hair algae

[kriskatatstrophic]

soo i have some hair algae on my live rock but im using all rodi water is their not enough flow someone told me that was the issue are they right?

 

[OhNoNemo]

A lot of things could be causing it...I hate when people always assume its from using tap water( not that you are saying that),but a lot of people do ...
Could be from feeding flake and causing high nitrates ,long light schedule ,just to name a couple....maybe get some readings of your water..

 

[Dakwan]

It's usually a site of high nitrates and phosphates which using plain tap water contributes to... it's also usually a sign of overfeeding or the style of food you feed.

if you are feeding pellets, they usually contain high phosphates and if you feed frozen food then thaw it out before feeding in a cup of tank water and drain the cup of fluid before putting the food in the tank...

just my 2 cents and maybe someone else can chime in with ideas

 

[Bifferwine]

It could also be overstocking, overfeeding, using crushed coral substrate, using canister or HOB filters... It could be a lot of things.

 

[Dakwan]

test for nitrates (and phosphates if you have the kit) and post the number here

 

[kriskatatstrophic]

i dont know if i have crushed coral sand i bought natures ocean live sand..i do have a hob filter..i generally feed flake but i do have frozen that i feed a cupel times a week should i lay off the flake and go sole on frozen?

 

[Dakwan]

I'd place my bets on the hob filter pumping out nitrates.. You have to clean that sucker religiously otherwise it becomes a nitrate factory. What media does it have inside? sponge? You should be cleaning it very thoroughly at least once a week.

You probably don't have crushed coral.. if your sand looks like sand then you are fine.

If you are going to feed flakes or pellets then look for formulas that say something like "Low Ash" or "Low Phosphorus" or both.

 

[yote]

My bets on the HOB filter to.
Are you running a skimmer? If so what kind?
What exactly are your parameters?
How long are you running your lights? What do you have in the tank fish wise?
How long has the tank been up and running?

If you can answer those questions,we can probably get you headed in the right direction for getting rid of the algae.

 

[kriskatatstrophic]

i dont have a skimmer...right now..are red sea prizm skimmer bad?
lights are on for a total of 7.5hours
2 oclearis clowns and a small wrasse max size 5 inch shes 4 inches now
ummmmm like 4 months or so

 

[yote]

I dont know anything about those prizm skimmers.So I cant help you there.But you do need a good skimmer.That will make a HUGE difference.
Another thing.You tanks fairly new,so you can pretty much expect to have algae.The first several months of a taks life are usually plagued with algae outbreaks.
Plus a 4 inch wrasse is a pretty big fish for a 37 gallon tank.The bigger the fish,the more waste they produce.

 

[Bifferwine]

Prizms are not good skimmers. I used to have one. Save up for a different one.

 

[kriskatatstrophic]

what one would you recomend i realy dont want to set up a sump agen the last one i got screwed on and it crashed my system i might be able to set one up but i dont know yet

 

[Piratefish]

Algae scrubber, I swear by mine.

 

[Ulta]

Bad bulbs can contribute to nuisance growth also.

 

[hazelsdad]

i was having hair algae issues focused on water changes 10% every other day and got me a sea hare. Hare cleaned tank in 2 days. Now i have to supplement with seaweed strips and clean the glass alot less.