I have been keeping the tank low on major nutrients with Nitrate around 0.5ppm and Phosphate below 0.04 ppm. Everything is thriving including SPS corals and I have had practically zero algae problems, even getting through the ugly stage (lights at 23K help, no doubt). The problem is keeping these levels stable. Last test done this weekend shows both values at zero (which is probably not zero, but too low for the test kit to show. I am using Red Sea on all tests).
I am now starting to see red hair algae growing. It looks a little bit like cotton candy algae but spreading in the same way as green hair algae. I have never seen it before, but thanks to the info on this forum, I will be getting a turbo snail to deal with it. This algae is being reported in low nutrient tanks.
I've been dosing Reef Energy Plus daily until recently and switched to Reef Plus since it's dosed less often and doesn't discolor the water as much. That's the only change I've made. Would trace elements, carbohydrates, amino acids, etc. eventually break down into nitrates and/or phosphates? Could this be fueling the algae growth?
I'd like to continue to keep the nutrient levels low as they more closely replicate natural reef environment, keep corals happy and prevent the red algae problem.
What's the best way to approach this issue?
I am now starting to see red hair algae growing. It looks a little bit like cotton candy algae but spreading in the same way as green hair algae. I have never seen it before, but thanks to the info on this forum, I will be getting a turbo snail to deal with it. This algae is being reported in low nutrient tanks.
I've been dosing Reef Energy Plus daily until recently and switched to Reef Plus since it's dosed less often and doesn't discolor the water as much. That's the only change I've made. Would trace elements, carbohydrates, amino acids, etc. eventually break down into nitrates and/or phosphates? Could this be fueling the algae growth?
I'd like to continue to keep the nutrient levels low as they more closely replicate natural reef environment, keep corals happy and prevent the red algae problem.
What's the best way to approach this issue?