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mysterybox;905855 wrote: Exactly! I am taking time from my day to give you advice...and excellent advice that will work....
Wow... can your head fit in the door still?
Hair Algae Problem
- Thread starter sstanle4
- Start date
Wow... can your head fit in the door still?
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Im not sure how you see the remarks as being rude. Facts are facts. And most of which are commenting are doing so to try and help resolve the issue at hand. Most of which contribute to the thread for which it was created... not just out to browse the "yard sale". We all make mistakes as we are humans. And sometimes the answer in which you are looking for is not what is expected, but in commenting I truely am trying to resolve his problem. Im sure the others do so in the same fashion. Being rude would be to say use the search option...
Sent from my ZTE-Z990G using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my ZTE-Z990G using Tapatalk 2
Just as a small example, I'll link to my favorite fish related site:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com">www.wetwebmedia.com</a>. The guys (and gals) there know their ****, but they ask that you search through their archives before contacting them. All of us here are enthusiasts, just like you! But, I dont know how many times we can tell you the same answer to your question.
See here for further user experience:
[IMG]http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FilamGrnAlgC2.htm">http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FilamGrnAlgC2.htm</a>
http://www.wetwebmedia.com">www.wetwebmedia.com</a>. The guys (and gals) there know their ****, but they ask that you search through their archives before contacting them. All of us here are enthusiasts, just like you! But, I dont know how many times we can tell you the same answer to your question.
See here for further user experience:
[IMG]http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FilamGrnAlgC2.htm">http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FilamGrnAlgC2.htm</a>
Well this excellent advise didnt work. That's why I asked for more help. More ideas. But apparently there's nothing else to do.
I'm sorry that I can't afford everything y'all can; I'm in college. I know API sucks. But that's all I can afford.
Thanks again.
I'm sorry that I can't afford everything y'all can; I'm in college. I know API sucks. But that's all I can afford.
Thanks again.
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Please close thread!!
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Ok, can you do large weekly or twice weekly water changes?
I have a single BRS GFO reactor with a pump, and a HANNA low range a PHOSPHATE colormeter that I have extra, that I Can give you.........
You just need to pick it up and start learning about nutrient reduction, especially, phosphates....
Let me know..
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Understood your a college student but there are ways to test withour api. Most stores do testing and yes some use api but many do use seachem and redsea. There are members that will gladly test your water. Ive tested members tanks and in fact a member is coming to run a phisphate test on my tank. We are meant to be a community for the greater good of the hobby. Not to be at each others throat orto brag who has the biggest most expensive system. Imo some of the simplest systems thrive better.... less to go wrong.
Sent from my ZTE-Z990G using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my ZTE-Z990G using Tapatalk 2
Maybe you got lucky... "Full spectrum" LEDs are all the rage nowadays.
Here's a thought... you may have hair algae because you have hair algae. Once you get it growing and it has roots down into your rock it can be a bear to get rid of even with well managed nutrients. It will still be difficult to "starve" the algae away. Here's what I'd do... buy/rent/borrow a sea hare for three weeks or so, turn out your lights for three days, and don't feed for a week to give the sea hare time to decimate the current crop. Then continue back as you have been. You'll have to re-home the sea hare after that, but even if you have to give it away it will be $20 well spent.
Here's a thought... you may have hair algae because you have hair algae. Once you get it growing and it has roots down into your rock it can be a bear to get rid of even with well managed nutrients. It will still be difficult to "starve" the algae away. Here's what I'd do... buy/rent/borrow a sea hare for three weeks or so, turn out your lights for three days, and don't feed for a week to give the sea hare time to decimate the current crop. Then continue back as you have been. You'll have to re-home the sea hare after that, but even if you have to give it away it will be $20 well spent.
Wow... I go out to pick my son up from work and this thread went south.
sstanle4, I did not attempt to make you feel like an idiot. Quite the opposite. Just as I always do, I was patiently trying to explain what is causing your issue, and help you understand the ways to resolve it. Nothing more, nothing less. Same thing I've done on these forums for 13+ years, here, on other forums, and in my shop, in person, until 3 weeks ago when I closed it.
If you thought I was belittling you, you are mistaken. And you aren't the first person I've had to repeat the solution to more than once - it's part of the process. No biggie to me, that is why I am here.
