Persistant GHA (1 Viewer)

[klondike4001]

I've been battling Hair Algae in my parents tank for a few months now, no discernable levels of Nitrates, PO4. Calc, Alk, and Mg are within acceptable ranges, and thier skimmer is working well as well as a healthy fuge. Been battling the GHA for a solid 6 months now, turbo's haven't done the job and neither has sea hares. Tried the 3 days no lights and no major change was noticed, I'm litterally pulling my hair out at this one. Looking to see if anyone has an off the wall idea they can throw my way.


AGA 75gal
Reef w. LPS/SPS
2 X 250W MH lighting 8hrs/day
Temp 78-80
Alk 8.0
Calc 425
Mg 1300
PO4 0.02
NO3 0

 

[Mark L.]

How old is the tank? Could the live rock be leeching phosphates? If so they may not be detectable in the water column since the HA is consuming them quickly. Could you remove some of the rocks and manually scrub them off in a bucket of clean saltwater to remove the HA? If it's newer rock 6 months should be long enough for them to leech any stored phosphates. If it's an older tank you may have "old tank syndrome".

 

[tektite]

Have you tried elevating your magnesium levels with Kent tech M or dosing hydrogen peroxide?

 

[klondike4001]

How old is the tank? Could the live rock be leeching phosphates? If so they may not be detectable in the water column since the HA is consuming them quickly. Could you remove some of the rocks and manually scrub them off in a bucket of clean saltwater to remove the HA? If it's newer rock 6 months should be long enough for them to leech any stored phosphates. If it's an older tank you may have "old tank syndrome".

Tank is about 3 years old. Very few pieces of rock aren't encrusted with some kind of coral -.-

Have you tried elevating your magnesium levels with Kent tech M or dosing hydrogen peroxide?

I've thought about it, I'll run it by my parents and see if they will be in town long enough to dose/test.

 

[Mark L.]

I'd probably try what Cat suggested then. That may work.

 

[Copingsaw]

You can try AlgaeFix. Here is a huge post about it on ReefCentral:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1595003

It seems to work miracles for some and for others does nothing at all. For me it did nothing at all. Apparently it depends on the type of hair algae you have, which apparently cannot be determined without a microscope. I've also tried dosing hydrogen peroxide at 1ml/10 gallons and that has had no effect either. My hair algae problem is not that bad. I've read that once you have it, it won't easily disappear even if your tank parameters are solid. You need to manually remove it. I'm not sure how much truth there is to this but I'm nearing that point with my tank.

 

[ange062]

My 2c after dealing with GHA for a while:
1) Add a GFO reactor, even if you can't measure phosphates they are likely still there and just being consumed from the water column by the GHA and other algae before you can measure it. Glass cleaning interval is the best way to "measure" phosphates IMO.
2) As Cat said, slowly raise your Mg to 1700 during your battle, afterwards drop it to 1500. I've done this with no adverse effects and it seems to help with the GHA.
3) Pick off as much as you can with some type of tweezers. Then use a toothbrush to scrub down the rock and remove ALL of the GHA. I did this in the tank with no issues.
4) Keep your rocks clean! Add flow to dead zones. Watch out for collecting food in high-flow zones where the powerhead may cause food to stick on rock. Use a turkey baster to clean detritus off your rocks on a daily basis until your issue is under control.

HTH

 

[klondike4001]

My 2c after dealing with GHA for a while:
1) Add a GFO reactor, even if you can't measure phosphates they are likely still there and just being consumed from the water column by the GHA and other algae before you can measure it. Glass cleaning interval is the best way to "measure" phosphates IMO.
2) As Cat said, slowly raise your Mg to 1700 during your battle, afterwards drop it to 1500. I've done this with no adverse effects and it seems to help with the GHA.
3) Pick off as much as you can with some type of tweezers. Then use a toothbrush to scrub down the rock and remove ALL of the GHA. I did this in the tank with no issues.
4) Keep your rocks clean! Add flow to dead zones. Watch out for collecting food in high-flow zones where the powerhead may cause food to stick on rock. Use a turkey baster to clean detritus off your rocks on a daily basis until your issue is under control.

HTH

He already runs GFO, no help at all, and his glass stays pretty clean, only requires a once a week cleaning. When I visit this weekend I'll be checking his Mg levels and dosing appropriately.