How deep is your sand bed , and is your rock pushed below the surface of the sand?
What is the coldest your tank gets? And in your sand bed?
Ninelive$
__________________ NineLive$
280 gal Lee Mar w/ 2" ID returns and supplies (x2)
Dolphin 2" pump with 2" supplies and returns
2x 250 watt MH 10K
6x 96 watt actinic
300lbs LR
Mixed reef
180 gal acrylic sump w/Euro skimmer w/ 2 pumps
2' x2' ball of chaeto and 100lbs LR
509 Deltec carbon/phos(2 to 1) reactor
96 watt smart 20 hours on
Scuran 1000i Cal reactor 6.5 ph
Why do advanced hobbyist who know that hair algae is from high phosphates ask"what are your paremeters"
...
The reason is actually very simple. Some water parameters are more critical than others. Unless you know as many as possible, it is not always possible to give a complete and correct answer.
For example -
If your SG is off there is no point in worrying about pH, calcium levels, alkalinity and so on.
If your pH is off, it can be a major factor in algae growth. Low calcium and/or alkalinity can be factors in growing coraline algae. If you get that growing well, it can help take care of the hair algae problem.
Any ammonia reading is a giveaway that the tank is not cycled completely, has something dead in it, or overcrowded.
Also, it gives a guide to how careful the person is maintaining the system. Someone with a lot of parameters off, may have a host of other problems that need to be addressed first. Sometimes people ask the wrong questions, and water parameters help us see what the tank is doing.
You know i have the same problem as well. All my parameters read 0 across the board but i have hair algae growing EVERYWHERE. I have no fish in the tank, 4 corals, 20 different kinds of hermits, and 7 turbos. My rocks are touching the glass at the bottom and my sand bed is about 1 1/2 thick. I use RO water and Instant Ocean salt also water changes about every 3 weeks. The tank has been established for about 3 months now. Any ideas what could be causing my headaches with algae?
Part of your problem is that the tank is new. Three months is just getting started. Many reef systems go through this phase of algae growth.
You don't mention how large the tank is, so I can't tell if you have enough snails and hermits. Usually you want about 1 to 2 snails per gallon of water, so your number does sound low.
Your sand bed is also incorrect. Either reduce it to about 1/2 inch or increase it to 4 inches. Having it in between allows it to become a dirt trap, with out the benefits of a DSB.
For now, keep removing what algae you can and don't overfeed anything. Keep making water changes. If you are not doing it, test your nitrate and phosphate levels. You want them as close to zero as possible.
i am having the same problem but my water is fine and we dont know what to do nxt
Welcome to RAG!
The other 9 pages of this thread cover hair algae in great detail, and what you can do about it. That should answer most of your questions.
Tell us all about your tank. Think about it. Telling us "my water is fine and we don't know what to do next" does not give us any information to help us solve your problem.
Here is the basic information that should be provided -
Size of tank
How long has it been set up?
The filtration system in use
The skimmer in use
Other water movement items such as powerheads and closed loops
The lighting system
The amount of live rock
The depth of the sandbed
The live stock in the tank, fish, corals, and inverts
The feeding schedule and what is being fed
The water parameters, especially nitrate and phosphate
The salt brand in use
Are you using RO/DI water to mix your salt?
What additives are you using if any?
I know it's a long list, but keep in mind something that you may believe to be minor may mean a great deal to someone trying to diagnose the problem.
my tank is 5ft by 2ft i have been running the tank for 1 year we have three power heads power full ones the skimmer is in use we have hali lighting and we have 75 kg of live rock our sand is about 2 inc we have two tangs two clown fish two chromis one cleaner wrass, manderine algea blenny two cleaner shrimps 1 pepermint shrimp 46 hermit crabs 16 snails two sea hair slugs 2 lettuce slugs leather coral toad stolls 2 star polops green xenea pulsing xenea mushrooms we feed the fish mysis twice a day we get ro and salt water from the local shop we have a canaster uv lights and the hair algea has been there for a few months
Thanks For Your Advice I Will Get Some Of That Boyd Chemi Clean Asap How Many Do I Need To Order Why Dont Any Of The Reef Shops Tell You About This Stuff
NineLive$
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