Hair Algae Outgrowing Chaeto in Refugium

[sghera64]

Looks like too much red and blue spectrum lighting. I tried a kessil in my refugium, what a mess. I now use a par38 I got from home depot, all's well.

Here is what I went with:

Morsen COB Full Spectrum 600W LED Grow Light for Veg and Flowering Greenhouse Growing Lamp Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L1Q4YC6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_MLK9zb8RWD05E

 

[cracker]

here is the light I got. It grows Ha really well ! LOL I have an idea just hang a screen in the refugium like a scrubber. see if the stuff grows.
https://www.reefsupplies.ca/online-store/Evergrow-Nova-S2-90W-LED-Refugium-Light.html

 

[Orm Embar]

Are you limiting your photoperiod to reverse tank lighting? I've heard that 24 hour continuous refugium lighting may predispose to more hair algae growth. Having said that, my recollection is that BulkReefSupply's videos talk about a phase where they had more hair algae which eventually went away with time as the chaeto took over.

 

[Andy G]

Are you limiting your photoperiod to reverse tank lighting? I've heard that 24 hour continuous refugium lighting may predispose to more hair algae growth. Having said that, my recollection is that BulkReefSupply's videos talk about a phase where they had more hair algae which eventually went away with time as the chaeto took over.

Thanks, just lowered to 9 hrs.

 

[QuixoticReefer]

Here is mine with the h380 running 24/7. I threw a couple of snails in to clean up the side walls of the sump. Maybe you should take the sump off line and deep clean it with a 100% water change and then throw the cheato back in 24/7 the hair algae would not be able to take a foothold.

 

[newbreefer316]

I had the same issue with the H380 on my Sapphire 26 sump. Light was cooking my cheato and flooding the rest of the sump so there was gha and cyano everywhere. I opened up my return all the way to increase flow and got rid of some of the cyano but I ended up pulling the H380 and went back to a par38 bulb with a more concentrated spread. The nutrient removal was great but aesthetically I just didn't like the mess it made. I'll probably go with a cheato reactor or h80 next to see how that does.

 

[Forsaken77]

somehow shade your protein skimmer area so only the fuge area gets light, add some snails and hermits to keep the glass clean I have mine on 24/7 with the H380 using triton method and it is going well

Just letting you know that the algae requires a dark period as part of the photosynthetic process. Maybe the Triton additives are doing something to lessen that, but if you start seeing any issues with the algae, add a few hours of blackout.

 

[Mark Gray]

Interesting I have the same light my cheato grows really fast I have a little GHA in the sump but not much. I run my light 14 a day. I still have some GHA in the tank but it's going down since I started the fuge. I throw out about a handful every 5 days or so.

 

[Andyk]

What is your alkalinity? You reported all your parameters except the alkalinity. I have found when my alkalinity level is perfect then I have no algae problems at all regardless of nutrient levels. No hair or bubble algae and no diatoms or brown algae. I never have to manually remove algae. That is an endless and impossible job. If your alkalinity level is low try gradually raising it. The only additives I use are BiIonic (always in exactly equal parts) and magnesium, using Apex DOS dosing pumps.

 

[Andy G]

What is your alkalinity? You reported all your parameters except the alkalinity. I have found when my alkalinity level is perfect then I have no algae problems at all regardless of nutrient levels. No hair or bubble algae and no diatoms or brown algae. I never have to manually remove algae. That is an endless and impossible job. If your alkalinity level is low try gradually raising it. The only additives I use are BiIonic (always in exactly equal parts) and magnesium, using Apex DOS dosing pumps.

I'm at 9 for 2 weeks in a row, comming down from 10.

 

[stevieduk]

Hi all,

About 3 weeks ago I installed a Kessil H380 in the refugium.

The chaeto is not growing as fast as the Hair Algae. I'm afraid the HA is getting all the nutrients. The Chaeto is getting a white where the light hits it.

I just cleaned my sump 3 days ago and take a look at picture, all that HA grew in just 3 days!!!

Any suggestions would be really appreciated!

I started running the H380 for 14hrs, I recently lowered to 12hrs, and today I lowered it to 10.

I took off the filter socks last week, could that have created the HA?

I started dosing Iron today.

NO3 and PO4 are zero
Ph 7.85 - 8
Cal 450
Mag 1500
Salt 35
Temp 78

buy more cheato

 

[beastium]

In my experience, red-dominated lighting for refugiums didn't work as well as 6000k white, for chaeto growth. It was kinda stringy and limp, and I believe hair algae still grew.

 

[Robbiesamp1]

Get a small foxface or lawnmower blenny.

 

[Andy G]

In my experience, red-dominated lighting for refugiums didn't work as well as 6000k white, for chaeto growth. It was kinda stringy and limp, and I believe hair algae still grew.

Thanks, the Kessil on growth mode is rather blueish.

 

[badfitup]

Going to poke at this feed. Reading it and having some issues myself. My cheato doesnt float. And was a dirty mess when I listened to someone who said don't use filter socks. Socks are back in. Tank is vlear again. But sump has red anf green growth. Dumped 2 bags of Poseidon feast in to. And not sure if my cops are even surviving. Light was on 24/7. Now on timmer. Ots a BR30 bulb from depot. 5000k. Just added a few new rocks for spawn spots for cops. Love some pointers

 

[Drewbacca]

Looks like too much red and blue spectrum lighting. I tried a kessil in my refugium, what a mess. I now use a par38 I got from home depot, all's well.

Would any certain setting on the kessil be better to support chaeto more and HA less? (I have a H160) same problem. Triton style Fuge first in sump with HA On glass and intertwined with chaeto. None in display tank and 0.00 to 0.03 phosphates. Aquamesh on top edge of fuge baffle which created a seperate dam/wall of chaeto that catches 99% of anything passing through. Then a filter pad on media tray after skimmer which catches lots of fine algae that would otherwise make it up to my DT.
Would taking it all out of my fuge and starting with a new clean giant ball of cheato present any possible issues?

 

[Drewbacca]

Pic..

 

[Hermie]

Would any certain setting on the kessil be better to support chaeto more and HA less?
Would taking it all out of my fuge and starting with a new clean giant ball of cheato present any possible issues?

IMO lower light will force the algaes to reduce growth and chaeto will most likely survive longer because microfauna don't eat it (as readily) as hair algae. Then once the hair algae is gone you can slowly dial the light back up... That's what I'd do if I was worried about too much hair algae anyway...

 

[Drewbacca]

Going to poke at this feed. Reading it and having some issues myself. My cheato doesnt float. And was a dirty mess when I listened to someone who said don't use filter socks. Socks are back in. Tank is vlear again. But sump has red anf green growth. Dumped 2 bags of Poseidon feast in to. And not sure if my cops are even surviving. Light was on 24/7. Now on timmer. Ots a BR30 bulb from depot. 5000k. Just added a few new rocks for spawn spots for cops. Love some pointers

Mine doesnt float either...is it always supposed to? Is this because of the hair algae we have mixed in it making it heavier?

 

[Alberta79]

Did you resolve the GHA issue? My tank has been fallow for 4 weeks, My nitrates keep rising and noticing hair algae in display tank. So I changed my fuge light to 24 hours over the last week and today I noticed hair algae all over my fuge. I took some notes from this thread and lowered the light so its not flooding the sump and turned the light down to 8 hours. Hope this works. Starting to regret adding a refugium.