Green Hair Algae

[MichaelClark55]

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this. I have got green algae that just won't even slow down.

Water parameters: 1.026 sal. .05 nitrates 0 phos. dkh 11 calc 430 salifert aand red sea testing

Hammers, birdsnest, zoas and a few other LPS Lots of LR
Only fish are some damsels and chromis that I started tank with. Wish I could catch the damsels, I have a yellow eye in QT waiting to get those devils out. They won't go in the DIY bottle trap.
Corals and fish are all doing great.

The green hair algae started after I got a new light. Does that have anythign to do with it? Maybe. Maybe not. I have a 4" sock in the intake section of the sump that is taking in some algae but I change it every 3 days and it's not even bad. The protein skimmer has a good bit of brown skim which I empty evey week after I do a 10-15% water change. Before I do the water changes I scrub the rocks the best I can with a toothbrush without destroying coral and pick off as much algae as possible. Water is always crystal clear.

So 2 weeks ago I got some Vibrant. Didn't sound like it would hurt. Well I think this stuff is feeding the algae! I do a water change, change the sock and skimmer, everyting looks great for about 24 hours, then the algae comes charging back! I'm talking 2-3" long within a week!

There is also a light brown covering on the sand bottom in some places. Not a lot but it's there.

What could be causing this? I have done 3 treatment of vibrant following the direction of 1 mil per 10 gallons. Is it too early still for this to work? Is this making it worse or is it maybe my lights are so much brighter than before? I started with a crappy fluval led and switched to a SB reef 32" pro. I have the whites set on the min. setting and the blues set on 70% for 8 hours and 2 hours of moon in the morning and 2 hours in the evening before lights out.

 

[mcarroll]

The green hair algae started after I got a new light. Does that have anythign to do with it? Maybe. Maybe not.

Don't start off doubting your most direct evidence.

Especially if you didn't use a light meter to make sure the new light didn't increase overall light levels.

Water parameters: 1.026 sal. .05 nitrates 0 phos. dkh 11 calc 430 salifert aand red sea testing

Note that algae (often) grows just as well with no phosphates in the water as with phosphates in the water.

Having none in the water is almost surely limiting to some organisms, especially in such a new tank where they are few and far between. Algae specialize in getting around those limits, so they often capitalize on a nutrient limitation scenario.

So if you're doing anything to limit phosphates – stop now.

If you're not doing anything to limit phosphates, then consider dosing some phosphate fertilizer like those from Seachem or Brightwell.

In any event, you're going to have to remove that limit to get things other than green algae growing.

I do a water change, change the sock and skimmer, everyting looks great for about 24 hours

With every water change you're knocking PO4 levels down to negative zero. Independent of any effects from the tank treatment you're trying, this could be causing die-off and freeing up more and more nutrients and real estate for your green algae.


(from your other thread...)
How old was the tank when you got it? And what kind of shape was the rock and other inhabitants in when you picked it up?

There is also a light brown covering on the sand bottom in some places. Not a lot but it's there.

There are ways to check, but this could be dinoflagellates starting to bloom due to the phosphate situation.

Keeping such a low concentration of phosphates carries many risks.....this is one of them.

Stalling coral growth (due to photo-damage, need for re-acclimation, inability to repair, etc) is another. Bleaching and mortality are very possible – especially with a non-limited supply if nitrates present.

Is this making it worse or is it maybe my lights are so much brighter than before?

If your lights are a lot brighter, it's surely causing it (getting back to my opening comment). If levels of PO4 were already low, and you put even more demand on the tank by increasing light levels, you will have side-effects.

Get a lux meter app for your phone.

Measure the old lights at the same distance they used to be from the water.

Then measure your new lights at water.

Make the needed adjustments to make reading on the new lights the same as the old lights. Schedule too.

(And get some phosphates in the water ASASP. Use a fertilizer.)

 

[MichaelClark55]

I don't know the age of the tank when I got it. The rocks had a purple hue to them but did not have actual corraline on them.
Had a massive infestation of aptasia from the rocks I assume. Noticed within 2 weeks of setup.
File Fish and PP Shrimp cleared that up.
Had kinda high nitrates in the beginning 20-40 range. Kept doing large water changes until that seemed to be resolved. The nitrates are consistant around the 5 range. All water params have been consistant for at least a month so I thought I was getting a grip on the water at least.
Really started after the light came into play.
The old light I still have but it's not working properly (it has the blinking problem) but I will try it again and do the test you suggest.
Thanks alot for the advice.