Kvaughn888, I don't believe we've met, either here on the forum, or in person, so I find it rather odd that you'd pop in here and fling accusations.
sstanle4 - your original post:
Respectfully - you did start the thread to request help - help has been offered. If you do not agree with the suggestions, by all means carry on the way you've been going. Saying that you've done your research after the fact isn't going to fix it.
It's unfortunate that you aren't receptive to the assistance that has been offered. Good luck with it.
My work here is done.
Jenn
sstanle4, I did not attempt to make you feel like an idiot. Quite the opposite. Just as I always do, I was patiently trying to explain what is causing your issue, and help you understand the ways to resolve it. Nothing more, nothing less. Same thing I've done on these forums for 13+ years, here, on other forums, and in my shop, in person, until 3 weeks ago when I closed it.
If you thought I was belittling you, you are mistaken. And you aren't the first person I've had to repeat the solution to more than once - it's part of the process. No biggie to me, that is why I am here.
Kvaughn888, I don't believe we've met, either here on the forum, or in person, so I find it rather odd that you'd pop in here and fling accusations.
sstanle4 - your original post:
Respectfully - you did start the thread to request help - help has been offered. If you do not agree with the suggestions, by all means carry on the way you've been going. Saying that you've done your research after the fact isn't going to fix it.
It's unfortunate that you aren't receptive to the assistance that has been offered. Good luck with it.
My work here is done.
Jenn
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I've been known to suffer from the same affliction......lol
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Just wondering... are you running a protein skimmer? I didn't see it anywhere in your original post.
Edit: BTW, JennM is one of the nicest most helpful person you will ever meet.
Edit: BTW, JennM is one of the nicest most helpful person you will ever meet.
Just to clear things up... and to kind of start over.
From the beginning...
Hi. I'm a biology major at the University of West Georgia currently studying the nitrogen cycle of lotic and lentic ecosystems in my aquatic ecology class. I've been into reef keeping going on three years now and I've been battling hair algae in my 36 gallon aquarium for the past two months. I have been plucking and siphoning the algae out of my display tank. I've done research online about this algae and have added the following organisms in hopes of decreasing the algae: four emerald crabs, three (huge!) Mexican turbo snails, 40 other various snails (ceriths, nassarius, nerites, astreas, turbos), and a starry blenny. I have a 20 gallon sump with a protein skimmer (don't know the brand, it's redneck rigged, but it works... most of the time!). In the sump, I have bags of ChemiPure Elite, PhosGuard, Matrix, and an extra bag of carbon. Total water volume is probably about 45 gallons or so.
No luck.
When the hair algae started, I completely cleaned my sump out; I *had* a refugium with chaeto that had recently died and I knew that had to be the cause. I completely vacuumed the bottom of my sump, getting every smidgen of grossness I could find/reach with a hose. I replaced all my bags with new media. (I have had this once before; I added CPE and Matrix and it went away.) None of this was working. All the while, I've been doing big water changes - once a week: 7-10 gallons. In addition, while plucking/siphoning, about 2 gallons every third day or so - yes, it's growing that fast. (In my previous post I stated "Water changes once every two weeks". That's our normal routine.)
We have an RODI unit that has taken over my bathroom. We usually make enough saltwater for the water changes and store it in the white 5 gallon jugs from the lfs and keep our fresh with a heater ready to go in a Brute for top-off.
We feed all (five) of our tanks once a day or once every other day. Sometimes we get caught up in our school work and classes and forget - so sometimes every third day.. (Oops!) I always (ALWAYS) watch my fish when I feed. Our fish are fatties - especially mine. My clown is probably over 3 years old and would eat your hand if you'd let her. When I feed, I make sure to put a little bit in at a time. I wait to make sure everyone eats, then move on to the next tank. I'm really OCD about feeding because I know excess will turn to nitrates.
We have always run our tanks on 12 hour days. I know that's a lot, but we've never had any problems with it. A couple algae outbreaks in 3 years? That's nothing. They were usually fixed by water changes and addition of extra/new media. I guess mine is just stubborn!
