Hair algae help!!

[foskett96]

Hi I've had my saltwater reef up and running for about 2 years now (had another reef tank for a year before this one) it's a 30g tank and houses one occelaris clownfish, a hermit crab, various corals and an anemone. For a while now I've had a hair algae problem and no matter what I've tried it won't go away. I feed only once every two days, I've been to stores and they have recommended things like algaefix which hasn't worked.
The parameters are:
PH - 7.9
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- less then 5ppm
Alkalinity- 7.3
Calcium - 370
Magnesium - 1300
Phosphate - 0.25 (cannot get this lower have tried phosphate removers)
I use RO water for top ups as well. The lights are on for only about 5-6 hours a day. There is one blue light (not sure of the K on it) and 2 white lights (10 000K each) Can't figure out what is causing it :/
I have been recommended to just leave the blue lights on for 10 hours each day and not use the White as the White is the favourite of the algae, and then once it's under control begin using the White light again.
Thanks, help is very appreciated.

 

[Reefing Madness]

What phosphate removers have you used? I use SeaKlear in a 240g tank, and it gets it way lower than that. I wouldn't change your lighting, but you could do a 3-day total lights out to kill it off, but if you don't get those phosphates down, it will just come right back.
Might try to feed less, might help a bit also.

 

[foskett96]

I've tried the phosphate remover from ultimate aquacare and it seemed to do nothing. When I tried the algaefix it didn't do much either except for make my corals not happy

 

[Reefing Madness]

Welp, if you were using that stuff, I'd say you werent' using enough of it to bring your phosphates down enough for you. You should be dosing more if it won't budge your current numbers.
Also, with the use of SeaKlear, you don't have to rely on 10% weekly water changes to bring the phosphate number down.

 

[foskett96]

Do you know if this product is available in Australia??

 

[Reefing Madness]

I haven't the faintest idea.
Can you get it from here? One link is UK the other link is AU
SeaKlear Phosphate Remover CR - 1 Quart | eBay
Seaklear Phosphate Remover CR 1 Quart | eBay

 

[foskett96]

Oh alright thanks so do you think with the ultimate aquacare on I wasn't adding enough? I was adding 3mL everyday

 

[Reefing Madness]

That would be my guess, I'd up the dose, that should bring you down.

 

[foskett96]

I decided to test the RO water that I have been using and have found that it has a phosphate reading of 0.25

 

[h2pvnus]

RO still not good must be RODI. Try dosing carbon

 

[N1Husker]

I quit feeding marine snow and my hair algae went away and so did my cyano. Other than that I haven't changed a thing, no additives, nitrates <20ppm, phosphates 0. I discovered this when I ran out of the marine snow and didn't have the funds to buy more. I noticed the GHA dieing off and the cyano clearing up. When I got more, I started feeding it again and the green hair algae and the cyano returned. Now I don't use it and no more algae.

 

[h2pvnus]

Fish poop is corals best food

 

[cobergas]

Here is my .02. You can continue to purchase items to try and fix the problem and reduce the GHA. I battled this for almost a year and tried every invention out there to battle the problem. Every month my LFS suggested I purchase something else. Of course this only worked out for them as it had me coming back for more things over and over again. After gathering NUMEROUS things phosphate remover, ferric oxide, phosban remover, water changes 3 times a week and even the old fashion rock scrub I gave up. I went to another LFS and purchased two things that solved my problem and has done such a good job they continue to work at it.

1. Pencil urchin. Mows through the issues with ZERO issues.
Scopas tang hardy hardy hardy fish that picks and eats ALL misses by the urchin.

Now I know people get upset when adding more livestock to take care of a problem is introduced but IMHO they feed on things in the wild that we have brought into our systems. Turning the lights off for three days is not going to help GHA. You can only reduce the feedings so much before everyone starts to suffer. I just went with the flow stopped scrubbing the rocks and let nature do its thing. Nature won and prevailed and that makes me believe that my approach worked for me. I have not had a problem since.

 

[N1Husker]

cobergas, do you have corals and does that pencil urchin bother them. Everything I have read is that pencil urchins are not reef safe.

 

[cobergas]

Yes, I have tons of zoas, some hammers, mushrooms, everything but sticks.

 

[N1Husker]

Great. I have a one spot foxface, a flame tail blenny and a clean up crew that work diligently on any algae that crops up now. I also have a melanurus wrasse that has eradicated my flatworm problem. I had a bad infestation, I was told to get him and he wiped them out in about two weeks.

 

[james2369]

Yes, I have tons of zoas, some hammers, mushrooms, everything but sticks.

One up with cobergas I allso have 2 pencils in my 240 gal and I have a lot og zoas and for me no problems and on another note I have 2 others and a cleaning crew which I have to add to every so offen I use to have a big alge problem until those additions thats just my 2cents