Hair algae root cause? Help if you can please!

[AmatuerAuer]

I have a 120g with a 40g sump. Running BRS dual GFO/Carbon changed every two weeks or so religiously. I do 20-25g WC every two weeks religiously as well.

Lighting is x4 54w T5 with x2 Kessil a360w.

Bio load:
5 damsel
1 purple fire goby
2 clown
1 tang
3 bangai Cardinal
1 coral banded shrimp
3 emerald crabs (relatively new)
3 peppermint shrimp (haven't seen them since day 1 so maybe??)
A few hermits (4-5 tops)
A few nassarius snail (3 to start don't see them often either)


I have two issues. Bubble algae and hair algae. The bubble algae will need to be manually removed for the most part. Which will entail draining as much as can be and then picking it off. Some will burst but I don't know another way..

The hair algae is another story... I don't know the cause and the only way to win that battle is to cut off the source..

I feed flake OR pellet once a day and never more than they can handle. They go bananas for food so nothing ever makes it to the bottom. Mysis maybe once a week, a quarter strip of nori every two weeks or so.

My 5 stage RO/DI is producing 0 TDS water and I run 3 filter socks in my Emerald 39 with a Reef Octopus SRO 2000 skimmer and a spinning cheato in the central section of the sump..

Now that you know everything but my blood type..

What do you think could be feeding this algal bloom and what can I do to win the war?

My guess is, over feeding from my auto feeder while I was on vacation, OR the addition of the 5 damsels at once hasn't evened out in the cycle yet.

(Tank is about a year old).

Thanks!

AA

PS. Sorry for the JBJ by the Xenia..just moved them and needed to make sure they don't shift!

 

[jsker]

What is your Po4's

 

[ttabbal]

You're going to need to post water parameters. The short answer is nutrients. Algae can't live without them. Increasing export is the first thing to look into.

 

[Ryengoth]

I've experienced GFO causing issues personally. While it removes some the bad phosphates it removes ALL phosphorous compounds.
As others have asked, water params?
Salinity, NH, NO, Phos, Ca, Mg and Alk

 

[2xal]

what's your blood type, that's crucial info that's missing...

I fought hair algae for a long time before just recently deciding to hit the reset button. Manual removal, creatures that munch on it, increased water changes, light out periods, etc. Good luck- that's my input. I know people have fought the battle and won it, just not this guy...

 

[Ryengoth]

There is a methodical approach to eliminating the bulk of it and then setting up a system to maintain it. I've been testing in-tank peroxide spot-treatments with good results.

 

[Ryengoth]

That said, you can't develop a solution without knowing why the water is supporting it. Nuking the tank is not the answer most people can accommodate.

 

[robert]

I've experienced GFO causing issues personally. While it removes some the bad phosphates it removes ALL phosphorous compounds.
As others have asked, water params?
Salinity, NH, NO, Phos, Ca, Mg and Alk

I suspect the GFO is a double edged sword in your case - its pulling down phosphate but its also introducing iron.
You can control algaes by limiting either phosphate or iron or both. Each gets added with feedings and both sequester in the deutritus and sandbed.

 

[Ryengoth]

I suspect the GFO is a double edged sword in your case - its pulling down phosphate but its also introducing iron.
You can control algaes by limiting either phosphate or iron or both. Each gets added with feedings and both sequester in the deutritus and
sandbed.

Yessir! I ran it until the tank cycled and then ran a mix of GFO and carbon. Once I got my internal reactor kit I put in bio-pellets and dumped the GFO for 2 stage carbon setup. No Po4 and the algae has been reduced.

 

[cracker]

I'm with 2xal I also have fought the good fight. Scrubbing rock. constant stepped up water changes lights off. Another source of food other than Flake and pellet. That stuff is loaded up with Po4
Beautiful corals by the way !

 

[AmatuerAuer]

I have decided Saturday will be 'reset' day. Massive water changed (50-75% between two days) and manual removal of both algae types before the water change.

I will post total parameters afterward. I typically keep Ca around 430-450, Alk as close to 9 as I can keep it and Mg at 1250-1300. I dose Ca/Alk with dosing pumps and check Mg bi weekly.

I think the large scale water change and the manual removal will set the table for a winning strategy to begin.

My birdsnest and small acro frags are doing well. Actually getting better polyp extension in the past week or so.

 

[AmatuerAuer]

Thanks as always to the R2R community!

 

[Cory]

The root cause of hair algae is food input.

Po4 as little as .03ppm is enough to grow tremendous amounts of hair algae providing it also has nitrogen, iron and light.

I eliminated hair algae from my tank by buikding an ats. Po4 fluctuates from 0 to .13ppm. But i have a red led which represents shallow water, and my tank is bluish light which represents deeper water where algae generally doesnt grow well. Corals do there, but algae not so much.

So instead of fighting algae, give it a place to flourish.

 

[Ryengoth]

The GFO I was running to keep the po4 down during restart was apparently dumping lots of iron in. The algae was dark green and healthy, even though my PO4, NO3/NO4 and NH3 was zero. Like dumping in Miracle-Gro. LOL

 

[kevindo123]

I once had major hair algae outbreak. It turned out to be the Nori I feed to my tangs were releasing a lot of phosphate. It turned up right when I started to switched to a different brand of Nori. I added Phosban and bought a bunch of Mexican turbos. Within two weeks all hair algae are gone. You need to find the cause of your hair algae outbreak.

 

[kevindo123]

Over feeding maybe it for algae outbreak. For bubble, I suggest getting emerald crabs . For your side tank, get atleast 10. of them 1 to 1.5".

Your tank is pretty bad state to have both bad algae outbreak. You need a get CUC upgraded.

 

[kevindo123]

I don't see any CUC in your pic.

 

[Phineas]

+1 here on the Mexican turbo snails. Maybe I missed it but make sure you are using RO/DI water.

 

[rock_lobster]

Yep hair algae is basically herpes its not going away but you can control it very well with mexican turbos and other larger snails to the point of where you wont even be able to see it. try emerald crabs for bubble algae.

 

[rock_lobster]

Yep hair algae is basically herpes its not going away but you can control it very well with mexican turbos and other larger snails to the point of where you wont even be able to see it. try emerald crabs for bubble algae.