Green Hair Algea

Dtking · #1 10/10/2007, 08:27 PM

Okay, what causes this? I am about to give up on this tank and restart, I have been sucking it out week by week during water changes, and it looks good, but about 5 days after that it keeps comming back....

My first question is, what causes it?

second, what can I do to get rid of it?!

Sorry if I sound rude, but it is really frusturating dealing with this, the tank has been up for nearly 9 months and I had a tank before this one that was up for a year and had no problems at all!! it covers the two back walls of each side of the baffles and also all over the rocks, I try to suck up everything around the corals so it wond choke them!

Thanks,
-Dustin

Steve973 · #2 10/10/2007, 09:36 PM

Give us some more info. Have you tested for nitrates and phosphates? If not, you should. Chances are good that the culprit is one or both of those. Then, the task is finding out where these are coming from. Nitrates are simply a byproduct of bioload and feeding. Phosphates can enter the tank through food or your water if you're not using purified water. A bit more investigation will pinpoint the source, and then it's a matter of making some sort of change.

Dtking · #3 10/10/2007, 11:01 PM

okay nitrates are zero an phosphates are less than 0.3.... My parameters have always been good!!!.. on my 44 gal tank my phos. has been as high as 0.6 ... but in the 125 gal no more than 0.3! .... I just dont understand the jump in green hair! I am sooo frusterated!! I dont even know what to do! My corals look good but the tank over all looks like poo!

*crying* HELP!!!!

Billybeau1 · #4 10/11/2007, 01:32 AM

You will need to get your PO4 down lower that 0.3

This is probably causing your problem

You should be less than .03 ppm

You may try getting aggressive with a good quality GFO

Iron Oxide Hydroxide (GFO)
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/rhf/index.htm

and

Phosphrous: Algaes best friend

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...t2002/chem.htm

keswick · #5 10/11/2007, 08:05 AM

Your phosphates are too high.

I have had the same experience....not fun...lots of work figuring-out why etc...

If you don't have a skimmer, then get the largest, most expensive skimmer you can afford...EuroReef is a good choice.

Also, it is impossible for Hair Algae to survive if your water quality is optimal. Need RO/DI water, good skimmer, water changes and well-balanced water parameters.

Hope that helps.

acrylic_300 · #6 10/11/2007, 09:17 AM

Cheato works...you could trade it for a more desirable algae. Also I think most tanks go through an algae cycle like this. Iv'e heard of people with undetectable phosphate still having it.

sabbath · #7 10/11/2007, 10:27 AM

Yes, you need Cheato and or a GFO in a reactor. If you have algae issues with no Nitrates. IMO

Have you changed your lamps yet?

Dtking · #8 10/11/2007, 10:56 AM

I was thinking of lamps two of the 3 MH's need to be changed.... I didnt really realize this was a huge deal, but I can see where your comming from....

Yes, I Have about a little larger than a softball size cheato in the sump.... I did forget to put another zero in ... it is at 0.03...

I am going to read up on the GFO since I have no clue what that is!!! Thanks for the help so far, if there is anything else I can do please let me know!

-Dustin

bertoni · #9 10/11/2007, 03:51 PM

The GFO products are described in this article:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/rhf/index.htm

They work much like carbon, but adsorb primarily phosphate.

Growing and harvesting a macroalga, like the Chaetomorpha, can also help. The tank might need a larger area or more lighting for the Chaetomorpha, though.

kydsexy · #10 10/11/2007, 04:06 PM

how old are your lights? if the bulbs arent producing 90-100% of the light they should, the spectrum change can cause a bloom.

Dtking · #11 10/11/2007, 10:34 PM

lights arent even a year old yet, I have a phosban reactor and I also have a UV sterelizer.... I am just going to keep sucking it out with a 1/2" tube until i figure something else out!.... any other suggestions?! I really am frusterated with this HA stuff!! :-)

moo0o · #12 10/12/2007, 02:13 AM

i too would suggest using a phosphate remover.

JeffDubya · #13 10/12/2007, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by kydsexy
how old are your lights? if the bulbs arent producing 90-100% of the light they should, the spectrum change can cause a bloom.

Actually, I am not certain this is true. This is what I have always been told, that with most bulbs, esp. T5 and power compacts that as the bulb gets old there is a spectrum shift and the light produced is likely to cause nuisance algae growth.

Well, my good buddy works for a company called Decagon Devices, who make some of the world's premiere food testing and other types of analytical equipment. Case in point, we checked some 14 month old PC bulbs with a $50,000 spectrum analyzer, and there was no spectrum shift, only a decrease in inensity.

