0 Nitrate 0 Phosphate with hair algae

[gguertin145]

I have rebuilt a tank and had high nitrates with no phosphate or very low phosphate, nitrates were 50 for a long period of time.

I Carbon dosed over a period of 6 months or so and brought the numbers down. I bought a few frags and turned the lights on and started getting hair algae even though my nitrates were 5 and phosphate was .02-.04.

I have since pulled fish out and put them in qt for ich. I have 0 nitrates and 0 phosphate but still have hair algae. Thoughts on what to do I have entertained vibrant or dosing nitrate.

I am using a skimmer and rollermat. I used vinegar and vodka but have since stopped because of low numbers.

I have an icp and I’ll try to post a picture.Anyone have ideas I thought when the lights were out and numbers were down I was going to be good to go.

 

[gguertin145]

crummy pictures but shows the algae

 

[Bldgengineer]

Hair algae might be throwing off your readings. With any algae, you definitely have something going on it there. What test kit and how old is it?

 

[gguertin145]

https://lab.atiaquaristik.com/share/5021997fba93a758f564

I have the rodi one but everything was good on that one.

I have been dosing amino acids from zeovit and occasional ghost feeding.

 

[gguertin145]

Salifert nitrate and Hanna phosphate. I thought so to but why would the numbers have been good before turning lights on after such a long period of time lights out?

 

[Bldgengineer]

My guess is the dosing. Do you have a refugium of any kind? Or something to compete with the algae for nutrients?

Just fyi. My nitrates are at 15ppm and phosphate is 1ppm but I have no signs of algae. Yes my tank is 5 weeks old but was fully cycled in less than 2 weeks and has had 2 fish in it for over 3 weeks now. Those reading were also taken after a 28% water change...whole family has been sick for 2 weeks

 

[gguertin145]

I’m running cheato in the sump too.

 

[Bldgengineer]

How old is the tank?

 

[gguertin145]

How would dosing be a cause? I quit because the numbers were low thinking they would go back up but they have not.

 

[gguertin145]

It’s been rebuilt a few times so I would say 6 months this time. I added a bunch of rock 6 months ago but the tank has been up in some form for a few years.

 

[Daddy-o]

I think it would be quick to pull a rock at a time, 5 minute vinegar soak, wash with R/O, and put them back.

 

[Daddy-o]

No vinegar soak for corals!

 

[gguertin145]

So I should be able to do that to the rocks without corals. I have a 80g sump mostly filled with live rock too so I can swap around. Just not understanding what is causing this when the numbers were low with lights out for months.

 

[Bldgengineer]

Zeovit itself is adding nitrate and phosphate into the system. This is usually reserved for a system with nothing in it or a system that is consuming more than what is added. I would vinegar soak, stop dosing altogether, and black it out again for a few days to a week and see how it goes. If no fish or coral in the system then I would keep the lights off and just use the room lights. If coral is in the tank, I would lower the intensity of the lights

 

[gguertin145]

Oh I’m not doing the zeovit method anymore but I still have a bunch of the bottles so I was adding the amino acids trying to raise nitrate and/or make sure the corals weren’t starving.

 

[Daddy-o]

There was a thread on here about ammonia causing it? but it was waaayyy over my comprehension.

 

[gguertin145]

I do have corals now so I’d be limited on lights out again. I’m running halide/vho so the light is pretty high I guess but I am only running halides for 6 hours.

 

[gguertin145]

So this may sound dumb but in trying to understand I’m going to ask. If I had high nitrates with hair algae and low phosphate many months ago, shut lights off reduce nitrate and still have low phosphate could the live rock still have something in it that it’s leaching? Or because the lights were out even though the tank had been running could this be similar to a new tank phase?

 

[Cory]

Calcium carbonate (your rocks) binds po4 and will release it back if thats what your asking.