Hair Algae with Undetectable NO3 and PO4

[Biglurr54]

So every tank I have ever had (16 years) has had hair algae problems. I don’t mind some hair algae as it looks more natural to have some. My current tank is a 175 cube SPS reef. I set it up in March and cycled it. Then I added everything from a 3 year old 60 cube. (Here’s the Build Thread https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/biglurrs-175-build-with-pics.379567/ ) I got through the cyano stage of new tank and now I am having hair breaking out. Its most likely the whole new tank uglies but what is confusing me is my params:

Salinity 35ppt (Calibrated refract and PM2 Cond)
Temp 78 (Apex)
Alk 8.512 (Hanna)
Calc 440 (Salifert)
Mag 1380 (Salifert)
Heres were things get interesting
Phosphate 0ppb (Hanna UL Phospurus)
Nitrate 0 (Salifert)

I can’t get detectable nitrate or phosphate to save my life! I am trying to get some nitrate and phosphate to assist in coloring up come of the sps which have browned since the switch from the 60 cube.

I feed heavy with mysis, LRS reef Frenzy, and live black worms. I also add nori once or twice a week. I have does coral food in the past but it just results in cyano every time.

For filtration, I am running a way oversized skimmer, 25 gallon fuge with mars hydra light, and a small amount of phosban in a reactor. I also have automatic water changes that change about 3 gallons a day.

My clean up crew is next to non-existent. I loaded the 60 cube up about 2 years ago and the blue legged hermits have done a number on that crew but there are some still around.

My issue is I have small tufts of hair growing all around the tank. Its not healthy hair algae but it is there. How should I eradicate the algae? I am considering a White tail Bristletooth and purple tang for algae control. Any other idea on how to keep the algae in check?

 

[Michael Llabona]

Neither will likely pick at the hair algae unless it really short. Some have had success with a foxface. Sea Hares are probably the most effective against GHA. But once the algae is gone, they can starve so you need a back up plan for feeding or trading it.

 

[Biglurr54]

I dont mind scrubbing everything to shorten the algae allowing the bristletooths or foxfaces to get after it!

 

[Biglurr54]

Pics!

 

[drawman]

Your hair algae could be consuming NO3/PO4 and giving you a falsely low reading. That said, I don't really see a lot of hair algae in your photos...

 

[Biglurr54]

I'll take pics of the algae tonight. I try to take shots that minimize the algae showing.

 

[Luno]

Your hair algae could be consuming NO3/PO4 and giving you a falsely low reading. That said, I don't really see a lot of hair algae in your photos...

What he said, algae problems and low readings means the algae is consuming it. If you manage to get rid of the algae expect your nutrients to shoot up without it being consumed.

 

[Biglurr54]

Well the hair algae has taken over the tank. I went away on vacation and came back to a heavy growth of hair. I spent Sunday morning scrubbing the rocks and cleaning everything. I got halfway through and threw out my back. (slipped off the ladder) I noticed that my chaeto isn’t growing like it used to. It used to grow like a weed but lately it is staying small and balled up. Before, after three days, it would spread as a sheet over the surface of the fuge area and I would turn it around.


On Sunday, I added GFO back in the reactor. I turned the display lights off (3 day period) and I am running my fuge light 24/7 (7 day period). When the display lights come back online, I will be running 8 hours of ramping actinic and 5 hours of halide. (used to be 10 hours ramping actinic and 5 hours of halide). I have increased the fuge light from 11 hours to 14 hours a day. I brushed as much hair off the rocks as I could. I then purchases a sea hare. My plan is to keep the sea hare in the display until it wipe everything out and is looking hungry. Then I will move it to the fuge where there is plenty of hair growing. Then back to the display when the fuge is cleaned.


Does anyone have any other ideas on how to combat the hair? Anything wrong with my plan?

 

[Biglurr54]

Here's the cleaned side

 

[Biglurr54]

Here's the un cleaned side

 

[Josh Kraft]

Have you tried peroxide or lye?

 

[Biglurr54]

I have not tried peroxide. The rock structure does not come out so everything had to be done in tank.

 

[brandon429]

normally Im a peroxide guy and there is a way to do it here, all is ok with the treatment except for that lysmata shrimp which could die, but in this case you want fluconazole.

look up the threads on that, its for your exact type of algae. its what I would use here. peroxide technique here was simple, one mil per ten gallons of water is safe for everything in there except for the shrimp added once daily, you'd off the pumps and use a syringe to slowly inject peroxide across the tufts, one per day super slowly injected into and it burns the fronds as the peroxide bleeds off into the water, and they would die off but peroxide isn't indicated here, fluc is

another reason for no peroxide: this lighting is extremely white, lacking blue if you didn't just adjust it for pics, and the peroxide or the lighting white levels w have to be stepped down as peroxide + powerful white lights is a bleaching combo

fluc has no contraindications here, use it due to tank size.

you also have the option of draining water down into a brute can, as the rocks are exposed, rasp and direct treat without dilution of water, refill w your drained water, this w work much better but it doesn't get the low levels... fluc is what you want here. Peroxide is not ideal on this particular tank.
B

 

[brandon429]

the specific cause of your algae is no tank issue or param, its having rocks not covered in coralline and coral flesh which would have rejected it onto a space the myriad grazers in the ocean would've simply rasped off. non grazing and mere happenstance import was the cause, adjust no params here, find a direct attack. fluc is a direct attack.