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Ammonia/HairAlgae

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jaschall View Drop Down
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    Posted: April 08 2010 at 8:42pm
For the past few months Ive had a problem with some hair algae. Ive read through many post about how to fix the problem, including Marks post. So far I have got rid of 75% of it after doing many different things. Well a few weeks ago when I tested  my water every thing was looking good. Monday I did a 2 day with no lights then a water change after the 2 days which killed off most the algae. Today I did an other test which read
Nitrite  0
Nitrate 0 
PH 8.2
Ammonia .50
So my question is would the dying hair algae raise my ammonia to .50
I plan on doing an other water change tomorrow. Thanks for any help
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Mark Peterson View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 08 2010 at 10:41pm
What was the level of Ammonia test the time before this one?
 
If we assume that this recent test is a correct reading, my thought is that the dieing algae didn't contribute directly to that level, but it did contribute indirectly. When there was plenty of algae in the tank, it ate the Ammonia and other Nitrogen. Now that the algae is gone, what is left to eat N compoundsQuestionConfused
 
QuestionDo you have a RDP Refugium? If so turn on the lights 24 hrs per day for a while to help eat up the N until other processes can take up the slack. If no Refugium, place a ball of Chaeto up high in a saddle in the LR where it can get some good light.
QuestionWhat is the sand bed like? Is it clean white or is there a lot of life in it? How deep is the sand bed and what particle size? 
QuestionWhat about rock on the bottom of the aquascaping structure covering areas of the sand? Any of that? If so, the next time you get the urge to make a change in the rocks, do a little of what I call the "tripod method."
 
BTW, water changes are a lot more trouble and no more effective than growing good algae. Algae eats Nitrogen pretty darn fast in the Refugium with the added a ball of Chaeto in good light in the display.Smile
 
Please let us know how it goes.
Oh and one other thing, be sure to increase the snail population even a little more what seems reasonable. There is nothing like a good crew of herbivores to keep the rock from breaking out in hair algae all over again.Wink


Edited by Mark Peterson - April 08 2010 at 10:45pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sterling18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 08 2010 at 10:46pm
Yes, organic matter die off will spike the ammonia.  But if you have a good bio filtration it should absorb the spike.  But if your algae was absorbing your ammonia and now it's gone, then that would be your spike.

Edited by sterling18 - April 08 2010 at 10:47pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jaschall Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 09 2010 at 2:40pm

I was kind of thinking the same thing about the die off and that the hair algae was keeping levels down. There was a few things I didnt add that also could be the cause. I put a sea hair in the tank a month ago to help things out and havent seen him since the first week. My boy told me that he seen it last week but Im thinking maybe not.

I do have a refugium that I will run lights 24 hours a day. My sand bed in the main tank is about 3 inches deap white on the top form the diamond goby I have, looks to have life down below I hope. Also in my sump I have a 4 inch sand bed of crushed coral about 1/4 in size, and have some live rubble rock  in there to.  I wouldnt mind doing some aquascaping
that way I can try and find that seahair. Do you have a pics of our tripod method, I would like to check them out. Oh and yes I have added many snails in the last 2 to 3 months but maybe I can a a few dozen more.  Thanks again for the help. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jaschall Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 09 2010 at 4:48pm
Ok I didnt do a water change and tested my water today.I then took some water to Aquatic Dreams just to make sure the ammonia was at 0.They also gave me a leason on how to test for the calcium and alk, Ive had some test kits for them but was lost a little on how to do it. I have just a little more hair algae to deal with which should be gone soon.
Alkalinity 11
Calcium 500
Nitrite  0
Nitrate 0 
PH 8.2
Ammonia .0
I would like to add that if you are having algae problems run a filter sock. After cutting back on lights the algae becomes loose from the rocks and floats around. My filter sock was full of it after I went 2 days lights out.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 11 2010 at 8:17pm

The tripod method - see what I wrote about Aquascaping in the "Tips and How to's" section here: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244

Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:
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