Very frustrating hair algae problem

[LMSquire]

Hi all,

My 90 gal RSR g2 is having serious hair algae problems. I am sure this has to do with the insane nitrate levels, which I cannot seem to lower despite changing out some rock, vacuuming the gravel, and getting a parabellum chaeto reactor. I thought the chaeto reactor would help, but it isn’t.

Any advice would be much appreciated. I am preparing to move houses, and I am planning on setting up a 300 gallon water box in the new house to transfer my creatures into, but I am really doubting my husbandry abilities here. Levels are as follows:

Alk - 8.2

Po4 - .15

No3 - 44.4

No2 - 0

Ph- 8.2

Amm - 0

Calcium - 315

Mag - 1110

I know my Alk, calcium, and magnesium are a bit low. I am slowly I creasing dosing of all4reef. The po4 I have been using phosphate e because it was so high at one point (.60) and the nitrate I just can’t seem to figure out. Thanks everyone.

 

[PharmrJohn]

How old is your tank and what kind of mechanical filtration are you using?

 

[FGourdin]

Hi all,

My 90 gal RSR g2 is having serious hair algae problems. I am sure this has to do with the insane nitrate levels, which I cannot seem to lower despite changing out some rock, vacuuming the gravel, and getting a parabellum chaeto reactor. I thought the chaeto reactor would help, but it isn’t.

Any advice would be much appreciated. I am preparing to move houses, and I am planning on setting up a 300 gallon water box in the new house to transfer my creatures into, but I am really doubting my husbandry abilities here. Levels are as follows:

Alk - 8.2

Po4 - .15

No3 - 44.4

No2 - 0

Ph- 8.2

Amm - 0

Calcium - 315

Mag - 1110

I know my Alk, calcium, and magnesium are a bit low. I am slowly I creasing dosing of all4reef. The po4 I have been using phosphate e because it was so high at one point (.60) and the nitrate I just can’t seem to figure out. Thanks everyone.

Assuming you are feeding conservatively and skimming effectively , I would suggest carbon dosing to bring your nitrates down. Plenty of info on the forum about how to carbon dose.

 

[Dragen Fiend]

After 4 tanks. I've learned If you can't fix your chemistry. Then the best goal would be to hand remove as best you can and increase CUCs to combat this. I've learned instead of messing with my chemistry. Just find a balance.

 

[VintageReefer]

Cheato reactors and scrubbers will consume phosphate and nitrate, lowering the levels in water, causing phosphate to unbind from rock, and increase hair algae growth, temporarily, until the rocks have very little left to unbind. It’s a phase that can last weeks to months depending on how bad the rock is and then one day it will stop.

Continue harvesting the cheato reactor when needed, remove in tank hair algae manually so it’s not competing with the reactor and give it time

 

[LMSquire]

How old is your tank and what kind of mechanical filtration are you using?

Tank is about 18 months old. Was going great for the first 8 months and looked gorgeous.

Mechanical filtration is a reefmat 500 which is constantly breaking down and for which I am installing a new motor.

 

[VintageReefer]

Easiest way to lower nitrate is water changes. This will have little effect on phosphates though

 

[LMSquire]

Cheato reactors and scrubbers will consume phosphate and nitrate, lowering the levels in water, causing phosphate to unbind from rock, and increase hair algae growth, temporarily, until the rocks have very little left to unbind. It’s a phase that can last weeks to months depending on how bad the rock is and then one day it will stop.

Continue harvesting the cheato reactor when needed, remove in tank hair algae manually so it’s not competing with the reactor and give it time

This reactor has been going for about 5 months. Just keep hoping? The algae starts to creep up the skeletons of my corals and suffocates them.

 

[VintageReefer]

Tank is about 18 months old. Was going great for the first 8 months and looked gorgeous.

Normal, happens to many people around this time. Now we fix the issues that were building in the background during those 8 months.

 

[LMSquire]

Easiest way to lower nitrate is water changes. This will have little effect on phosphates though

I do a 25% wc once a week. It’s doing nothing.

 

[VintageReefer]

This reactor has been going for about 5 months. Just keep hoping? The algae starts to creep up the skeletons of my corals and suffocates them.

How often do you harvest from the reactor? How many hours a day are the lights on ?

 

[LMSquire]

After 4 tanks. I've learned If you can't fix your chemistry. Then the best goal would be to hand remove as best you can and increase CUCs to combat this. I've learned instead of messing with my chemistry. Just find a balance.

Been hand removing and just bulked up my cuc about 400%. Still no love.

 

[LMSquire]

How often do you harvest from the reactor? How many hours a day are the lights on ?

I’ve only harvested once in that 4-5 months and there was a lot. Been about a month since last harvest and it’s nowhere near ready for more. Light is on 24/7 on this thing.

 

[LMSquire]

Assuming you are feeding conservatively and skimming effectively , I would suggest carbon dosing to bring your nitrates down. Plenty of info on the forum about how to carbon dose.

This is what I’m thinking I need to do at this point.

 

[VintageReefer]

I’ve only harvested once in that 4-5 months and there was a lot. Been about a month since last harvest and it’s nowhere near ready for more. Light is on 24/7 on this thing.

That doesn’t sound normal to me

 

[VintageReefer]

You could have iron or manganese deficiency

You could be using too much light - typically fuge / macro is lit 12-18 hours

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

When you say you vacuum the gravel, so you mean you have actual gravel? Not sand?

 

[landlubber]

typically the algae is the most dense on the top laying rocks.
I made major headway by removing them one by one during a water change, spraying peroxide directly on the algae and then plunging them into the water i was discarding and returning them to the system.
Manual removal is almost mandatory for any hopes of your CUC getting involved as they just avoid it if grows too long

 

[Reefahholic]

The 0.6 started your issue, and now it’s taken hold.

Time for manual removal and large CUC.

 

[LMSquire]

When you say you vacuum the gravel, so you mean you have actual gravel? Not sand?

No, it’s crushed coral.