Help me please.... Hair algea issues

[Mctabish]

I am having a MAJOR issue with hair algae!!!! All over every thing except
glass.

First: Here are my chems
Ammonia: 0.15
Ph 8.1
NO2 0.0
NO3 0.0
CA 305
Magnisium 870
PO4 0
Alk read normal (LOW/HI/NORMAL test kit.)

I just bought a new test kit as I have suspected my old, but I am getting
the same results.

Lights are 2 month old (all replaced in order to try to get hair algae under
control....) 10k MH and 10K and atinic PCs

I rarely feed the tank. so external souces are next to nil. Source water is
RO/DI with new cartages (and tested for NOs and PO4)
I have added phos sponge just to make sure.
My coriline algae was very pink but now is much paler, but building up still
on the glass and where the hair is not.

I have mostly soft corals with some hard coral, several damsels and some
shrimp and then a bunck of Turbo, bumble bee and narc snails. I also have a
good size red brittle star. Mostly consumers for the most part.

Salt is 1.21 Help please.... What am I missing??
Temp is usually 79-81


Thanks
Mc

[Billy]

"Mctabish" > wrote in message
news:zQOZc.359991$%_6.311745@attbi_s01...
|I am having a MAJOR issue with hair algae!!!! All over every thing
except
| glass.
|
| First: Here are my chems
| Ammonia: 0.15


The presence of ammonia is what jumps out at me...How big a tank? How
long has the tank been established? How much LR in the tank? Any
other filtration? What's your total water volume? Somethings not
right if you have ammonia detectable.


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[Pszemol]

"Mctabish" > wrote in message news:zQOZc.359991$%_6.311745@attbi_s01...
> Help please.... What am I missing??

Try to get more accurate alkalinity test and check
if you have enough buffers. Get the test which gives
results in meq or dkH units. Hair algae do not like
high alkalinity. Adding buffers to rise alk will rid
algae. But get the accurate test first to not overdose.

[Phil Krasnostein]

I agree with the others. Ammonia should be zero.

Also I have been told that high alkalinity and high Calcium levels will help
with algae. Not sure what your alkalinity is, but Calcium at 305 seems low.
Low Magnesium (should be approx 1250 - 1350) can contribute to low
alkalinity and low Calcium.

For some info re Ca / Mg / alkalinity, see

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2003/chem.htm

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm


Phil


"Mctabish" > wrote in message
news:zQOZc.359991$%_6.311745@attbi_s01...
> I am having a MAJOR issue with hair algae!!!! All over every thing except
> glass.
>
> First: Here are my chems
> Ammonia: 0.15
> Ph 8.1
> NO2 0.0
> NO3 0.0
> CA 305
> Magnisium 870
> PO4 0
> Alk read normal (LOW/HI/NORMAL test kit.)
>
> I just bought a new test kit as I have suspected my old, but I am getting
> the same results.
>
> Lights are 2 month old (all replaced in order to try to get hair algae
under
> control....) 10k MH and 10K and atinic PCs
>
> I rarely feed the tank. so external souces are next to nil. Source water
is
> RO/DI with new cartages (and tested for NOs and PO4)
> I have added phos sponge just to make sure.
> My coriline algae was very pink but now is much paler, but building up
still
> on the glass and where the hair is not.
>
> I have mostly soft corals with some hard coral, several damsels and some
> shrimp and then a bunck of Turbo, bumble bee and narc snails. I also have
a
> good size red brittle star. Mostly consumers for the most part.
>
> Salt is 1.21 Help please.... What am I missing??
> Temp is usually 79-81
>
>
> Thanks
> Mc
>
>

[Rod]

what type of bio filter are you using?

[Mctabish]

it is 150 gl. Set up about 4 yrs, I have about 300 lb lr and a 9 in DSB.
TIA
Mc

"Billy" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> "Mctabish" > wrote in message
> news:zQOZc.359991$%_6.311745@attbi_s01...
> |I am having a MAJOR issue with hair algae!!!! All over every thing
> except
> | glass.
> |
> | First: Here are my chems
> | Ammonia: 0.15
>
>
> The presence of ammonia is what jumps out at me...How big a tank? How
> long has the tank been established? How much LR in the tank? Any
> other filtration? What's your total water volume? Somethings not
> right if you have ammonia detectable.
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.745 / Virus Database: 497 - Release Date: 8/27/2004
>
>

[Billy]

"Rod" > wrote in message
...
| what type of bio filter are you using?

