[reef75]

I am having a problem with red and hair alge and was wondering wht is the best way to get rid of the alge. All my test are 0ppm, my specific gravity is 1.024 and my PH is 8.2.

Reef75

[scubadude]

Originally Posted by reef75

I am having a problem with red and hair alge and was wondering wht is the best way to get rid of the alge.
Reef75

Hi Reef75
Well you either have water that has more dissolved solids from time you mix it w/salt or you have to heavy of a bioload on your tank probably.

Some ways to help might be:

Get an RO/DI unit and check it to make sure its working correctly
Clean your skimmer more often, or get a more agressive one
Decrease the amount of fish/inverts/corals in your tank
Increase the volume of water in your system by maybe adding a refugium
Dont feed your tank as much

Originally Posted by reef75

All my test are 0ppm, my specific gravity is 1.024 and my PH is 8.2.

Which test are you referring to ?

[Lance]

Do you know the nitrate and phosphate readings. This could be from lack of flow , water source , overfeeding and overstocking.

[reef75]

My nitrate is 0ppm and my phosphate is zero. I only have three fish a tang and angle and a blue dansel. I have a gobie and star fish and a mixture of crabs and snails. I am in a process of doing a water change. My UV light went ou so I am waiting for a replacement blub and I think I am going to buy a more agressive protein skimmer. Any suggestions.

[zhenya]

Originally Posted by reef75

My nitrate is 0ppm and my phosphate is zero.

Of course they are, your algae consuming it so hobby test kits are pretty useless at detecting it since nitrogen and phosphorous is being consumed by the algae first ( and growing, too).

I only have three fish a tang and angle and a blue dansel. I have a gobie and star fish and a mixture of crabs and snails.

Well, as far as I can tell you have four fish... goby should be counted as fish as well. But that is not the point, four fish in a 75g tank is not a problem at all.
I'm thinking that perhaps you need to look at your feeding schedule and amount of food added, then look into a sourse water.Perhaps your RO/DI is not performing well?
After that, I would definately look into a better nutrient export mechanism. Maybe adding refugium and grow macro algae in it to outcompete the nuissance algae?
There are many ways to skin a cat, as you know, so adding as much information about your set up is critical in getting better suggestions.

[bongobrian]

Hi reef75-

I know that you want to get to the root of the problem, and the others have given some good advice and steps to take. Something else that you could try is adding a Foxface Rabbitfish as they are one of the best, and one of the only fish that will eat hair algae. We had a slight hair algae problem in our 180gal at my office, we added a sweet Bicolor Foxface and he had the hair algae cleaned up within a week or two. Just another suggestion that might help you to control the problem. Sometimes when hair algae takes hold, it can be a real chore to get rid of. Good luck!

[Samper]

One thing I tell people to do quite often is to blast their rock work out with a powerhead or a turkey baster. You will be surprised how much deitritus has built up in the rocks over time. Blasting it out allows your skimmer to remove it more efficiently and so will an increase in flow for the display. Aggressive water changes with RO/DI water and keeping the skimmer clean will help. Manual removal and the addition of a refugium to out compete will help you in your quest. Also the bulb age should be checked. When bulbs become old they shift spectrums and can fuel undesirable growth but the nutrients are still feeding it.

[reef75]

Here is my specks on my 75 gallon.

Sump tank
Little Giant Magnetic Drive Pump 650gph
CPR90 Overflow 650gph
Turbo Twist UV 9watt run with a RIO 600 200gph
Ice Cap Retro. Kit running 4 110 watt VHO bulbs


I feed them 2twice a week Mystic Shrimp
I just did a 10 gallon water change.

Is a Foxface Rabbitfish reef safe.

Thanks for all the info that everyone has given.

Reef75

[rjs5134]

I'm by no means, an expert on this topic, but have been down this road as have most of us. A few observations, I think, based on mostly what I've read here, the 75 gallon is on the small side for all but a few dwarf angels and just about all tangs. Not sure what type or size angel and tang you have but this could be a contributing factor. Along the same lines, the 75 gallons may be on the small size for a fox face which are usually good citizens in a reef, with some exceptions. Addition of another fish of this size may help with the hair algae but would contribute to the overall problem.

I cured my problems by increasing the flow, especially in the problem locations, purchased a very oversized and efficient skimmer, increased my water changes and maintained better water quality overall.

Good luck