 

[ZoWhat]

Yes.... I know if I crank up my white LEDs beyond 30% I know i'll have a GHA trainwreck. Lol. Your new light is converting your 5ppm nitrate quickly into GHA. reduce light intensity or duration or get some macro algae like Chaeto working for you.

 

[lejeune981]

I had an unrelenting algae problem for 6 months or better. What finally won the battle for me was a combo of my 2 tangs and fox face... and the biggest factor I believe was my diy upflow algae turf scrubber...
With in a month of adding that.. both my display (with herbivores) and my xenia fuge (no herbivores) was GHA free for the first time since I put water In the tanks... and it has stayed that way ever since...except for all the different algae that are growing in my scrubber..

I have a 90 gallon dt and 49 gallon fuge.. with 250 lbs of rock between the 2..
And at it's worse.. a metric ton of gha

 

[MichaelClark55]

Skimjim - I fooled around with different light intensities since Mike at SB Reefs told me the light %s were going to be a hit or miss for each individual tank requirement. Right now and for the last week I have had the whites at 10% which is the lowest it will go without turning off completely. I even tried turning off the whites for a day and what I noticed was the Hammer Corals did not open up completely. Turned the whites back on the next day again to 10% and they open fully. So by trail and error I learned I must have some whites for the coral. I read somewhere that the red LED promotes algae. I have 5 individual Some guy said he taped over them and problem solved. I will do the light test and report back asap.

I had an unrelenting algae problem for 6 months or better. What finally won the battle for me was a combo of my 2 tangs and fox face... and the biggest factor I believe was my diy upflow algae turf scrubber...
With in a month of adding that.. both my display (with herbivores) and my xenia fuge (no herbivores) was GHA free for the first time since I put water In the tanks... and it has stayed that way ever since...except for all the different algae that are growing in my scrubber..

I have a 90 gallon dt and 49 gallon fuge.. with 250 lbs of rock between the 2..
And at it's worse.. a metric ton of gha

That's been on my project list, either a refugium or turf scrubber and I have a Kohl Tank waiting to go in the display. I just can't the dang blue devils out first.

 

[mcarroll]

So by trail and error I learned I must have some whites for the coral.

Too quick to judge results from any changes you made.

Like Slim said, (or didn't) pick a color, set the intensity (preferably using any kind of light meter vs guessing) and then leave it alone.

 

[MichaelClark55]

Light Meter Android app:
24060x thats at the water 10% white 75% blue
Now to learn what that is telling me

 

[lejeune981]

Light Meter Android app:
24060x thats at the water 10% white 75% blue
Now to learn what that is telling me

I just did the same lol
3 black box leds
56352 give or take a few.. under each at the water surface..


Btw. My frog/hammer/and torch all close up under blues only also..

I used to only run blues..and they always opened.. once I beat my algae.. I kicked the whites on and they started growing way better.. and my nems changed colors.. and now..everythinf gets kinda ticked if i leave the whites off

 

[mcarroll]

Light Meter Android app:
24060x thats at the water 10% white 75% blue
Now to learn what that is telling me

How does that compare to the old light?

(24,000 lux is more than an overcast day, but less than direct sunlight.....think: sunny day but in the shade.)

 

[MichaelClark55]

How does that compare to the old light?

(24,000 lux is more than an overcast day, but less than direct sunlight.....think: sunny day but in the shade.)

Couldn't test it. Only the blues come on.

 

[Ocean Lotion]

The only thing gha needs to flourish is water. I battled it for 4 years. Read the thread on fluconazole.
Buy it.
Remove carbon.
Do water change so your tank is ready for over a month without a h2o change or skimming.
Remove skimmer cup if it is in a fuge but let it a irate your water.
Add fluconazole.
Feed lightly and monitor tank.
It will take 4 to 6 weeks to wipe out your gha.
The more light you give it the faster it will die.
Manually remove what you can.
Fluconazole is a gift from heaven.

 

[mcarroll]

Couldn't test it. Only the blues come on.

How many watts was the old fixture and how many watts is the new one?

This is a total guesstimate, but use the watts and % settings of both fixtures to gauge if they are/were at least close in power output.

(Were they both mounted at about the same height? And do they both have 90º lenses?)