His 300lbs of LR should be adequete.<g> I agree with the other poster
that he has something rotting in there, but that doesn't address the
hair algae issue, and I'm not sure on that one.


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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[CapFusion]

"Billy" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> "Rod" > wrote in message
> ...
> | what type of bio filter are you using?
>
> His 300lbs of LR should be adequete.<g> I agree with the other poster
> that he has something rotting in there, but that doesn't address the
> hair algae issue, and I'm not sure on that one.
>
>
Something decaying can cause algae break since it feed on any nutrient.

CapFusion,....

[Mctabish]

Every thing is accounted for.....
Plus with the brittle star and all of hermits (sorry, I forgot to mention
those) it would not last long
Mc

"Billy" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> "Rod" > wrote in message
> ...
> | what type of bio filter are you using?
>
> His 300lbs of LR should be adequete.<g> I agree with the other poster
> that he has something rotting in there, but that doesn't address the
> hair algae issue, and I'm not sure on that one.
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.745 / Virus Database: 497 - Release Date: 8/27/2004
>
>

[John]

I'm a newb but I'll take a stab at this. If its totally overgrown with hair
algae you may need to export some. Just like sumps where you purposely grow
algae, it must be cut back at some point. The nutrients are stored in the
algae and I'm guessing some will die off so that will feed a cycle, it also may
be the reason you see ammonia.
~John

[Marc Levenson]

Try reading this article:

http://www.melevsreef.com/gha.html

Marc


Mctabish wrote:

> I am having a MAJOR issue with hair algae!!!! All over every thing except
> glass.
>
> First: Here are my chems
> Ammonia: 0.15
> Ph 8.1
> NO2 0.0
> NO3 0.0
> CA 305
> Magnisium 870
> PO4 0
> Alk read normal (LOW/HI/NORMAL test kit.)
>
> I just bought a new test kit as I have suspected my old, but I am getting
> the same results.
>
> Lights are 2 month old (all replaced in order to try to get hair algae under
> control....) 10k MH and 10K and atinic PCs
>
> I rarely feed the tank. so external souces are next to nil. Source water is
> RO/DI with new cartages (and tested for NOs and PO4)
> I have added phos sponge just to make sure.
> My coriline algae was very pink but now is much paler, but building up still
> on the glass and where the hair is not.
>
> I have mostly soft corals with some hard coral, several damsels and some
> shrimp and then a bunck of Turbo, bumble bee and narc snails. I also have a
> good size red brittle star. Mostly consumers for the most part.
>
> Salt is 1.21 Help please.... What am I missing??
> Temp is usually 79-81
>
>
> Thanks
> Mc
>
>

--
Personal Page:
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Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
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[KB]

>It may sound stupid but I heard of somewone having problem with
Ammonia and it was because of the Windex being used around the tank.

Ken
>
> Mctabish wrote:
>
> > I am having a MAJOR issue with hair algae!!!! All over every thing except
> > glass.
> >
> > First: Here are my chems
> > Ammonia: 0.15
> > Ph 8.1
> > NO2 0.0
> > NO3 0.0
> > CA 305
> > Magnisium 870
> > PO4 0
> > Alk read normal (LOW/HI/NORMAL test kit.)
> >
> > I just bought a new test kit as I have suspected my old, but I am getting
> > the same results.
> >
> > Lights are 2 month old (all replaced in order to try to get hair algae under
> > control....) 10k MH and 10K and atinic PCs
> >
> > I rarely feed the tank. so external souces are next to nil. Source water is
> > RO/DI with new cartages (and tested for NOs and PO4)
> > I have added phos sponge just to make sure.
> > My coriline algae was very pink but now is much paler, but building up still
> > on the glass and where the hair is not.
> >
> > I have mostly soft corals with some hard coral, several damsels and some
> > shrimp and then a bunck of Turbo, bumble bee and narc snails. I also have a
> > good size red brittle star. Mostly consumers for the most part.
> >
> > Salt is 1.21 Help please.... What am I missing??
> > Temp is usually 79-81
> >
> >
> > Thanks
> > Mc
> >
> >