What Can I Do About Hair Algea?

[heavenly_d3vi1]

I'm not sure how helpful my journal will be, not sure ive kept it very updated lol. I dont have a sump yet either, so will have to go in the main tank for now. Yes any rock I get will be cured, and I bring it home in water, so will hopefully be ok!

 

[heavenly_d3vi1]

Ive just been doing some googling.. I've come across a few pages that say maki sure your lights aren't too old as GHA thrives in red spectrum light, I'm using the t5's that came with my tank still which happen to be 2xwhite and 1xred! Should I replace the red, and what should i replace it with?

Also found myself a volunteer scrubber! Tho he is also my mechanic and my car needs fixing before my GHA lol. Hopefully, around fixing the car, I'll atleast be able to fit in a shopping trip today for nitrate and phosphate remover and test kits, and some green emerald crabs if my lfs has them!

 

[seffieuk]

I think its a big ask to get someone to scrub your live rock for you, with the danger of being tagged by something. If you are able to cycle your new live rock in a seperate box/tank, then do that do a nice big water change and add a big cuc.

You do need to run a phosphate and nitrate remover unless you plan on going the dosing route, such as redsea, vodka, vit c? Do you have an external you could run with it in?

 

[fishy55599]

trust me mexican turbos, i got em for the glass, but they dont touch the glass only the rocks. they will do it quickly

 

[seffieuk]

Ive just been doing some googling.. I've come across a few pages that say maki sure your lights aren't too old as GHA thrives in red spectrum light, I'm using the t5's that came with my tank still which happen to be 2xwhite and 1xred! Should I replace the red, and what should i replace it with?

tubes should be replaced every six months - so its likely they all need changing

 

[fishy55599]

why every six months?

 

[seffieuk]

why every six months?

Because they lose their spectrum:

Although fluorescent lights are very energy efficient, there is a particularly nasty phenomenon known as "cathode decay" that causes, over time, less energy to be transferred through the mercury vapor. The net effect is that the tube will emit less and less light as it gets older. To all appearances, the tube will put out the same amount of light until it suddenly stops dead one day, (which can take years), but for all practical purposes, because the drop off in light output is an exponential decay, the tube should optimally be replaced every six months

Source Aquaria.net

 

[fishy55599]

crap, mine are nearly 7 months old, but i cannot afford new yet.
with some corals from various.
then some things im getting from TP
and then candy apples


would they be ok for a few more months?

 

[seffieuk]

Why not replace one at a time that way spacing out the expense - I suspect for the corals you have it will be fine for a while. But be aware they will be losing spectrum all the time and this can contribute to algae problems and of course the corals use the full spectrum for growth

 

[fishy55599]

ill have to find out what they are and the prices

i think they should be fine for a bit, could that be why im getting that red on glass also?

 

[heavenly_d3vi1]

Oh my, 6 months!? The place I got my tank from do 2 for £25 with free postage, so I'll get them ordered! I have a fluval 405 in the cupboard, i can get that out and set up, and have a water change planned for monday when the kids are off at school, does 50% sound ok?
I do have a big bucket I can stick any new LR in with my spare mixing powerhead and heater, just to be on the safe side! How long would I have to leave the LR in there, until i see diatoms?

 

[seffieuk]

Oh my, 6 months!? The place I got my tank from do 2 for £25 with free postage, so I'll get them ordered! I have a fluval 405 in the cupboard, i can get that out and set up, and have a water change planned for monday when the kids are off at school, does 50% sound ok?
I do have a big bucket I can stick any new LR in with my spare mixing powerhead and heater, just to be on the safe side! How long would I have to leave the LR in there, until i see diatoms?

Just be careful when doing the water change HD, could someone do it for you?

You would leave the live rock in there until you have no trace of ammonia, nitrite

 

[heavenly_d3vi1]

Yes I can get my scrubber to do the water change too.. He's not worried about all the nasties, he's a fisherman so is more than used to handling marine life! luckily he offered to do it before I asked, so I dont feel as bad about him doing it for me now! lol

 

[seffieuk]

Yes I can get my scrubber to do the water change too..

Lucky girl, you got your own scrubber and he is a fisherman, what a package, go on, now tell us he is your brother

 

[heavenly_d3vi1]

Haha, no.. not quite! He's my eldest 3 kid's dad!

Now, Ive got 2 emerald crabs, a pot of rowaphos, a pot of seachem de-nitrate and a salifert phosphate test (they didn't have any nitrate ones! the phosphate test has come back a very clear 0, litrally looks like ive filled the lil tub with drinking water! I assume thats because all the phosphate is being 'used' by my GHA! Ive got some filter bags too, as I'm just too lazy to dig out my external filter at the moment, so gunna use them til i can find the energy to dig through my cupboard.