FernBluffReef
Active Member
I know common issue. I’m not having any luck hoping for some special advice for my situation. lol.
I have a 112 gallon reef (143 total). Started with dry rock about 18 months ago. I avoided the ugly phase leveraging my experience from reefing 25 years ago before returning to reefing and via reminding me of things I forgot or never knew back then on these forums.
Well about 3 months ago I started to get some hair algae and it’s only getting worse, now to the point that it’s starting to bother corals. I never had an issue until I decided see if I could further my lack of experience with SPS acroporas that kept dying. I tried using Aquaforest LifeSource and boom I all of a sudden has hair algae appearing. I’m not sure if the Fiji mud introduced something bad I didn’t have (bad comes with the good) or if just coincidental but the timing is what it is.
I’ve never had a Nitrate issue in this tank. Have always had to dose Nitrates. I had to dose phosphate for the first year before the dry rock was saturated I guess and the last say 9 months been using phosguard and a bit of phosbond in a filter bag - high flow area in the sump which does help with phosphates but doesn’t last long. I’ve recently implemented Lanthium for long term maintenance (started maybe three weeks ago). When dosed by hand into my reef Matt it clearly had a reducing affect so last week I went ahead and rigged a doser and am dosing directly into the body of my skimmer. I’ll observe its affect was much better when applied to the reef mat as a single dose vs the skimmer body over the course of the day but I digress.
My phosphates are currently around .09-.13 I’m dosing 4ml of Phosphate-E over the course of the day. Tank is Seeming to want to stay around .12. Still adjusting the Lanthium - don’t want to get too aggressive at once. A tad troubled that 2- 3.5ml in the reefmat was more effective then 4ml into the skimmer body…., Before starting Lanthium and using the PhosGuard. I’d usually run between .07 to at times close to .2 before pulling it right back down by replacing the media. I was never great timing wise to replace media but generally phos had not been a significant concern and I still don’t see as being all that high. I don’t want to be bothered with a reactor and GFO - too much troubles to maintain. My Nitrates last were 9.9, I have to dose daily to have measurable nitrates and i try to keep above 5 and have had to do so long before the hair algae appeared. I don’t seem to be having to dose more since the hair algae appeared. I want to get the phos back to around .07-.1 and nitrates to around 5-10 goal wise
About a 4-6 weeks ago I restocked some of my clean up crew. Adding like 7 mexican turbos and 70 astreas. I also got an algae blenny but rarely see it. I don’t really like hermits as snails need replacements any without crabs. I prefer trochus but they are seemingly out of season and quite expensive right now so my population is down to 15-20 of those.
If I don’t get a handle on soon I’m headed to chemical methods that I may regret based on some reading so looking for advice first. I’m thinking of getting a sea hare - never had one before. I’m researching chemicals such a fluconazone and Razor hoping you all can either allay my fears, talk me out of it or make me feel better and find a path out of this stuff. I don’t recall ever having to any extent back in the day and my tank back the was much dirtier but it’s been a long time so this is new to me :-).
sorry for long rant
I have a 112 gallon reef (143 total). Started with dry rock about 18 months ago. I avoided the ugly phase leveraging my experience from reefing 25 years ago before returning to reefing and via reminding me of things I forgot or never knew back then on these forums.
Well about 3 months ago I started to get some hair algae and it’s only getting worse, now to the point that it’s starting to bother corals. I never had an issue until I decided see if I could further my lack of experience with SPS acroporas that kept dying. I tried using Aquaforest LifeSource and boom I all of a sudden has hair algae appearing. I’m not sure if the Fiji mud introduced something bad I didn’t have (bad comes with the good) or if just coincidental but the timing is what it is.
I’ve never had a Nitrate issue in this tank. Have always had to dose Nitrates. I had to dose phosphate for the first year before the dry rock was saturated I guess and the last say 9 months been using phosguard and a bit of phosbond in a filter bag - high flow area in the sump which does help with phosphates but doesn’t last long. I’ve recently implemented Lanthium for long term maintenance (started maybe three weeks ago). When dosed by hand into my reef Matt it clearly had a reducing affect so last week I went ahead and rigged a doser and am dosing directly into the body of my skimmer. I’ll observe its affect was much better when applied to the reef mat as a single dose vs the skimmer body over the course of the day but I digress.
My phosphates are currently around .09-.13 I’m dosing 4ml of Phosphate-E over the course of the day. Tank is Seeming to want to stay around .12. Still adjusting the Lanthium - don’t want to get too aggressive at once. A tad troubled that 2- 3.5ml in the reefmat was more effective then 4ml into the skimmer body…., Before starting Lanthium and using the PhosGuard. I’d usually run between .07 to at times close to .2 before pulling it right back down by replacing the media. I was never great timing wise to replace media but generally phos had not been a significant concern and I still don’t see as being all that high. I don’t want to be bothered with a reactor and GFO - too much troubles to maintain. My Nitrates last were 9.9, I have to dose daily to have measurable nitrates and i try to keep above 5 and have had to do so long before the hair algae appeared. I don’t seem to be having to dose more since the hair algae appeared. I want to get the phos back to around .07-.1 and nitrates to around 5-10 goal wise
About a 4-6 weeks ago I restocked some of my clean up crew. Adding like 7 mexican turbos and 70 astreas. I also got an algae blenny but rarely see it. I don’t really like hermits as snails need replacements any without crabs. I prefer trochus but they are seemingly out of season and quite expensive right now so my population is down to 15-20 of those.
If I don’t get a handle on soon I’m headed to chemical methods that I may regret based on some reading so looking for advice first. I’m thinking of getting a sea hare - never had one before. I’m researching chemicals such a fluconazone and Razor hoping you all can either allay my fears, talk me out of it or make me feel better and find a path out of this stuff. I don’t recall ever having to any extent back in the day and my tank back the was much dirtier but it’s been a long time so this is new to me :-).
sorry for long rant
