So much green!!!!

[Fernthereefer]

So the tank is about 6 months old. Started with dry rock but live sand. Salt-1.025 mag-1350 ph- 8.2 alk- 12.7 (I know it’s a little high we’ve been doing water changes to reduce it I just don’t want to take it down drastically and stress the livestock) and phosphate is reading at 0 which is odd because there has to be phosphate for algae to grow. But maybe the algae is eating it too fast to even get a reading?

I think you had great comment on the algae, I just wanted to point out:

1) How did you get your alk so high? Did you dose or do you use a salt with high alk?
2) Phosphates at 0 can be normal with dry rock as there is a period the rock absorb phosphates that can slowly leach later on. The algae are probably growing on it. Mine took 10 months before I started reading phosphates. However, beware of because that period also puts you at risk of Dinoflagelates. Part of the game.

 

[michaelabellz]

I think you had great comment on the algae, I just wanted to point out:

1) How did you get your alk so high? Did you dose or do you use a salt with high alk?
2) Phosphates at 0 can be normal with dry rock as there is a period the rock absorb phosphates that can slowly leach later on. The algae are probably growing on it. Mine took 10 months before I started reading phosphates. However, beware of because that period also puts you at risk of Dinoflagelates. Part of the game.

Thank you, the problem with the alk was that my salifert test reading said it was low (4) so for about a week we were dosing but then once I purchased the hanna alk checker it read at 13 so we were getting incorrect readings with the first test. And okay thanks for letting me know is there anything that helps to stop the algae?

 

[Cory]

If you dont have any urchins, your going to have hair algae growing. Urchins are the lawn mowers of the sea.

 

[Tired]

Urchins are helpful, but hair algae isn't inevitable in their absence. Otherwise every pico tank ever would be covered in the stuff.

 

[Cory]

Urchins are helpful, but hair algae isn't inevitable in their absence. Otherwise every pico tank ever would be covered in the stuff.

Im not sure why a pico reef wouldn't get overrun with hair algae but id suspect its much easier to control than a larger tank by the simple fact that things become easier to limit and control due to the small volume of water. Clean up crew is inevitable in any tank imo.

 

[Tired]

Oh, you absolutely need cleanup crew in aquaria. But urchins aren't the only solution to hair algae. If you pull out any long tufts, many snails can tackle the short hair algae. If you already have enough snails, any hair algae present in the tank can never get to the point where it's too long for snails to eat.