 

[MichaelClark55]

How many watts was the old fixture and how many watts is the new one?

This is a total guesstimate, but use the watts and % settings of both fixtures to gauge if they are/were at least close in power output.

(Were they both mounted at about the same height? And do they both have 90º lenses?)

Fluval 48" says 35W on their website SB Reefs 32"pro is stated as 320w That sure is large difference!
The Fluval was mounted on top of the tank so lens was about 2-3" above water
The SB RL is hung approx. 10" above water level.
Both have the same type lens

 

[MichaelClark55]

On a side note, the Yellow Eye Tang that has been on hold in QT got put in the display yesterday afternoon. I know 1 tang is not going to solve my problem but she started eating the algae as soon as she went in! Maybe she can at least slow it down enough until I can get control of it.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Didn’t see any mention of a clean up crew? Get yourself a work force to help you battle the algae.. 1 or 2 snails per gallon and lots of hermits (I like the blue legs).

I run my blues around 90% and like to keep my whites to a minimum, usually under 20% and just use greens to brighten things up, I have found this helps keep the unwanted algae at bay..

Until you get the GHA under control I would try cutting your current light cycle way back to compensate for your new brighter lights.. unwanted algae is one of the biggest frustrations in this hobby, good luck with your fight!

 

[mcarroll]

Light Meter Android app:
24060x thats at the water 10% white 75% blue
Now to learn what that is telling me

Fluval 48" says 35W on their website SB Reefs 32"pro is stated as 320w That sure is large difference!
The Fluval was mounted on top of the tank so lens was about 2-3" above water
The SB RL is hung approx. 10" above water level.
Both have the same type lens

It might be better if you look at the equipment you have at home to be positive....max. power should be stamped on the power supply.

The reason I say that is that they appear to have at least three different "48 inch" models:
Marine & Reef Performance LED
They range from 35-46 watts....but there's also a 48" Plant light (looks VERY similar..maybe identical without the box) that's 59 watts.

They all have 120º lenses though.

And I think SB's have 90º lenses, don't they? (Website doesn't say....but he 32" Pro Timer model says 363w.)

Anyway...let's assume so for now.

By the numbers...

• 35w up to 363w is about 10x
• Mounting heigh from 3" up to 10" is a reduction of similar scale.
• The difference between 120º and 90º lenses would be about +30% vs without them.

If you're getting a peak of around 24,000 lux now, I don't think that's too much. I don't think the numbers suggest that the tank should be assumed to be getting a lot more than before either.

As @Retro Reefer said, it might be that it's getting more white, red and/or green light than before – whatever the main differences are to the old light. I think Fluval's site says the Marine strips are about 25000K in color....very, very blue.

So if you back anything down intensity-wise, make it one or more of those and not the blues.

IMO.

 

[MichaelClark55]

It might be better if you look at the equipment you have at home to be positive....max. power should be stamped on the power supply.

The reason I say that is that they appear to have at least three different "48 inch" models:
Marine & Reef Performance LED
They range from 35-46 watts....but there's also a 48" Plant light (looks VERY similar..maybe identical without the box) that's 59 watts.

They all have 120º lenses though.

And I think SB's have 90º lenses, don't they? (Website doesn't say....but he 32" Pro Timer model says 363w.)

Anyway...let's assume so for now.

By the numbers...

• 35w up to 363w is about 10x
• Mounting heigh from 3" up to 10" is a reduction of similar scale.
• The difference between 120º and 90º lenses would be about +30% vs without them.

If you're getting a peak of around 24,000 lux now, I don't think that's too much. I don't think the numbers suggest that the tank should be assumed to be getting a lot more than before either.

As @Retro Reefer said, it might be that it's getting more white, red and/or green light than before – whatever the main differences are to the old light. I think Fluval's site says the Marine strips are about 25000K in color....very, very blue.

So if you back anything down intensity-wise, make it one or more of those and not the blues.

IMO.

 

[MichaelClark55]

That all makes alot sense. Thank you for breaking that down. I had read that someone also thought it was the red light that causes the algae growth the most.They actually taped over the red LED bulbs and said the algae died off. Seems to good to be true hince I didn't try. Thoughts on this method? The SB RL has 5 red bulbs.

 

[mcarroll]

I haven't tried it since I don't have any fixtures like that, but it seems logical based on @Retro Reefer's comment!