Getting frustrated.

[xWascallyWabbit]

I just need to vent a little here. I have a 60gal display. The system is a Marine X 90.3 and is a year and a half old. Let me just start by saying that I love this hobby. I have been lurking and researching for 2 years before my wife surprised me with a tank. I've enjoyed every bit of it. Even the maintenance. I do 20% water changes every other week religiously and change my filter floss and skimmer cup 2x a week.

But here it is. I'll just say it. Hair algae everywhere. I cant keep up. I'm trying to be patient but it is just so annoying. Manually cleaning with a toothbrush weekly, siphoning, buying snails just to watch them slowly die off and do nothing. Buying a blenny and a Hector goby just to watch them die. I'm at my wits end.

I have two urchins a blue tuxedo and a pin cushion. It just seems like nothing I do is slowing it down. Really frustrating part of this hobby. What do I do spend money on more snails to watch them die again or spend money on a fish. I'm just tapped out of money and patience.

 

[slythy]

I have a bristle tooth tang and a foxface as well as hermits snails and a pin cushion urchin and have only ever seen 1 little patch of hair algae ever. I do have a refugium and skimmer which has helped.

It can be frustrating for sure. The thing that sometimes happens is once the algae get so long things no longer eat it. They want to just scrape little things.

 

[slythy]

I should add your tank looks really good tho!

 

[19Mateo83]

That’s a beautiful tank and with water parameters I’d say you are doing everything right. Stick with it. It will pass eventually.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I read your post and expected to see a green forest, but dude your tank looks great! Looks like you are doing everything right, keep at it.

 

[xWascallyWabbit]

I have a bristle tooth tang and a foxface as well as hermits snails and a pin cushion urchin and have only ever seen 1 little patch of hair algae ever. I do have a refugium and skimmer which has helped.

It can be frustrating for sure. The thing that sometimes happens is once the algae get so long things no longer eat it. They want to just scrape little things.

I have a skimmer but no refugium. I just dont have the space on my ump or the money for a light and baffle kit.

 

[xWascallyWabbit]

That’s a beautiful tank and with water parameters I’d say you are doing everything right. Stick with it. It will pass eventually.

Thank you, maybe it's just me but I'm running out of patience. I did start with dry rock maybe it takes this long to mature or maybe I'll be stuck using a toothbrush on my rockscape weekly for another 2 years. I just cant figure it out. Everything else seems to be doing great but the gha has been the bane of my existence

 

[kevgib67]

As said previously, I read your post and when I scrolled to the picture, wow, I wasn’t expecting such a beautiful tank. I’m 20 months in, near the end of March I went on vacation and came home to hair algae. I’ve been battling it since. I’m now near the end. What really seemed to speed up its demise is I started dosing 1ml 3% hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons every night. It has made a significant difference.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I just need to vent a little here. I have a 60gal display. The system is a Marine X 90.3 and is a year and a half old. Let me just start by saying that I love this hobby. I have been lurking and researching for 2 years before my wife surprised me with a tank. I've enjoyed every bit of it. Even the maintenance. I do 20% water changes every other week religiously and change my filter floss and skimmer cup 2x a week.

But here it is. I'll just say it. Hair algae everywhere. I cant keep up. I'm trying to be patient but it is just so annoying. Manually cleaning with a toothbrush weekly, siphoning, buying snails just to watch them slowly die off and do nothing. Buying a blenny and a Hector goby just to watch them die. I'm at my wits end.

I have two urchins a blue tuxedo and a pin cushion. It just seems like nothing I do is slowing it down. Really frustrating part of this hobby. What do I do spend money on more snails to watch them die again or spend money on a fish. I'm just tapped out of money and patience.

I expected something terrible. Looks pretty good.
Are you using tap water from faucet or RODI water?
Is tank at or near a window? If so, this time of the year UV is at its strongest and will penetrate curtains-shades-blinds. A piece of black construction paper from walmart placed at side facing window will reduce the growth considerably

 

[harrylarry]

Reef flux and gha is gone in 14 days or less, guaranteed.

