hair algae and low alk?
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Help
Forum Name: General Help
Forum Description: The place to ask about pest, problems, hitchhikers, etc.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=63126
Printed Date: April 18 2024 at 10:07pm
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Topic: hair algae and low alk?
Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Subject: hair algae and low alk?
Date Posted: March 23 2013 at 8:29pm
I've been battling hair algae for about 3 months now since i moved the tank from my old apartment. I assumed most of the algae growth was due to excess nutrients while i broke in my new skimmer, and the upgrade from 2 bulb to 4 bulb fixture.
The last few days i have notices my acans are receding and my chalice is loosing its flesh around the outside edges. My leathers, shrooms, frogspawn and hammer all seem to be unaffected.
I took water sample and noticed my alk is abnormally low. (it normally fluxuates between 8-9)
Params...
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Ammonia: 0
PH: 7.8 (not sure why its low today?)
Phosphate: between .25 and .5 hard to tell on this stupid color chart
Alkalinity: 7
Calcium: 440
I've been careful not to overfeed each feeding and i am on a 2 day feed one day fast schedule. Im kinda stumped now as to why this hair algae is getting so bad. I do have the thought that maybe my bulbs are going bad and i should replace them, but i dont know if replacing all 4 at once is a good idea or not....
Any help is greatly appreciated.
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Replies:
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: March 23 2013 at 8:32pm
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phosphates are high, alk is a little low... Do you do water changes often? How's the flow around the chalice and acans?
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Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: March 23 2013 at 8:50pm
I normally do a 10-15% water change every 2 weeks with saltwater bought at the LFS. It just occured to me that this last month i used a bucket of kent brand reef salt i got for free. Im curious to see what the alk and ph looks like on a fresh batch...
The chalice has been in a medium flow area for almost a year with no issues. The acans are up a wee bit higher and get much more flow. Should i move them?
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Posted By: Bryce
Date Posted: March 23 2013 at 9:15pm
Dose some soda ash mixed in ro water (sodium carbonate) aka baked baking soda (350 for 1 hour) (2 tsp per 50 gal a night for a few nights keeps the increase about .8 dkh a day), or the just the alk portion of two part, it will raise the pH and alk. If you have your tank where no/ little fresh air can get to it it can lower your pH. Do you run gfo or phosguard? if your phosphates measure that high on a test kit AND you have hair algea the amount is most likely greater as the hair algea is using the phosphates as well. Whats your magnesium? you can slowly raise the up to 1500ppm-1600ppm to melt away the hair algea.
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65g Reef
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Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: March 23 2013 at 9:32pm
I dont dose or test for mag so i honestly have no clue. I do run a phosban reactor with gfo and i thought i had changed it recently but i think i will do a water change tomorrow and change out all my media as well.
Good info on the baking soda...
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Posted By: bur01014
Date Posted: March 23 2013 at 10:54pm
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Never trust your source of water....I tested a local fish stores rodi water and it had 21 ppm tds...best to break down and buy your own rodi unit
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Posted By: phys
Date Posted: March 24 2013 at 5:00am
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the lights could be the other issue... It could be all the above problems that's causing your corals to recede. Turn down the lights so they can acclimate, test and change your water to bring your levels up, change your gfo to bring down phosphates.. Don't do it all at once though, you dont want to stress the corals too much more.
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Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: March 24 2013 at 2:29pm
I actually have an RO/DI unit but the wife and I moved into our in-laws a few months ago trying to get debt paid off while we prep for our first baby.... Long story short they dont want all my fish stuff all over the house and the basement where the tank is has no plumbing. Im tempted to buy one of the adapters for a sink faucet and use it as needed.
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