Hair algae issues that just wont go away...
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OP
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alexshefchik
Well-Known Member
Yea but its all over my rocks and I dont want to take my rock work apart again. Also its all over my sand which also is impossible to remove. I read in the article that the guy started with the usual dose and it was not sufficient and almost tripled it and still had no success killing the GHA. What was your ratio of peroxide to gallon?
kschweer
Moderator
I did the recommended dosage for a little over a week. Didn't totally kill it but broke it down to the point where my clean up crew took care of it. Not sure why but they weren't touching it before but once it started to die off they were all over it. You can also try raising your magnesium levels and holding them around 1500-1600. It helps as well.
OP
OP
alexshefchik
Well-Known Member
Yea I heard Kent Magnesium is the only one that actually works since its not actually the magnesium but another chemical in the magnesium mix. I guess if this is my last resort it will have to be done!
OP
OP
alexshefchik
Well-Known Member
How and why would you think this? Its not a bad assumption I would just wonder how that would happen it is not like its been in there for over a year.. And I would remove it if that helped..
OP
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alexshefchik
Well-Known Member
Another "symptom" is that my chaeto will not grow at all which i thought is really weird. Also I have a coast to coast overflow and the algae grows fastest in there like in 3 days.
christye
New Member
Am Really curious about this...I have an assortment of tanks :xd: and the one I should tear down first I just CANT, it is a 29 biocube with pc lights and softies, a few fish and a mean coral banded shrimp but it is so dammmm stable. I can sit it in part sun and it grows a few dots of hard algae on the glass. Astro snails live forever if they avoid the shrimp. Cardinal in residence almost ten yrs old, on his 3rd tank since I have had him. Change water....when I take "good water" out of the big cube and think to exchange. They get IO salt. No skimmer. Stock filter. No heater. PC lights 10 hrs/day.
Then there is the HQI nanocube, that I got so sick of the algae that I bought the LED upgrade a YEAR ago, skim with a tunze skimmer, change the water with EVO that I use in the big DT have resorted to chemiclean TWICE and barely made headway. Corals are doing OK, just OK. Tank has only been up !18 months or so where the other has been up for Years. I share your frustration and am seriously P!ssedoff that I can't move any frags from algae tank into lovely cube I bought last month for fear of introducing some toxic stew. If it helps, my brown algae? diato whatits, does make bubbles. prefers frag rack, rock and sps to glass, and my params stay good in this tank. Running chemipure hasnt helped either. Fish seem very happy. Whatever it is it isnt something I can test for. One thing I did notice, is that even with the algae I used to dose iodine, and I don't have a great iodine tester. (2 kits, hard to use) After I quit the algae seems worse, and my GSP are disappearing. Likely coincidence.
Did you use Caribsee live sand to start your tank? I have never used it other than this one and am wondering about the nutrient thing. Tank #1 above, however, must have plenty nutrients, tho I vacuum w/water changes. Good luck, will watch the thread...
Then there is the HQI nanocube, that I got so sick of the algae that I bought the LED upgrade a YEAR ago, skim with a tunze skimmer, change the water with EVO that I use in the big DT have resorted to chemiclean TWICE and barely made headway. Corals are doing OK, just OK. Tank has only been up !18 months or so where the other has been up for Years. I share your frustration and am seriously P!ssedoff that I can't move any frags from algae tank into lovely cube I bought last month for fear of introducing some toxic stew. If it helps, my brown algae? diato whatits, does make bubbles. prefers frag rack, rock and sps to glass, and my params stay good in this tank. Running chemipure hasnt helped either. Fish seem very happy. Whatever it is it isnt something I can test for. One thing I did notice, is that even with the algae I used to dose iodine, and I don't have a great iodine tester. (2 kits, hard to use) After I quit the algae seems worse, and my GSP are disappearing. Likely coincidence.
Did you use Caribsee live sand to start your tank? I have never used it other than this one and am wondering about the nutrient thing. Tank #1 above, however, must have plenty nutrients, tho I vacuum w/water changes. Good luck, will watch the thread...
Ninjapotamus
Active Member
Sorry if you mentioned some of this in your thread.. I didnt read every post but...
I cannot stress this enough....
Check your source water. Is it 0 tds? Do you have a tds meter? The vast majority of these "algae from hell" situations are caused by 1 of 2 things....
1 bad water
2 rocks leaching("pre cured' dry rock is a major cause as well)
The fix for either situation is to fix your water. Do weekly 20% changes with 0tds water and your problem will disappear on its own within 1 or 2 months. Don't expect overnight success. it wont happen! In the mean time bump up your cleanup crew significantly. 1 snail per gallon, either blackfooted trochus(preferrably) or astrea. get a lawnmower blenny, get a tang, and also think about a few emerald crabs.
