2 fish. 1 yellow tang and 1 purple firefish. Not much clean up crew. I have 1 red leg hermit crab and 1 blue leg. 1 tiny pointed shell snail, and green sea cucumber. Also have a brittle star ,and sand sifting star. My Rodi membrane and di resin probably need replacing. I have a 6x54 t5 ho with new ATI bulbs. Sump has super reef octopus 1000sss skimmer. Fuge has chaeto. I really want this cleaned up. I have ran out of ideas. I'm willing to add fish and or add to clean up crew. Even consider a sea hare or an urchin. Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated. I also have frogapawn, hammer, goniporia, zoa frags, birdsnest frag and a sea fan. Cabbage coral and couple leathers.

What are you feeding and how often?
Sounds like a nutrient issue

 

[thehammer1985]

Are you running all your bulbs 12 hours a day ? And do you have enough flow in areas you are getting to gha .

 

[big deddy]

Ocean nutrition flake, and frozen ocean nutrition reef mix, misis, and brine. I alternate on the frozen and usually on feed 1 time a day. Don't feed much as I only have 2 fish

 

[big deddy]

Are you running all your bulbs 12 hours a day ? And do you have enough flow in areas you are getting to gha .

Year all 6. And I just cut back on flow a little because corals where not very happy with all the movement

 

[twilliard]

Too much food.
Bring it down some
What is your no3 and po4?

 

[big deddy]

I don't feed all the food listed. That's just what I rotate with. Fish only get fed 1 to 2 times a day. Only what they can eat in about 1 minute.

 

[big deddy]

What will eat it off the back panel? I don't have much live stock anyway. Shouldn't hurt to add something. The live rock and sand I used was from a tank that had been going a year or longer. This tank has been running since the beginning of June.

 

[thehammer1985]

Live stock will help maintain it is not meant to control you need to solve your problem first. Honestly I would cut you r light cycle down to just actinic for 2 hours in morning 2 hours at night and 8 full intensity. And when you setup the tank did you wash the sand before you transferred it? Was the rock out for a while?

 

[Reefing Madness]

How big is your sump? Whats your chaeto growth rate? How big is the ball of chaeto? Do you have flow in the sump? Is the Chaeto green or yellowing? Ever thought of running GFO or Lanthanum?

 

[ngvu1]

Did you see the yellow tang munching on the algae ? There is a kind that the yellow tangs won't eat cause they die if they do. I am pretty lucky with my yellow tang that cleans all the hairy algae

 

[big deddy]

How big is your sump? Whats your chaeto growth rate? How big is the ball of chaeto? Do you have flow in the sump? Is the Chaeto green or yellowing? Ever thought of running GFO or Lanthanum?

Sump is 30 gallon breeder. Chaeto doesn't grow very much. I think it's my light causing that. Chaeto still green just not much growth. I have a small pump in the fuge to keep movement on Chaeto. There is about a pound of Chaeto. Will look into gfo, lanthanum.

 

[big deddy]

Did you see the yellow tang munching on the algae ? There is a kind that the yellow tangs won't eat cause they die if they do. I am pretty lucky with my yellow tang that cleans all the hairy algae

Yellow tang eats a few bites of it a day. I really need glass cleaners.

 

[big deddy]

I also have ocean revive artic t247s that will be here Monday. So I guess changing lighting schedule really won't help when I'm fixing to change lights all together

 

[BetURWrasse]

I think you identified the issue and a way to fight it already, get a bunch of snails.

 

[big deddy]

I think you identified the issue and a way to fight it already, get a bunch of snails.

Which snails do you recommend? How many?