Need help with hair Algae.

[Willieb18]

I am having a problem with Hair Algae. I have been picking it off the rocks during water changes for the past month. I even pulled all of my rock out and took a tooth brush to them.

The tank: 20L with a 10g Refugium with chaeto. Been set up for about 8 months.

Clean up crew: about 5 blue leg crabs, a few snails, and one Tuxedo Urchin

Fish: Picasso Clown and a Six Line

Skimmer: AquaC Remora

I dont feed the fish but once a day about as much as they can eat.

I have a Sun Coral that i need frozen food every few days. 1/2 a cube.

I try to change 5gals of water every 2 weeks.

What can I do to get rid of all this Hair Algae?

[Loverotties]

You should try feeding a little every 3 days.What are your water perimeters? do you use RO/DI water for WC and top off?

[Loverotties]

I forgot what kind of lighting and how long has it been since you changed the bulbs?

[wolfe4372]

yea your feeding way to much. i say once a week or every other.

[guitar8222]

It sounds like your phosphates are too high. How clean is that skimmer?

[Willieb18]

I am using DO/DI. Lighting 2x24 watt T5 bulbs are about 8 months old 12hrs a day.

[usmc2b2004]

To kill it cut off all your lighting for at least 36 hours. I had that happen not to long ago, Also how new is your tank?

[Willieb18]

I got the skimmer used last week and it was cleaned before i got it

[wolfe4372]

Originally Posted by Willieb18

I got the skimmer used last week and it was cleaned before i got it

clean the collection area once a week

[Melosu58]

This is a pretty good battle plan for nuisance algea

http://www.fantasyreef.com/database....id=11&itemid=5

[wolfe4372]

Originally Posted by Melosu58

This is a pretty good battle plan for nuisance algea

http://www.fantasyreef.com/database....id=11&itemid=5

yes it is good site!

[motorslave]

Originally Posted by usmc2b2004

To kill it cut off all your lighting for at least 36 hours. I had that happen not to long ago, Also how new is your tank?

This will push i back but wont kill it. The light isn't the problem. Phosphates are the problem and the rock is more than likely saturated with it. Up your water changes to every week. Before each change, take a turkey baster and blow off the rock till nothing else comes out of it, skimm set then do the water change. Reduce you feeding.Feed only what the fish will eat in a few minutes and don't add so much that they cant get to it before it settles to the bottom. How is the flow? You need enough flow to keep all of the food and detritus suspended in the water column so the skimmer can get it. Keep your substrate clean also.
Adding chemicals isn't a good idea. Never add anything you cant test for. Blowing off the rock, skimming wet and more frequent water changes will help resolve the phos issue when coupled with feeding less. Its all about balancing nutrient import (adding food=phosphates) and export (water changes and skimming. If your not taking it out, its still in there and will feed the algae
It can take some time but its the best way. Cutting back on the light will help to control it but wont fix the root of the problem. Get the phosphates out of there!!!

[Willieb18]

Originally Posted by motorslave

This will push i back but wont kill it. The light isn't the problem. Phosphates are the problem and the rock is more than likely saturated with it. Up your water changes to every week. Before each change, take a turkey baster and blow off the rock till nothing else comes out of it, skimm set then do the water change. Reduce you feeding.Feed only what the fish will eat in a few minutes and don't add so much that they cant get to it before it settles to the bottom. How is the flow? You need enough flow to keep all of the food and detritus suspended in the water column so the skimmer can get it. Keep your substrate clean also.
Adding chemicals isn't a good idea. Never add anything you cant test for. Blowing off the rock, skimming wet and more frequent water changes will help resolve the phos issue when coupled with feeding less. Its all about balancing nutrient import (adding food=phosphates) and export (water changes and skimming. If your not taking it out, its still in there and will feed the algae
It can take some time but its the best way. Cutting back on the light will help to control it but wont fix the root of the problem. Get the phosphates out of there!!!

For flow I have a Koralia 1 and I am using a MJ900 for my return. My skimmer is currently in my fuge until i cut a hole for it in my canopy.

I will try to do bigger water changes more often and see how this works. The reason i went with a fuge and skimmer was so I could get by with feeding my coral more often. I don't guess this is going to work.

How do I set my skimmer to skim wet?

[motorslave]

Raise the water level in the skimmer. On the water changes they don't need to be bigger, just try more often, maybe once a week instead of two. For the flow, its not really a matter of more, its where. You want the flow (some of it) to be along the bottom so it captures detritus before it can settle. It doesnt have to be a typhoon, just well placed.