.25 phosphates and green hair algae

Tankkeepers

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I might be blind bit any pics of it it may not be gha it may be bryopsis is it hair like or does it look like the pic I posted? If it looks like that it is bryopsis and can not be kill vja regular means as it has the ability to break down food itself also once gha gets long most snails won't touch it if the tank is still within 6 months of being setup then your most likly your the green part of the cycle and you just need to increase water changes and it'll go away another way to rid it in the dt is setting up an fuge or algie turf scrubber giving it a better home to grow in and itll slowly leave your dt in favor of growing in a more sutable area good luck and I hope you get it figured out one last thing durring an outbreak often your test will read 0 due the it using the nutrients up test you water right before the lights come on while the tank is still dark to get a more acurate read as it has not started using the nutrients built up overnight

1601249390378970102305031939396.jpg
 
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mikee002

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Thanks for the advice, I will attempt to lower whites. They are fairly low to begin with. Reds and greens are about 1%.

I will add some cleanup.

4 stage RODI with all new media. 0 tds output.


I personally would reduce white light intensity for a few days and add some cleanup crew to your existin such as:
Astrea, trochus, nassarius and nerite snails and a handful of blue leg hermits.
Are you using tap water from faucet or RO water ?
Is tank at or near a window?
 
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mikee002

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I will try to get good pics tmrw, but it does not appear to be bryopsis based on the pics here I just looked at.

I might be blind bit any pics of it it may not be gha it may be bryopsis is it hair like or does it look like the pic I posted? If it looks like that it is bryopsis and can not be kill vja regular means as it has the ability to break down food itself also once gha gets long most snails won't touch it if the tank is still within 6 months of being setup then your most likly your the green part of the cycle and you just need to increase water changes and it'll go away another way to rid it in the dt is setting up an fuge or algie turf scrubber giving it a better home to grow in and itll slowly leave your dt in favor of growing in a more sutable area good luck and I hope you get it figured out one last thing durring an outbreak often your test will read 0 due the it using the nutrients up test you water right before the lights come on while the tank is still dark to get a more acurate read as it has not started using the nutrients built up overnight

1601249390378970102305031939396.jpg
 

Tankkeepers

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Do your lights have any red in them that can cause it and if your whites are 14k very little red 20k or higher thats almost entirely in the blue spectrum but at 10k you get about 25 percent in the red spectrum and 6500k light will grown gha like crazy
 
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mikee002

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Prime HD.

R and G don’t go over 3%, CW not over 10%. Schedule is almost entirely UV, V, RY and B.

Lighting schedule didn’t change when this outbreak started that I can recall.

Thanks

Do your lights have any red in them that can cause it and if your whites are 14k very little red 20k or higher thats almost entirely in the blue spectrum but at 10k you get about 25 percent in the red spectrum and 6500k light will grown gha like crazy
 

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I had some GHA issues, and I finally tested for P04 after finding this web site. My level was around 1.0 !!! For the past month I've been running Phosguard and as of yesterday it's down to 0.5 so getting better. When the GHA pops up on a rock, I tear it out with a pair of tongs. I also have some long handled bottle brushes that I use to clean the rocks without removing them then just net out the algae.
 
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mikee002

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thanks. It looks similar to mine? Just making sure it’s GHA before I chase it more

I had some GHA issues, and I finally tested for P04 after finding this web site. My level was around 1.0 !!! For the past month I've been running Phosguard and as of yesterday it's down to 0.5 so getting better. When the GHA pops up on a rock, I tear it out with a pair of tongs. I also have some long handled bottle brushes that I use to clean the rocks without removing them then just net out the algae.
 
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mikee002

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Yep, that is it. dang this hobby is frustrating. We are moving early next year and I am going to transition to a different size tank, but all of this coupled with loss I’ve had in the past is just beyond frustrating.

