Don't understand why I have hair aslgae.

[Brian W]

Temp 78.2
pH 7.8 - 8.0
Salinity 1.026
Ammo 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 2
Alk 7.2
Cal 400
Mag 1500
Phosphate 0.00


Over the past month my tank has started to grow hair algae. Yes it is hair algae and not bryopsis. I recently moved and before this my tank had some algae but it seems like it's growing like crazy. I have a skimmer online, chaeto and an algae scrubber. I'm thinking about putting my GFO reactor back online. I'm wondering if something is giving my phosphate test a false 0 reading. I used a red sea test kit for Ammo, Nitrite and Nitrate. I used Hanna checkers for Phosphate, calcium and magnesium. Also used my salifert kit for Phosphate to double check it. Used my apex for ph and salinity.

Can anyone help me make sense if this? My tank is by a sliding glass door but it is Always closed. The o my other thing I can think of is I don't have a wood stand. It is metal and I wrap cardboard around it while I save up money to build a removable wood stand/covering. The refugium lights bleed out to the display a little.

The algae is worse than it looks in these pics. These pic are just to showe a few spots.
Thanks for your help.

 

[Brian W]

Also I added 2 frag racks last week and the surface of the racks are green. And the plugscare starting to turn green as well.

May be time to send off a Triton test.

 

[Brian W]

There does appear to be some bryopsis but not very much right now. I can kill that with fluconazole. I'm more worried about the hair algae...if that's what it truly is.

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[TUSI]

Something is off. Your nitrate is probably much higher than your reading and so is your phosphates. That hair algae is feeding a lot from it. Normally in conditions like yours the reading is 0 . Have you dosed any iron for your cheato or scrubber cause that could do it.

 

[indyjaco]

Algae is eating all the phosphate and nitrate.

I had the same problem, then poof the algae disappeared. Now my nitrates are up and my SPS have color again.

 

[Brian W]

There does appear to be some bryopsis but not very much right now. I can kill that with fluconazole. I'm more worried about the hair algae...if that's what it truly is.

Something is off. Your nitrate is probably much higher than your reading and so is your phosphates. That hair algae is feeding a lot from it. Normally in conditions like yours the reading is 0 . Have you dosed any iron for your cheato or scrubber cause that could do it.

I have not dosed anything. My scrubber is just 4-5 days old. I agree. Something is off.

 

[Brian W]

Algae is eating all the phosphate and nitrate.

I had the same problem, then poof the algae disappeared. Now my nitrates are up and my SPS have color again.

How long did it take? My take is a little over a year old. I'm thinking about moving myncirals to my other tank that has no algae until this algae dissappears.

 

[Brian W]

Should I do these 30% water changesvevert few days for a couple of weeks to starve the algae?

 

[TUSI]

That will help and cut on your light too. Siphone what you can while doing water changes

 

[indyjaco]

How long did it take? My take is a little over a year old. I'm thinking about moving myncirals to my other tank that has no algae until this algae dissappears.

I set my tank up in November and by January it was a hair algae party. I burned through about 3 lbs of GFO and did 15% weekly water changes. In the end, I think my fix was to remove as much of the hair algae as possible during water changes and scrub the rocks in the removed water.

I kept hoping the snails would get it or the use of GFO, but pulling the algae out helped the most it seemed. I went from a fairly overgrown tank to zero algae in the course of a week. I'd remove rocks one by one and scrub them with a toothbrush in water change water. Once it gets to a controllable level the CUC should be able to help.

When you moved, did you keep you original sand? If you did, did you rinse it at all?

 

[Brian W]

My tank was setup 5/23/16 and I went through the algae phase and stuff slowed down but never went away 100%. But was very manageable. I had sand but when I moved I tossed it out. I wanted to do a bare bottom tank. Looks like I will just have to do 20% weekly and scrub the rocks. Should not be too hard. Just a lot of it. Lol

 

[Brian W]

That will help and cut on your light too. Siphone what you can while doing water changes

What do you mean cut my lights on?

I siphoned every time. It's crazy how much detritus can build up in a week.

 

[Ocean Lotion]

Fluconazole will kill the ha too. May take up to 2 months with the fluconazole in your tank though. Run gfo and carbon and water changes till your tank is perfect and can go 2 months without any off the above. Treat with fluconazole and enjoy the die off. Then keep up with water changes and carbon and gfo changes to slowly pull the phosphate out of your rock. Can take a long time. Took me a year of increased maintenance to get the gfo out of my rocks in my 75. Also remove as much as you can before dosing the fluconazole then leave it alone. Increase lighting while treating if you can also. Good luck. This will work.

 

[Brian W]

Fluconazole will kill the ha too. May take up to 2 months with the fluconazole in your tank though. Run gfo and carbon and water changes till your tank is perfect and can go 2 months without any off the above. Treat with fluconazole and enjoy the die off. Then keep up with water changes and carbon and gfo changes to slowly pull the phosphate out of your rock. Can take a long time. Took me a year of increased maintenance to get the gfo out of my rocks in my 75. Also remove as much as you can before dosing the fluconazole then leave it alone. Increase lighting while treating if you can also. Good luck. This will work.

I've already did the fluconazole dosing. It's amazing how well it works. I dontvwant to use this aga on as my skimmer is just now getting back to normal after 2 months from the initial dose. I am just going to have to pull/scrub the algae off the rickshaws do bigger water changes more frequently. If it gets out if control i will dose fluconazole again....but thiscweill be my last resort.

 

[TUSI]

What do you mean cut my lights on?

I siphoned every time. It's crazy how much detritus can build up in a week.

Shorten your lights cycle per day.

 

[Brian W]

Shorten your lights cycle per day.

Its been at 6 hrs for about 2 months now.

 

[Ocean Lotion]

I meant to say took a year to get the phosphate out of my rocks. A hanna ultra low range phosphorous checker is a great tool to keep track of the phosphate in your tank. It is a great feeling when you beat the gha and can enjoy your tank.

 

[Brian W]

I meant to say took a year to get the phosphate out of my rocks. A hanna ultra low range phosphorous checker is a great tool to keep track of the phosphate in your tank. It is a great feeling when you beat the gha and can enjoy your tank.

Yes I love my Hanna checkers. I guess I will continue waiting.

 

[Cory]

If your ats is only 5 days old you wont see any reduction in the tank. Wait at least a month. Its too new.

How big is your ats? What kind of light does it use?

The algae will die in the display slowly. But not if your ats is too small.

 

[JohnnyTabasco]

Are you using 0 TDS RO/DI water?
How many fish do you have and how much do you feed?