Will blacking out my tank (FOWLR) kill hair algae? how long should i black it out for?

[dimitrinivo]

I have a 45 gallon i converted from a reef to a fowlr and it has a problem with hair algae. if i simply turn off the lights, will this kill the algae? if so, how long should i turn the lights off for? as i mentioned, there are no corals or photosynthetic invertebrates therefore i can turn off the lights for a long time if needed.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Interesting. It might work in the short-term. But it could take much longer than you anticipate, and of course it's primarily the water conditions that are no doubt at the root of the problem; 'lights-out' won't do much to the fundamentals. Show us a few photos of how bad the problem is, and maybe someone can coach you through a better solution (?) Best wishes!

 

[Siberwulf]

You may kill the algae, sure. But when it dies, all the locked up Nitrates and Phosphates are going to go back into the water. If you really want them gone, you need to get into some physical removal.