 

[xWascallyWabbit]

I expected something terrible. Looks pretty good.
Are you using tap water from faucet or RODI water?
Is tank at or near a window? If so, this time of the year UV is at its strongest and will penetrate curtains-shades-blinds. A piece of black construction paper from walmart placed at side facing window will reduce the growth considerably

I have been using RODI from the start. Tank is in living room gets natural light but the only direct light it gets from a window is about an hour in the early AM.

I cant seem to keep snails alive long term but I'm thinking of adding some astraea snails next as they are supposed to reproduce.

After that maybe I'll be ready to go for a tang. It's a 60 gal so most are out. I'd stick to a tomini most likely

 

[Sleeping Giant]

your tank and parameters look good.
Have you added copepods, I found they help with GHA, they get right under it and loosen it up.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have been using RODI from the start. Tank is in living room gets natural light but the only direct light it gets from a window is about an hour in the early AM.

I cant seem to keep snails alive long term but I'm thinking of adding some astraea snails next as they are supposed to reproduce.

After that maybe I'll be ready to go for a tang. It's a 60 gal so most are out. I'd stick to a tomini most likely

Tomini is a great algae eater. For snails- acclimate well.
Even the indirect light from window can promote the algae issue. Try the blackconstruction paper as mentioned- For $1, it will help a lot

 

[Floyd-]

The tank picture looks ok. A little fuzzy but not bad at all.
Keep those parameters stable and give it time. My last tank had REAL bad GHA with dry rock.

 

[Dom]

I just need to vent a little here. I have a 60gal display. The system is a Marine X 90.3 and is a year and a half old. Let me just start by saying that I love this hobby. I have been lurking and researching for 2 years before my wife surprised me with a tank. I've enjoyed every bit of it. Even the maintenance. I do 20% water changes every other week religiously and change my filter floss and skimmer cup 2x a week.

But here it is. I'll just say it. Hair algae everywhere. I cant keep up. I'm trying to be patient but it is just so annoying. Manually cleaning with a toothbrush weekly, siphoning, buying snails just to watch them slowly die off and do nothing. Buying a blenny and a Hector goby just to watch them die. I'm at my wits end.

I have two urchins a blue tuxedo and a pin cushion. It just seems like nothing I do is slowing it down. Really frustrating part of this hobby. What do I do spend money on more snails to watch them die again or spend money on a fish. I'm just tapped out of money and patience.

Your problem lies in nutrient export... in this case, a lack of. But you are on the right track!

Water changes are important for nutrient export as well as replenishing elements consumed by the tank.

On a 60 gallon tank, a 20% water change is 12 gallons. And while I am happy to ready that your water changes are religious, every other week may not be adequate.

Typically, FAITHFUL, WEEKLY 20% water changes go a long way in dealing with your issue. Is this a hard rule? No. The frequency of your water changes will depend on your bio load.

It sounds like your bio load is greater than what you export during water changes.

I would suggest keeping up with your faithful water changes, but make them weekly. Scrub off the algae from surfaces prior to the water change so that you can siphon free-floating algae from the tank.

Do this for 6-8 weeks and reevaluate.

Does your tank have a sump?

 

[AKL1950]

Nice looking tank!

Your nitrates and phosphates look good, but that can be deceiving. That’s what algae eats. You good parameters may just be because the algae is helping keep it from elevating. Algae primarily needs two things. Light and food (nutrients). Consider lowering both a bit and you will eventually start starving it out. That plus a good cleanup crew to keep removing it for you. As far as light, any small bit of natural light will feed algae. Try to remove as much natural light as possible and if you can any white light being put out from your light fixture. Even your house light bulbs will help feed algae. just visualize how many house plants grow fine with minimal light.

Dont give up. Your tank looks leaps and bounds better than many others out there. I think a few tweaks on light, nutrients and CUC and you’ll start winning the battle.

 

[xWascallyWabbit]

Thank you everyone for your responses and advice. I will stay the course. I will look into getting more snails and acclimate them well. Hopefully, they will make it past the 1 to 2 months that I seem to lose all of them.
I think a tang is in my future as the tank is lightly stocked IMO 6 small fish

To answer a few questions above:
Tank does have a sump total water volume is supposed to be 90 but with displacement it's about 80gals. I will attach my lighting schedule. It's basically the WWC mixed reef toned down to 60% have 2 AI Prime 16HDs

I will stay the course. Maybe it really is just a combo of ambient natural light, dry rock, and too little CUC.