I cannot stress this enough....
Check your source water. Is it 0 tds? Do you have a tds meter? The vast majority of these "algae from hell" situations are caused by 1 of 2 things....
1 bad water
2 rocks leaching("pre cured' dry rock is a major cause as well)
The fix for either situation is to fix your water. Do weekly 20% changes with 0tds water and your problem will disappear on its own within 1 or 2 months. Don't expect overnight success. it wont happen! In the mean time bump up your cleanup crew significantly. 1 snail per gallon, either blackfooted trochus(preferrably) or astrea. get a lawnmower blenny, get a tang, and also think about a few emerald crabs.
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Well the source for phosphates has to be coming from some where. I honestly would look closer at your source water. But since you are sure this is not the case ....
First sand works as a good detritus trap. Detritus tends to be rich in nutrients and a food source for algae. In fact hair algae is designed to catch detritus to supply itself with food. Then you have that phosphates will bond to sand, which is calcium carb based. For some reason it seems to build up until it reaches a certain point and then it releases and releases and releases. Eventually with enough time and gfo you can probably get it all out. You are probably going to use $100 worth of gfo to get the nutrients out of $50 worth of sand.
If this were my tank,the first thing I would do is get your own RODI and change the DI regularly. Stop water changes until you do.
Then remove the sand. For several reasons. First you are removing any nutrients that might have built up. Second its going to make it easier to siphon out detritus as the hair algae dies.
If you really want sand then once you get the algae problem beat you can add some back, but never use someone else sand, by brand new.
Third manually remove as much hair algae as possible. The on a daily basis go in with a turkey baster and blast detritus out of the hair algae and rock work. Move your power heads so the detritus gathers in a front corner of your tank for easy removal.
I can almost guarantee those 3 steps and in a month you will see great improvement.
I have on occasion overdosed the tank with KW. This seems to kill algae fast, probably robbing it of nutrients because the phosphates bond on the freshly formed ca carb. I have never lost anything from it although I have heard claims from people who have. So its not something I would recommend with out due consideration. If you do it you need to turn off gfo as this will clog the pores and turn it into a brick. Also pumps may require a vinegar bath. You definitely need to siphon out all detritus after because this sucked up all the nutrients and algae can tap into it and get it back. I have heard many people say it killed their algae.
OP
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alexshefchik
Well-Known Member
I have a TDS meter and the water from the store is running 0 99% of the time. Once it was 2. My tank is a 65 gallon tank and have about 50 astrea snails, 2 big turbos, urchin, 3 emeraldcrabs, and about 50 blue leg crabs. Another reason why I believe the water is good is that my room mate uses the same water and not any GHA in her tank. I feel like it may be the rocks but i cured them for 3 months before i set up the tank and then they were algae free for 7 months in my tank. I do appreciate the advice tho!!
OP
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alexshefchik
Well-Known Member
I think I may just take the sand out... I think it also may have something to do with my rocks, I just dont understand how water can be the problem if my roommate is using the same supply! I have been removing the algae as much as i can. I will also clean up all my powerheads and such.
I can't really say for sure, too many variables. Maybe her sand is still at the stage where it is absorbing it. Maybe she has a different cleaning routine. Maybe your routine in the past led to a build up of nutrients in your tank. Store bought water might be good one day and bad the next. Just too many things it might be. What you need to do is eliminate all the possibilities.
All we can say for sure is you have a bunch of nutrients in your tank. By getting your own RODI and maintaining it properly, you are eliminating that as a possible source.
Stickyhops
New Member
I agree. Buy your own RODI. 40-50% water changes weekly w/ tropic marin salt. Plucking algae out AS. MUCH. AS. POSSIBLE. Take a toothbrush to your rocks as you siphon. Enlist some help with that chore!
Quit messing w aminos. You are reading 0 phosphates b/c the algae gobbles it all up!
Keep it simple. Quit adding all this junk to your tank. Use b ionic and Mg. that's all u need! Oh. Then in a month or 2 when all is cleaned up the chaeto will flourish and keep all other algaes in check.
Quit messing w aminos. You are reading 0 phosphates b/c the algae gobbles it all up!
Keep it simple. Quit adding all this junk to your tank. Use b ionic and Mg. that's all u need! Oh. Then in a month or 2 when all is cleaned up the chaeto will flourish and keep all other algaes in check.
OP
OP
alexshefchik
Well-Known Member
So I have taken all my sand out. I syphoned it slowly to not release any toxins. So far so good it seems, I will update on progress. It was really really nasty the water in the bucket was totally cloudy could not see in at all!
