Hair algae and pale SPS

[Velcro]

Looking for help with this 5ish month old SPS tank. Colors were really quite good at one point not too long ago.

Having an issue the last few weeks. Hair algae is really coming on strong. In an effort to reduce hair algae I bumped my refugium lighting period up and reduced feeding. I was feeding reef chili, rotifers and oyster feast 3-4 times a week prior to hair algae coming on strong. Always had 0ppb phosphorous (hannah) and undetectable nitrates, so you can imagine my confusion when hair algae started to take over.

Anyways, after reducing feeding and bumping up refugium lighting SPS started to pale. Algae got weak but didn't completely go away. I figured, time to start dosing nitrate. I figured by dosing just nitrate I could feed the coral while pushing phosphorous down which should also slow algae... unfortunately algae was strengthened by it and I had to stop dosing nitrate.

I had my lights (SB reef) at about 350-400 par where most of the SPS are. I decided I'm not going to be able to feed enough for that kind of PAR if this algae continues, so reduced PAR to about 310 max. I think it has helped a little, but still missing a lot of color.

35ppt
8.6 dKH
Calcium 415
Mag 1500
K 400
I 0.06
NO3 1-2ppm
Phosphate 0.01ppm

Here are some pictures of the current situation. I don't think the phosphate or nitrate numbers mean much since I have a ton of algae in the tank. I actually started 1/2 of BRS' dose recommendation of GFO today because I'm sick of looking at algae.

I added a $100 pack of cleanup crew from reefcleaners a couple weeks ago. I think they are helping the sandbed a lot but the rock not so much.

 

[jda]

There might not be causality between the two. 5 month old tank is still somewhat unstable.

You will need a good set of consumers for the algae. Turbo snails, lettuce nudibranch (not great with tons of flow), algae eating tang, some rabbitfish, urchins all can make an impact. Hermits, astreas, and other small snails will go after it once all of the "easy" algae is gone. You can also siphon a bunch of it out, let the water sit in the bucket for an hour and then take the clean water back off of the top.

Remember that numbers for building blocks on a test kit mean nothing - throughput is more important. You have plenty of N and P if the algae is doing well. Your final goal is to have consumers for the stuff in the tank, let the algae in the fuge run free. No amount of feeding or nitrate dosing will help this... once you have "enough" then you have "enough."

I do not think that GFO will help you. It might make things worse. The algae will get fed before the corals will. It kinda goes in this order: bacteria, macro algae and then dinos in the coral (zoox). If you limit the algae, you will limit your acros.

FWIW - I have about a 5 month old newer setup in my fish room. I am in the bad-algae stage as well. I just got a 5 pack of Lettuce Nudibranch for the tank, but I had to turn the flow way down. They will take care of all of the algae in a month or so, be larger and stronger, and then I will pick the flow back up a bit. This is all kind of a rite of passage.

 

[pluikens]

What fish are you keeping? Any herbivores to help keep the algae at bay?

 

[Velcro]

What fish are you keeping? Any herbivores to help keep the algae at bay?

Just a lazy kole tang. I also do have a sea hare and pincushion urchin.

 

[Velcro]

There might not be causality between the two. 5 month old tank is still somewhat unstable.

You will need a good set of consumers for the algae. Turbo snails, lettuce nudibranch (not great with tons of flow), algae eating tang, some rabbitfish, urchins all can make an impact. Hermits, astreas, and other small snails will go after it once all of the "easy" algae is gone. You can also siphon a bunch of it out, let the water sit in the bucket for an hour and then take the clean water back off of the top.

Remember that numbers for building blocks on a test kit mean nothing - throughput is more important. You have plenty of N and P if the algae is doing well. Your final goal is to have consumers for the stuff in the tank, let the algae in the fuge run free. No amount of feeding or nitrate dosing will help this... once you have "enough" then you have "enough."

I do not think that GFO will help you. It might make things worse. The algae will get fed before the corals will. It kinda goes in this order: bacteria, macro algae and then dinos in the coral (zoox). If you limit the algae, you will limit your acros.

FWIW - I have about a 5 month old newer setup in my fish room. I am in the bad-algae stage as well. I just got a 5 pack of Lettuce Nudibranch for the tank, but I had to turn the flow way down. They will take care of all of the algae in a month or so, be larger and stronger, and then I will pick the flow back up a bit. This is all kind of a rite of passage.

Hrm, haven't had lettuce nudis in a while. I'm surprised my sea hare isn't mowing it down to be honest.

 

[pluikens]

@Velcro Have you tried any manual removal to assist the efforts? When I was battling algae like you have, I was manually removing algae a few times a week while the tank got through the phase.

 

[Velcro]

@Velcro Have you tried any manual removal to assist the efforts? When I was battling algae like you have, I was manually removing algae a few times a week while the tank got through the phase.

I put a filter sock on and toothbrush it a couple times a week. Problem is this is a 36x36 cube with a canopy so it's hard to get to the majority of areas in the tank.

 

[Travis Stewart]

I am having the same issue. I have upped my water change frequencies, added addition clean up crew and pulled as much out during water change as possible. Why is it that some of us go through ugly stages, but others don’t? Tank is about 3.5 months old

 

[KJoFan]

We must have the same tank. Similar issues as you and similar age to the tank. Except I don't have much for hair algae and my sps are even more pale than yours. I have undetectable nutrients and have actually reduced lighting on my refugium as maybe it's too efficient? My fish load is low but I'm working on that. I also reduced lighting and am somewhere in the 25o par range. Thus far, not much improvement in colors.

This is not helpful in the least except to say, you're not alone.

 

[SOCOM]

the reduction of par from leds to 300 is a lot. From looking at your coral they are getting cooked. reduce whites and raise blues. Take that GFO off ASAP!