Serious green hair algae problem 2 month already

[ks2509]

+1 on the figure out what changed before the GHA outbreak. For me it was I started feeding corals and using polyp booster. Hind sight I didn’t have enough corals to justify feeding them so the algae had nutritional values there to survive and grow.

 

[Marloz king]

Focus on the thing(s) that has changed. If every other aspect of the tank (and its inhabitants) and how you care/maintain it is the same with the exception of the water you're using, then I would test the distilled water prior to mixing salt. I've seen others report here on R2R that their grocery store purchased distilled water was still reading 10 to 20ppm. Get your hands on a TDS meter and an ultra-low phosphate test kit to test that water. The issue with buying this water from the grocery store is that you can't rely on consistency. I'm assuming you don't have an RODI system to produce your own, so if you can, I would try to buy your water from an LFS and ask to see their TDS meter to feel comfy that you're reading 0's before you mix your salt. I know all of this seems a bit obsessive, but I've seen algae blooms in my system from bad source water.

thank you very much I’ll buy my RO/DI system right now and start to do some water change

 

[vetteguy53081]

Distilled is not the best choice for tank water other than Betta as it has a different purification process and PH.
I would use drinking water or preferably RO - even the water fill station water at walmarts. The Red Sea product in your picture works well, BUT you will need to utilize a clean up crew and even a lawnmower blenny in the battle. Start with removing as much as possible by hand and then begin the battle. May take a month but you will overcome it.

also REDUCE THE BRIGHT WHITE LIGHTING A BIT AND ADD MORE BLUE and increase water flow if you can without blasting the tank.

^^^ Is the tank at or near a window by chance ??

 

[André Brasil]

Distilled is not the best choice for tank water other than Betta as it has a different purification process and PH.
I would use drinking water or preferably RO - even the water fill station water at walmarts. The Red Sea product in your picture works well, BUT you will need to utilize a clean up crew and even a lawnmower blenny in the battle. Start with removing as much as possible by hand and then begin the battle. May take a month but you will overcome it.

also REDUCE THE BRIGHT WHITE LIGHTING A BIT AND ADD MORE BLUE and increase water flow if you can without blasting the tank.

^^^ Is the tank at or near a window by chance ??

Not wanting to side track the OP issue, but curious about your statement regarding distilled not being the best choice for a saltwater tank. I have seen it as an option given on several guides for how to setup a saltwater tank and using it miself for a year now. What's the reasoning behind the caution you issued?

 

[Paul B]

That's normal, new tank algae. Looks fine just as it is supposed to look like. I wouldn't do anything, don't add anything especially those chemicals and I wouldn't change any water. A sea hare would starve to death in a week as that is just a snack for him but he would poop it back into the water and it would again grow. It will eventually use everything it needs and strip the water of it (as long as you don't change it or add chemicals)
It doesn't look like healthy algae now and it almost depleted what it needs to grow. If it didn't, it would grow out of the tank, on to your bed and make you all icky.

When it starts getting slightly clear and stringy, scrape off the glass where you can and blow the rest off. Remove it from the tank with some kind of filter like a canister. It will eventually disappear unless you short circuit it with chemicals or inverts that eat it.

When it's gone you can get snails or anything else you like.
Good luck

all parameter are fine and my tank it’s really old

Whats "Really Old?"

 

[Webslinger]

acclimate a few freshwater mollies (black) and only put RODI water in the tank period. You'll probably lose that anemone too. They need an established tank.

 

[Katrina71]

Agreed. Water changes with better water. Reduce white light time. Add more snails. Increase flow. Wait. It will eventually go away.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Not wanting to side track the OP issue, but curious about your statement regarding distilled not being the best choice for a saltwater tank. I have seen it as an option given on several guides for how to setup a saltwater tank and using it miself for a year now. What's the reasoning behind the caution you issued?

Its an option but not the best again with process and PH from distilled. Still better than tap or well water but RO and sterilized as from walmart better and cheaper

 

[Nokiaec11]

Is that a carpet anemone? If so, get that out of there, and put 2 Chocolate Chip Starfish in, and give them a couple days.

 

[André Brasil]

Its an option but not the best again with process and PH from distilled. Still better than tap or well water but RO and sterilized as from walmart better and cheaper

Could you be more specific on that? What undesirable elements could enter trough distilled water? Is all distilled water obtained the same way?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Could you be more specific on that? What undesirable elements could enter trough distilled water? Is all distilled water obtained the same way?

Distilled water has a low PH, so you would/will have to use buffers to maintain safe level Ph in the tank. This water sets you up for Ph swings. Its' because the distill process breaks down essential minerals in the water. In essence, distilled water contains zero minerals, electrolytes, buffers etc that are absoltuely necessary to keep fish healthy and a tank stable as if you are not aware, distilled water is created from steam and not an ionization process as with spring and drinking water.