Yep... I actually have a piece of fake coral that I let it grow on just to help remove P04 naturally, looks like this:

IMG_5040.jpg
 

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Great, not get some herbivores that can keep it mowed down. EDIT - I got two tanks confused - manual removal is your friend here
The phosphate in my tank is like 1.3, really, 1.3. Nitrates north of 50. The only time I get algae issues is when herbivores age out.
Once a tank phase shifts into algae dominance, it can be hard to get back, just like in the wild. You need to be the main consumer of the algae until your herbivores can get on it. Alternatively, you can just replace all the rock with mature and cured rock if you can get it.
 
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mikee002

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Yeah, this is all mature rock. It’s actually Kp aquatics rock out of the ocean. The tank is probably 2 1/2 years old at this point. These issues just started within the past three or four months.

What are your suggestions for herbivores? Keeping in mind that it’s a nano, only 35 gallons.

Great, not get some herbivores that can keep it mowed down. EDIT - I got two tanks confused - manual removal is your friend here
The phosphate in my tank is like 1.3, really, 1.3. Nitrates north of 50. The only time I get algae issues is when herbivores age out.
Once a tank phase shifts into algae dominance, it can be hard to get back, just like in the wild. You need to be the main consumer of the algae until your herbivores can get on it. Alternatively, you can just replace all the rock with mature and cured rock if you can get it.
 

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Snails. Maybe a chiton, they're neat. Check out ReefCleaners for ideas, good prices, and a nice variety of critters. Long hair algae is hard for snails to eat, so you have to pull that out.

A tuxedo urchin can eat longish algae, but will move frags around.

What fish do you have?
 
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mikee002

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I have some sort of urchin that was a tiny hitchhiker from My KP Rock, he’s huge now, and even he has GHA growing in all his spines!

The only fish are 2 clowns and a mandarin.

I will look into reef cleaners, I’ve looked in the past but never used them. Thank you

Snails. Maybe a chiton, they're neat. Check out ReefCleaners for ideas, good prices, and a nice variety of critters. Long hair algae is hard for snails to eat, so you have to pull that out.

A tuxedo urchin can eat longish algae, but will move frags around.

What fish do you have?
 
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mikee002

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I feel like every time I buy snails, all I’m doing is buying crab food. They never live long, and I’m assuming it’s because they are being eaten by the hermits and peppermint shrimp.

Snails. Maybe a chiton, they're neat. Check out ReefCleaners for ideas, good prices, and a nice variety of critters. Long hair algae is hard for snails to eat, so you have to pull that out.

A tuxedo urchin can eat longish algae, but will move frags around.

What fish do you have?
 

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Yeah, this is all mature rock. It’s actually Kp aquatics rock out of the ocean. The tank is probably 2 1/2 years old at this point. These issues just started within the past three or four months.

What are your suggestions for herbivores? Keeping in mind that it’s a nano, only 35 gallons.

After you have toothbrushed the algae off (you can stick a hang on filter or canister on the tank to suck out the floating alage to make it easy, or put a filter sock on the overflow line in the sump) you'll want to try a buch of different herbivores till you find the they are keeping the algae back. I find that Mespilia urchins often do really well, but that Lyutechinus can be more agressive algae eaters. Any of the normal herbivor snails should help too - get a bunch and be ready to give them away if it looks like they are keeping the algae in check and you have too many of them. A small rabbitfish may help too (I use these in smaller tanks and then move them to larger tanks or give them awaya to people with larger tanks when they get to big. Biological controls are hit an miss, so you may have to play with populations and individuals until you find the right mix
 

Thales

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I feel like every time I buy snails, all I’m doing is buying crab food. They never live long, and I’m assuming it’s because they are being eaten by the hermits and peppermint shrimp.
What crab do yo have and why?
 

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Yeah, this is all mature rock. It’s actually Kp aquatics rock out of the ocean. The tank is probably 2 1/2 years old at this point. These issues just started within the past three or four months.

For whatever reason algae has taken hold and shifted your tank to algae dominant in the rock. With such a small amout of rock that doesn't seem to be part of a complicated aquascape, I would consider just swapping it out.
 

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