Please help me solve my GHA problem for K+

Discussion in 'Algae' started by gabbagabbawill, Apr 1, 2010.

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  1. steve wright

    steve wright Super Moderator

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    Do you have GFO in your filter system at all Gabba?
    Algae is extremely good at extracting nutrients hence the test kits can give false readings - the nutrients are being used as fast as they are generated


    Steve
     
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  3. gabbagabbawill

    gabbagabbawill Pajama Cardinal

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    why would old bulbs cause algae growth? It seems like new bulbs would give out more par and be more light for the algae... is algae growth really that spectrum dependent?
     
  4. gabbagabbawill

    gabbagabbawill Pajama Cardinal

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    nope No GFO. I use carbon and a Chemi-Pure poly-filter pad... in fact, I'm on my third poly-filter in three weeks.
     
  5. reefmonkey

    reefmonkey Giant Squid

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    Rods ftw. I don't know about the SF brand never used it but Rods definately no binders.
     
  6. Ultraner

    Ultraner Purple Spiny Lobster

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    Algae grows best at a lower k temperature than what new bulbs produce. When your bulbs begin to get old they produce a lower kelvin resulting in algae growth.
     
  7. drew3

    drew3 Blue Ringed Angel

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    ya i agree also feeding one cube a day seems like alot my suggestions would be reduce feeding to everyother day and shrink the time your lights are on to about 6 hours, increase flow and run your skimmer full time
     
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  9. gabbagabbawill

    gabbagabbawill Pajama Cardinal

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    The reason I feed one cube per day is b/c my fish get aggro if I don't. Especially the lemonpeel and wrasse. I will consider limiting food as a last resort. What about half cube per day? I could probably do that.
     
  10. gabbagabbawill

    gabbagabbawill Pajama Cardinal

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    are you saying 6 hours total or 6 hours daylight? does't seem like enough light to me either way.

    I have tried turning the lights off for 24 hrs to stave off the algae... everytime the lights come back on, the tank looks better, but the algae comes right back again...

    I'm seriously thinking that I need a sea hare to at least remove the algae otherwise, it will keep coming back as long as the nutrients are there...

    Do sea hares convert the nitrates and phosphates and make them less available for algae to consume? If so, that would be a good short term solution to get this under control... b/c I'm thinking that the nutrients could just be stuck in the tank until I get them out... water changes and sea hare could do the trick, right?
     
  11. blackraven1425

    blackraven1425 Giant Squid

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    Pull it off with your hands and throw it away in the trash, or put in some chaeto/kelp/caulerpa/gracilaria in fuge/DT and prune regularly for nutrient export.

    I'm in favor of growing macroalgae in-tank, despite it not being the way reefs are found naturally. It looks better and provides a better system for the other things living in there because of how good it is at getting rid of nitrates and the value of having gracilaria/kelp available 24/7 when it comes to feeding tangs.

    A sea hare will eat the algae and release nitrates and phosphates later. It'll likely have hardly anything trapped at a given time.
     
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  12. reefmonkey

    reefmonkey Giant Squid

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    sorry for the mini jack gabba..

    I do as well. I saw a softie reef not long ago with grape caulerpa, flame algae and a couple other types that looked awesome.