Im not saying DO NOT use, as that would be an understatement, but rather that , there are better choices for less cost.

 

[André Brasil]

Distilled water has a low PH, so you would/will have to use buffers to maintain safe level Ph in the tank. This water sets you up for Ph swings. Its' because the distill process breaks down essential minerals in the water. In essence, distilled water contains zero minerals, electrolytes, buffers etc that are absoltuely necessary to keep fish healthy and a tank stable as if you are not aware, distilled water is created from steam and not an ionization process as with spring and drinking water.

Im not saying DO NOT use, as that would be an understatement, but rather that , there are better choices for less cost.

Let me just make clear that I value your input and i'am just looking for a better understanding of this issue.

That being said, I'd like to share a quote from Dr. Randy I found (can send you the link for the full article if you like, but it's in another forum, and I'm not sure if I can link it here):

"The best distilled water is perfect for our applications."

He explains PH isn't a worry with either distilled or RO/DI.

About it being cheaper to use RODI, one should take the size of the system into account, as a smaller one uses a lot less water than a bigger one. In same cases distilled will be cheaper.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I owned a full line pet store for over a decade and attended many seminars and trade shows and these were some of the points emphasized :

Once the water is distilled it will contain no beneficial minerals or salts, it is alright to use this water when topping up the aquarium to compensate for evaporation losses but do not use this pure water for water changes or for filling the tank.
Distilled water will have a very low oxygen content, before using this water it must be aerated for a couple of hours or leave it for 24 hours standing in a suitable container to allow gaseous exchange.
The buffering capacity of distilled water is very low, it will need a buffering agent added back to the water to increase the KH so that there is no chance of any pH swings in the tank.

Ph and Dkh play a vital role in coral skeletal regeneration and health and you can and will read of Many on here who use various forms of water and other than for top off, distilled is the most low use type of water.

 

[Marloz king]

That's normal, new tank algae. Looks fine just as it is supposed to look like. I wouldn't do anything, don't add anything especially those chemicals and I wouldn't change any water. A sea hare would starve to death in a week as that is just a snack for him but he would poop it back into the water and it would again grow. It will eventually use everything it needs and strip the water of it (as long as you don't change it or add chemicals)
It doesn't look like healthy algae now and it almost depleted what it needs to grow. If it didn't, it would grow out of the tank, on to your bed and make you all icky.

When it starts getting slightly clear and stringy, scrape off the glass where you can and blow the rest off. Remove it from the tank with some kind of filter like a canister. It will eventually disappear unless you short circuit it with chemicals or inverts that eat it.

When it's gone you can get snails or anything else you like.
Good luck



Whats "Really Old?"

my tank is 8 years old I have since I was in high school that's old

 

[Marloz king]

acclimate a few freshwater mollies (black) and only put RODI water in the tank period. You'll probably lose that anemone too. They need an established tank.

that anemone is 4 years old already hahaha trust me if she didn't died in 4yrs she woudn't died now

 

[lapin]

I will also add that distilled water can be cooled thru copper tubing. That should not be a problem as everything else is alive. Im not in that industry. I only know about stills and moonshine.

 

[Marloz king]

I owned a full line pet store for over a decade and attended many seminars and trade shows and these were some of the points emphasized :

Once the water is distilled it will contain no beneficial minerals or salts, it is alright to use this water when topping up the aquarium to compensate for evaporation losses but do not use this pure water for water changes or for filling the tank.
Distilled water will have a very low oxygen content, before using this water it must be aerated for a couple of hours or leave it for 24 hours standing in a suitable container to allow gaseous exchange.
The buffering capacity of distilled water is very low, it will need a buffering agent added back to the water to increase the KH so that there is no chance of any pH swings in the tank.

Ph and Dkh play a vital role in coral skeletal regeneration and health and you can and will read of Many on here who use various forms of water and other than for top off, distilled is the most low use type of water.

THANKS BRO AND YEAH MEN I HAVE 8 YEARS WITH MY TANK NOW AND I GIVE MY RODI TO MY BEST BUDDY AND I STARTED TO HAVE THIS ALGAE PROBLEM WITCH I NEVER HAD BEFORE BUT I ALREADY HAVE MY RODI SYSTEM FROM REEF SUPPLY

 

[Marloz king]

Is that a carpet anemone? If so, get that out of there, and put 2 Chocolate Chip Starfish in, and give them a couple days.

chocolate chip starfish are not Herbivore they predator and will kill corals they don't eat algae

 

[Marloz king]

guys I really appreciate old inf but please just be sure that you're on expert they're a lot of people here with wrong inf..

 

[Paul B]

my tank is 8 years old I have since I was in high school that's old

My advice is the same. I would stop changing water and don't add any chemicals. But thats just me. I have also had a tank since High School. But I went to High School in the 60s.