While plucking/siphoning the other day, I noticed my LEDs have changed colors. I asked a fellow reefer if that could cause my algae growth and he said that it was possible. I contacted the seller and he said "that's weird" and that had "nothing to do with my algae growth" and told me to ship him my light so he could "take a look". I can't do that - I only have one light. And I don't have the money to ship it to him right now.
I've been looking into vodka dosing (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/</a>) but I'm not entirely sure I feel safe with doing it. (New things scare me...) I've read it can cause bacterial bloom... and it could (or could not) kill some of my corals... I'm not sure I want to take that risk!
And about the sea hare... we had one at one time... and it gave me nightmares! Creepy little critters! I'm terrified it would die and nuke my tank completely... (Again.. New things scare me. lol)
I tested my water today with my API kit and a Red Sea kit. These were my results:
API: pH 7.8, dKH 9, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20-30, Ammonia 0
RS: pH 7.6, dKH 7, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 30-40, Ammonia 0
...to the end. My life story. lol I hope I covered everything.
From the beginning...
Hi. I'm a biology major at the University of West Georgia currently studying the nitrogen cycle of lotic and lentic ecosystems in my aquatic ecology class. I've been into reef keeping going on three years now and I've been battling hair algae in my 36 gallon aquarium for the past two months. I have been plucking and siphoning the algae out of my display tank. I've done research online about this algae and have added the following organisms in hopes of decreasing the algae: four emerald crabs, three (huge!) Mexican turbo snails, 40 other various snails (ceriths, nassarius, nerites, astreas, turbos), and a starry blenny. I have a 20 gallon sump with a protein skimmer (don't know the brand, it's redneck rigged, but it works... most of the time!). In the sump, I have bags of ChemiPure Elite, PhosGuard, Matrix, and an extra bag of carbon. Total water volume is probably about 45 gallons or so.
No luck.
When the hair algae started, I completely cleaned my sump out; I *had* a refugium with chaeto that had recently died and I knew that had to be the cause. I completely vacuumed the bottom of my sump, getting every smidgen of grossness I could find/reach with a hose. I replaced all my bags with new media. (I have had this once before; I added CPE and Matrix and it went away.) None of this was working. All the while, I've been doing big water changes - once a week: 7-10 gallons. In addition, while plucking/siphoning, about 2 gallons every third day or so - yes, it's growing that fast. (In my previous post I stated "Water changes once every two weeks". That's our normal routine.)
We have an RODI unit that has taken over my bathroom. We usually make enough saltwater for the water changes and store it in the white 5 gallon jugs from the lfs and keep our fresh with a heater ready to go in a Brute for top-off.
We feed all (five) of our tanks once a day or once every other day. Sometimes we get caught up in our school work and classes and forget - so sometimes every third day.. (Oops!) I always (ALWAYS) watch my fish when I feed. Our fish are fatties - especially mine. My clown is probably over 3 years old and would eat your hand if you'd let her. When I feed, I make sure to put a little bit in at a time. I wait to make sure everyone eats, then move on to the next tank. I'm really OCD about feeding because I know excess will turn to nitrates.
We have always run our tanks on 12 hour days. I know that's a lot, but we've never had any problems with it. A couple algae outbreaks in 3 years? That's nothing. They were usually fixed by water changes and addition of extra/new media. I guess mine is just stubborn!
While plucking/siphoning the other day, I noticed my LEDs have changed colors. I asked a fellow reefer if that could cause my algae growth and he said that it was possible. I contacted the seller and he said "that's weird" and that had "nothing to do with my algae growth" and told me to ship him my light so he could "take a look". I can't do that - I only have one light. And I don't have the money to ship it to him right now.
I've been looking into vodka dosing (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/</a>) but I'm not entirely sure I feel safe with doing it. (New things scare me...) I've read it can cause bacterial bloom... and it could (or could not) kill some of my corals... I'm not sure I want to take that risk!
And about the sea hare... we had one at one time... and it gave me nightmares! Creepy little critters! I'm terrified it would die and nuke my tank completely... (Again.. New things scare me. lol)
I tested my water today with my API kit and a Red Sea kit. These were my results:
API: pH 7.8, dKH 9, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20-30, Ammonia 0
RS: pH 7.6, dKH 7, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 30-40, Ammonia 0
...to the end. My life story. lol I hope I covered everything.
