Calcium Reactor & Hair Algae

[Lock]

I have a 125 gl reef which I was using a self maid calcium reactor (can be seen on my home page) on. The reactor seemed to work well, keeping the calcium at 450+. I developed a bad case of hair algae and fought it for some time. All of my perameters were great. I was really stumped as to why I couldn't get rid of the algae . So I decided to turn of the reactor. Since then almost all of the hair algae has died off. I'm thinking that I wasn't getting Co2 into the tank and there by promoting the algae growth. I would really like to use the reactor. I was dripping the out put (PH 6.50 - 6.75, Tank PH was stable at 8.2 - 8.4) straight into the sump before. Any ideas on a better way of doing this?

Thanks in advance for any info.

[scubadude]

Hmmm very interesting.....I think I have heard of this before....might want to do a search....if you dont come up with anything or noone answers then I would ask Randy Holmes at RC he has his own forum there on Reef Chemistry.

[mrok12]

I woiuld venture to say that you were seeing the results of execess CO2 in the effluent. This is not that uncommon. All the CO2 is not utilized and finds its way into your tank. I reccomend a dual stage reactor becuase the CO2 has a better chance of being utilzed with the addition of another chamber of media.

I had a similar situation on a planted tank where the CO2 went nuts so to speak. I had pea soup before I knew it. CO2 is a nutrient for al plant life and microalgea suck it up. They can grow faster and thereby outcompete other organisms. The also have no particular rythem for growth. They can grow all the time unlike other organisms. I would at the very least use a ph controller. If finances permit add a second chamber to the reactor. Alos make sure you have lots of current.. this will help blow the excess CO2 off as well
MROK12

[fishpoo]

drip kalkwasser was my solution and will probably do wonders for your hair problem.
second chamber does little if anything to get rid of the excess CO2. The makers of these reactors even state that. The second chamber is to make it more effiecent in the use of aragonite if any use at all.imo

[naser]

well everyone knows growers use co2 to make bigger healthier plants.. in our case it just makes bigger healthier hair algae

[Iron Crab]

I had the same problem with the hair. I had my output drip hose from the reactor in a covered sump right above the water line. What I did was uncover a part of my sump and raised the drip line about a foot over the sump and I have it dripping in where one of the return lines from the tank is at. This area has a lot of water turbulence. My hair algae is now under control. This seems to have worked for me.

[chip]

some say you can drip your effluent into a cup filled with reactor media, drill a hole in the bottom for the effluent to enter back into the tank. Extra co is released through breaking down media and trickling through.

[rendos]

You should turn your CO2 down. You are probably getting a lot of CO2 in your effluent that is causing the algae to grow.