Mobile Bay Reef Keepers

Hi I am a new member. I am new in the reef tanks. My Tank has a lot
of hair algae. I cant get it out. If someone can give me some advise.
I also like to see of I could get some nice lethers.

Thanks
Herbert
Stinxray@aol.com
205-685-9825

hi and welcome to the club"

with out knowing all of your variables here are some ideas

first of all you must use Reverse osmosses water, not tap water and you can get an R.O. unit from Rich at progressive marine
I made this very mistake my self, whin I first started.
over feeding will cause it , old lights will cause it "improper lights "

or if the live rock was not fully cured, and not knowing this you may have ran your lights 8-10 hours whitch is normal for fully curd rock-
-but not for uncured rock

check your PH and your sorce of water check for phosephates,

the algae in your tank will drop the phosephates and give you a false reading so remove the algae first and check the water conditions the next day

and of course over loading your tank before it cycles will cause it

are you running a protine skimmer ? (A must have )

I am running to metal halides of 150 20K and a Strip
The water that Iam using I am getting on the saltwater place here in
Bormingham.
I am not running a Skimmer
My PH is on the dot
How I will remove the algae from the tank?

The next major purchase you make should be a protein skimmer rated for at least twice your tank's volume. Also, how much water flow do you have in your tank? Hair algae grows better in near stagnant water. Do regular water changes. Even if your nitrates and phosphates read at appropriate levels it may be that the algae is consuming them too fast for them to be picked up on a test kit.

As far as removing the algae you need to attack it on different fronts. First add animals that will eat algae (tangs, rabbitfish, hermit crabs, emerald crabs, snails, sally lightfoot crabs, certain damsels eat a little of it). Secondly, you can scrub your rocks it a bucket of saltwater with an electric toothbrush. Pull it out with your hands (most animals wont eat it if the strands are long). Keep it cropped back. It will take a while to eliminate it from your tank unless you empty your tank of rock and scrub it at one time. Be patient but diligent. I have had the same problem you have had at one time. And do at least two partial water changes a month for a while.

James

Hi Again;

My Tank is of 75 galons.
the sump is for 75 galon with skimer build up.
What do you suggest.

Thanks
Herbert

How long do you run the lighting?
How old are the bulbs?
How long has the tank been set up?
What kind and number of inhabitants do you have?
How often and how much do you feed?
What is your maintenance regimen?
What are your tank parameters?
Have you tested the water from the source?

hcakebox, Dont know if you knew, but there is a bunch of reefers up in your area that have a forum on reef central. Most of them are in North Alabama and would also be a good group for information, trades, or local meetings. The link is http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisp ... orumid=167

GeoGriffin wrote:Anjel, Dont know if you knew, but there is a bunch of reefers up in your area that have a forum on reef central.

That made no sense, her sig says she lives in Mobile, Al which is southern Alabama, why would she want to be involved in a reef club in North Alabama probably 4-6 hours away.

Actually it was meant for hcakebox. I accidentally must have looked at the wrong post and put Anjel instead. Thank you for kindly pointing that out.

Np, at all.