Is Debris in tank normal????

Admittedly I have not been keeping up with this thread so please excuse if I say something already stated.

Removing hair algae and expecting coralline to grow in its place might be a tad bit ambitious. Identifying the causes of the hair algae is where you should start – what coralline desires and when hair algae desires are radically different environments.

Hair algae, check phosphates, nitrates, DOC’s, abnd old lighting.

Coralline, proper lighting is very important, consistent SG, calcium around 400, ALK about 3.0, strontium, no nitrates or phosphates.

So if you have hair algae you truly need to resolve the cause before you can have reasonable expectations of growing coralline.

Again, I am at work and didn’t read all the posts – sorry if I repeated or missed an obvious. Good luck to you !!

 

good point

Not had a GHA issue in current set up (touch wood) but had plenty of issues with it in previous set ups

if it was on rocks with no life forms on, then I removed from tank and pulled algae off , and scrubbed in bucket of tank water, which after a final rinse of the rock , I threw away - done weekly at water change time, and coupled with correction of water quality issues, I elimated GHA on a previous set up

but when it was growing on something that could not be removed ( such as rock base leather coral was on that had grown and become attached to adjoining rocks ( so would have had to lift to much and even then it would not fit in the bucket) in that case I picked as much of with finger tips and did use toothbrush, in advance of water change so that I could syphon as much GHA as I could after the scrub

again combined with addition or renewal of GFO media , you do eventually conquer the problem ( you remove more than grows each week)

Steve

 

it would probably be easier and safer for your clam to just put an algae eating snail on the rock and let him go to town

 

Back to the debris flying around....make sure they are not micro-bubbles. I made that mistake. I thought it was particles. Unplug all your pumps and if it clears in a minute or so...Look for source of microbubbles. As far as coraline..defeat the GHA and be patient. It will come. Mine is just now fully covering the rocks. took 12 mo.

 

Thanks for the lesson Steve K+. I also use the ole faithful Turckey Baster method as well on the rock. To mattheuw1's point though where does the GHA go???? I hope the sock and the skimmer collect it respectively.

 

Hey Ghost, Karma to you as well for the lesson. K+

I'm learning and appreciate all your posts. I hate to be this low in the knowledge chain. Maybe one day I can help others.

 

Just one thing about filtering..... my thought was always to filter the crap out of the water and remove the stuff before it broke down. I always had low nitrates too. But all that stuff in the water column is food for something. Even when I ran very fine filter pads, I could still see stuff with the moon lights. It was never clear.

Then I saids screw it. Plus I put in a fuge. Now I want all that crud in the water column feeding everything. My fuge is healthy, and I have what I think is good coral growth. My skimmer takes out plenty, and my circulation keeps it suspended.

Use a sock if it really bothers you. If I went back to one, I would use socks. Seems the easiest. However, more maintenance and cleaning. I can live with what I have. Maintenance free. And zero nitrates. Pretty good combo to me. At least wait till your skimmer gets broke in and working and see if it is any better.

Oh ya... I wanted coraline too...could care less now. I would rather have my reef covered in coral and not have to scrape the glass every week. Coraline actually grows with regular light. Grows well in my fuge and skimmer, not in my tank.