ok guys im still kind of new to the hobby and im having some problems with my new 14g biocube its about a month old now and ive got a terrible diatome and green hair algae problem the tank is close to a window i dont have water parameters yet but ill update tonight any insight is greatly appreciated the stocking list includes a sailfin bleny a coral banded shrimp some turbo snails an emerald crab and a ricordea
help with algae
- Thread starter masterchef518
- Start date
ok here are the parameters ph is high at about 8.8 nitrites are 0 nitrates are 0
amonia is 0 and phosphates are between .25 and .5
amonia is 0 and phosphates are between .25 and .5
What are you using to test your pH? That is way high, starting to get into the harmful areas.
The diatoms, normal, nothing anyone can do to avoid that stage and usually happens the worst at months 1-3 after setup. Hair algae, ugh, hate that stuff now. A million different methods to help with that, none of them seem to be 100% successful though from my trials, ie, someone will tell you Turbo snails will solve it... they will help, but not solve it. You need to do several different methods to get rid of that, and one of the best methods I have read about, but not tried myself, is get a bottle of Kent Tech-M and dose until you get your magnesium levels above 1500. From everything I have read, it isn't the magnesium actually doing to problem solving, there is some other ingredient in Tech-M that seems to rid the tank of hair algae once you get magnesium above 1500. If you use any other type of magnesium supplement it doesn't seem to work from all the reports I have read on it. For me, I was fed up with it and just took out my rocks and scrubbed all the hair algae off with a toothbrush because I was tired of dealing with it.
The diatoms, normal, nothing anyone can do to avoid that stage and usually happens the worst at months 1-3 after setup. Hair algae, ugh, hate that stuff now. A million different methods to help with that, none of them seem to be 100% successful though from my trials, ie, someone will tell you Turbo snails will solve it... they will help, but not solve it. You need to do several different methods to get rid of that, and one of the best methods I have read about, but not tried myself, is get a bottle of Kent Tech-M and dose until you get your magnesium levels above 1500. From everything I have read, it isn't the magnesium actually doing to problem solving, there is some other ingredient in Tech-M that seems to rid the tank of hair algae once you get magnesium above 1500. If you use any other type of magnesium supplement it doesn't seem to work from all the reports I have read on it. For me, I was fed up with it and just took out my rocks and scrubbed all the hair algae off with a toothbrush because I was tired of dealing with it.
its an api test kit and what can i do to bring the ph down with out hurting the fish and yea im not getting it on my rocks just my glass and other fixtures i guess im getting in there with a tooth brush
I was under the impression Tech M was for bryopsis, not hair algae.
But I agree w/ everything else stated, especially in a new tank.
Aggressive skimming and WC's w/ RO/DI are best.
Lots of snails, I like astrea and ceriths best myself.
But I agree w/ everything else stated, especially in a new tank.
Aggressive skimming and WC's w/ RO/DI are best.
Lots of snails, I like astrea and ceriths best myself.
Sorry, I thought bryopsis and hair algae were one in the same. 
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167632
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167632
my tank had hair algae and calupera algae that i put in for a grassflat effect. once i got turbos to eat the hair algae the calupera outcompeted it. not everyone likes planted sw tanks tho
HA while being an ugly PITA is relatively easy to scrub off, and much easier to treat as opposed to bryopsis, or what I call the devils weed!LOLSorry, I thought bryopsis and hair algae were one in the same.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167632
But you are correct on Tech M, and not just any ol mag to rid of that, and yes, it's a certain chem found in only Tech M and one other I've heard of that I can't recall at this time.(I think it was mag chromide vs bromide or something to that effect)
In my worst case of HA I actually pulled out all rock, scrubbed all, dunked in a series of SW buckets to clean, used an electric toothbrush, and then ran tank w/out light for 3 days while I worked on the nutrient issues.
The bry was much more difficult to rid, I actually took a propane torch to the rocks that had it!(don't do this, at least not w/out a good respirator!!)
Don't get frustrated, algae issues are common on new tanks, it gets better.
Pretty sure caulerpa is native to Florida, but most varities are illegal here in CA.
It's the other "devil weed" IMO