Of course, this leaves out many other kinds of bulbs... but at least for PCs this seems to be an urban legend - possibly designed to sell more bulbs...

cutegecko3 · #14 10/12/2007, 05:31 AM

ive heard that heavy metals specificly iron and aluminium helps to fuel algae.maybe thats why bryopsis is such a booger to get rid of.but since using gfo,which reportedly reduces heavy metals as well,ive gotten rid of it.

JeffDubya · #15 10/12/2007, 12:01 PM

gecko, do you use GFO in a phosban reactor? I have read some good things about that...

nickts40 · #16 10/12/2007, 03:46 PM

I had a severe hair algae problem when I first started. It was almost 9 months to the day before it went away completely. It used to grow with actinics only as well, mind you very slow though. But when I turned on the MH, even for an hour it was crazy. Its just a matter of puttin in the time for a new tank. It took about 3-4 months to go away after I added the refugium (both caleurpa and chaeto) and GFO. To this day I still have patches where coralline algae will not grow in the direct light and those patches are a dark green. I have 0 nitrates and phospahes tested by salifert and confirmed with Red Sea test kits.

Medicine Man · #17 10/14/2007, 11:05 PM

Do you guys have trouble with hair algae growing in your overflows? Wish I had a black cover for the overflows or something.

Zedar · #18 10/15/2007, 07:31 AM

Without PO4 you could have plant grow lights and you wouldn't have algae. Lighting has rarely been the coulprit or a fix in these situations.
Get rid of the PO4 and you'll be free of HA.

I've been struggling with this same problem.
I tired everything. Water changes Galore!!! Phosban in a reactor!!! Deep sand bed!!! Bi-weakly cleaning of the live rock!! Algae in the refugium!!! Loads of Snails, hermits,Seaslugs!!

When none of these things worked, I resorted to something i was told would be too dangerous. Dosing Vodka.

"FOR ME" ITS THE ONLY THING THATS WORKED!!! ITS BEEN A TANK SAVER!!!

Within a week the algae was dying. I began siphoning the dead stuff out.
Its not gone yet, but its close. I believe its recycling itself. The dead stuff that i miss when siphoning is again providing nutrients for a new generation. But with each generation the amount is less.

At the rate I'm going I'll be algae free soon!!

Dtking · #19 10/15/2007, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Medicine Man
Do you guys have trouble with hair algae growing in your overflows? Wish I had a black cover for the overflows or something.

I took a piece of 1/4" acrylic and cut it to fit on top of my overflow and painted it black witk krylon and within 1 month, all HA was gone!!!!

Now, I have done some things this week since my first post on this and I have removed some rocks, I have noticed that it is only growing on certain rocks, and its the rocks that I didnt let cure all the way. The fiji rocks, for some reason, dont let the HA grow as much as the "Flordia" rocks that I have in there, I have taken the "Florida" rocks out and I have noticed a decrease in HA... Can I be right on this theory?!

Just a thought,
-Dustin

vickreyreef · #20 10/16/2007, 02:47 PM

no I have all fiji rocks and am arm pit deep in HA

fierceseaman · #21 10/16/2007, 05:15 PM

I was under the impression that some rocks leach PO4. Could the rocks that you removed be leaching this stuff? Set them in their own container and let them sit for a while after a good scrub. If they are leaching then you should been able to detect PO4.

bertoni · #22 10/16/2007, 05:55 PM

I agree that some hobbyists have reported leaching of phosphate from live rock. That might be the case here.

acrylic_300 · #23 10/16/2007, 07:28 PM

I think once it attaches to the rock the algae can release enzymes or something of that nature that dissolves the bound phosphate.

That might be why people with zero phosphate still have algae sometimes. Until the algae cycles are over.

Dtking · #24 10/17/2007, 02:14 AM

Okay, I have been posting in several forums and this is what I have came up with thus far:
I have some bad rock that was not fully cured on the inside... and there for I need to test it, but instead I have pulled most of it out!.... And yes fierceseaman from what I have been gathering you are correct, and I was told that if i put the rock in a tank for about two weeks with a few airstones and let the air pound it for awhile and test the Po4 then it will tell me the results!!!! anyone tried this?!

I see an experiment comming!!! *LOL*

-Dustin

Zedar · #25 10/18/2007, 06:06 AM

You could put a single rock in a small container, and in a few hours you should have your answer.