algae issues

[stickx911]

In my 30 hex, I've been battling a variety of slightly annoying algaes. A few spots I have hair, and a few spots I have green slimy stuff, and in others I have a combo of the two.

I've been trying to do this on my own without asking for help, but after a few months, I'm lost.

To battle it, I've cut feeding to 4-5 times a week (a little more than every other day). I do 20% water changes weekly. i've cut the photo time to 6-8 hrs a day, but the tank is in the office so the glass may get some light from the room being active. I've added a protein skimmer (just a bakpak 2). I've done double maintenance on my canister filter (stocked with filter pads, reef carbon and seachem matrix). I try to siphen as much out as I can with water changes, but some of it just does not want to come off the glass.

Phosphates are 0
nitratates and nitrites are 0
PH is a little low at 7.9/8ish depending on time that I test.

My next investment was going to be a couple more powerheads to get more waterflow. Does this seem like the right direction to go? I know my skimmer is not top of the line, but I do not have room for a big one, nor can I afford something too fancy either.

 

[tokejr]

stickx911;351539 wrote: In my 30 hex, I've been battling a variety of slightly annoying algaes. A few spots I have hair, and a few spots I have green slimy stuff, and in others I have a combo of the two.

I've been trying to do this on my own without asking for help, but after a few months, I'm lost.

To battle it, I've cut feeding to 4-5 times a week (a little more than every other day). I do 20% water changes weekly. i've cut the photo time to 6-8 hrs a day, but the tank is in the office so the glass may get some light from the room being active. I've added a protein skimmer (just a bakpak 2). I've done double maintenance on my canister filter (stocked with filter pads, reef carbon and seachem matrix). I try to siphen as much out as I can with water changes, but some of it just does not want to come off the glass.

Phosphates are 0
nitratates and nitrites are 0
PH is a little low at 7.9/8ish depending on time that I test.

My next investment was going to be a couple more powerheads to get more waterflow. Does this seem like the right direction to go? I know my skimmer is not top of the line, but I do not have room for a big one, nor can I afford something too fancy either.

I've had the same situation with my 30. Once I got phosphates down and magnesium/alkalinity/calcium right, the nuisance algae disappeared. I suspect it's less light/overfeeding and more water out of chemical balance.

Now, I feed more (added fish) and the lights are on 12-14 hours per day (T5 VHO) with little algae except the daily film on the glass and the coraline building on the back glass.

 

[radha]

I'm battling hair algae. I'm considering getting a sea hare. IT might take forever to pass it on, I have SO much hair algae. I don't know what to do!!

 

[stickx911]

andregarcia_73;351562 wrote: I eliminated my hair algea prob with my tangs. But a tang wouldn't do well in a 30. So try a lawnmower blenny.

the problem with that is its a high tank shape. and most of my algae is on the glass, so it would have to be something that can get it off the glass. (the scrubber does not take this stuff off...:boo

 

[tokejr]

stickx911;351569 wrote: the problem with that is its a high tank shape. and most of my algae is on the glass, so it would have to be something that can get it off the glass. (the scrubber does not take this stuff off...:boo

Actually, my lawnmower "kisses" the glass pretty efficiently in my 72. But there are still areas where I have to get in there with a razor blade to get the developing coraline off the glass where I don't want it. Nothing I have found takes the hard coraline algae off the glass except a razor blade.

 

[sailfish]

Try the metal blade type scrapper they work pretty well. I like the ones you glue to a mag float but that might be hard to use in your tank. Algae in most tanks has to be scraped off the glass ever other day to every 3 days.

Joe

 

[weaglereefer]

I started dosing "Algaefix Marine" once a week and I haven't had to scrape the green film off my front glass the entire month of may (used to be every 3-4 days).

 

[smoothie]

+1 on the alfaefix marine
Make sure it is the marine
The 180 reef I have at the restaurant for "the kids" I am not always there to control it and everyone seems to always see the need in feeding it, so I have to use the stuff, but to no ill side effects.