My 150g tank has been running 54 days now. No detectable nitrates or phosphates. How long should I expect the algae to hold on? Will it go away altogether eventually?
Cycling/Algae Question
- Thread starter CastAway
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HiddenUser
Valuable Member
It should eventually go away...If you have a bunch of algae, the phosphate reading may be off as the algae may be consuming the phosphates. Maybe add a some snails and algae eating fish as well?
The Flying Turkey
Active Member
When my tank finished cycling I had a bunch of hair algae. I added a bunch of snails. They didn't seem to be helping so I dropped in an Emerald crab. That little sucker started munching on the hair algae right away. 3 weeks later the hair algae is almost gone. All the diatoms are gone. Phosphates and Nitrates are 0.
If its the brown algae, diatoms, they will go away when all the silicates have been eaten out of your system. If its Hair Algae, you'll need to get your phosphates down.
OP
OP
I'm using Red Sea Pro test kit for NO3 and PO4. The diatoms have come and gone, same with the cyano. Now, there seems to be a white fur, or, the green algae is turning white, one of the two, I can't tell. I do use a toothbrush on it, maybe weekly. I have four turbo snails, and where they go, they do a great job mowing it down. I think I may just need more snails, and, I am installing a reactor for GFO. Here's a picture of the worst of the algae. Sorry not too good a pic though...
HOLY COW!! Looks like HA dieing.
Borrow a Sea Hare perhaps?
1reeflover
Active Member
Hair algae needs food ( Organics ) to grow! Find the source... Phosphates are usually the culprit, get rid of the source rather than temporary fixes or you will struggle with it eternally!!!
OP
OP
Understood. Perhaps the phosphates are not in solution, but bound within the surface of the rock. It is the Pukani, which has quite rep for phosphates. I may pick up another PO4 test kit, and double check my measurements. I do kind of think the HA is dying back, and am trying desperately not to mess with it so much - seems like I always have my hands in it, doing this or that, and suspect I need to just leave it alone, let it do it's thing. At two months in, it's in its infancy.
1reeflover
Active Member
You got it!!! Lol
