Brown Hair Algaea???

[Pysiek]

Okay. I just realized I cannot connect the phosban reactor to my current pump since I use PVC piping. Now I need to buy another pump :(

 

[rrbigdog]

I think that's a good start and you will see some improvement in a week.

 

[Pysiek]

Guys I need help!!! My Snapping shrimp already started to hunt my new clean up crew. Last night about an hour after I put them in my tank I witness a ALMOST crime. He was already pulling one of the Dwarf Red Tip Hermit Crabs inside his cave. I saved him this time but I'm pretty sure some of them got eaten overnight. How do I catch and get rid off this shrimp? I do not want him to eat my whole crew.
One more thing these Dwarf Red Tip Hermit Crabs are great!!! They start to eat the algae as soon as I put them on the rocks.

 

[jahel318]

I see your nitrates are 0....how about nitrites and amonia? As for your shrimp you can put him in a smaller tank or sell him if you're afraid he'll kill your crew or even put him in the refugium. I think your crew will help quite a bit with the algae.

 

[Pysiek]

I want to put him in refugium. But how to catch him :-)

 

[jahel318]

I saw this product on Dr. Foster and smith for algae control...it's called NO3 PO4-X. $12.99 for 500ml and $21.99 for 1 Liter

 

[Northstar24]

I see your nitrates are 0....how about nitrites and amonia? As for your shrimp you can put him in a smaller tank or sell him if you're afraid he'll kill your crew or even put him in the refugium. I think your crew will help quite a bit with the algae.

With that kind of algae, and readings of 0 nitrates are false negatives. He's testing positive for phosphates and algae needs both phosphate and nitrate to grow. There is a threshold for both phosphate and nitrate where algae cannot grow. Because of the nitrate process, it is easier to treat the phosphate as the limiting growth factor

 

[Pysiek]

I was able to purchase a Maxijet 400 power head and use it for Two Little Fishes Phosban Reactor. There is one thing that I'm curious about. In the instructions they said to adjust the water inlet so the pallets inside the phosban won't tumble too much against each other. Otherwise they will grind to powder. To achieve that I need to close the inlet valve almost all the way. Is that normal? Also I use 50g of pallets per 50G of water as the label says.
And just an update on the clean up crew I purchase from liveaquaria. They are doing wonderful job. More then half of the algae is gone. I think that the Dwarf Red Tip Hermit Crabs doing most of the work.

 

[jahel318]

I'm glad the hermits are eating your algae. Hopefully this will resolve the problem all the way. If not, just like Northstar says, you need to eliminate phosphate totally and there are many methods to doing so.....

 

[ErinCahir]

To catch your shrimp you can put a pint glass (or another tall glass) in your tank with a bit of food at the bottom. He'll be able to climb in but not out. It may take a couple days to catch him, but you just need some patience. You can also try feeding him with a net or by hand so he associates those things with food and won't run away from you.

As far as your parameters, North is right. You're not seeing a reading on nitrates because the algae is using it up before it can be measured. If you have algae, you have nitrates.

 

[Pysiek]

I will recheck everything after a week. And see if the phosban is doing its job :)

 

[Pysiek]

To catch your shrimp you can put a pint glass (or another tall glass) in your tank with a bit of food at the bottom. He'll be able to climb in but not out.

Is highball glass to tall or it should work fine?

 

[Aquarian]

You could fill your pint glass with beer, and put some food in your net. Every time the shrimp jumps out of the net you take a drink, if you tip a coral over you take two.
I don't think you'll catch the shrimp this way but you'll have a lot more fun trying.

 

[ErinCahir]

Is highball glass to tall or it should work fine?

Depending on how big he is you'll be good with a highball.


And super giggled. Best. Drinking game. EVER.

 

[Pysiek]

Will give it a try. For how I can keep food in the glass?

 

[Aquarian]

Will give it a try. For how I can keep food in the glass?

Use a small piece of rock rubble to hold it down.

 

[Pysiek]

I'm sorry. My last sentence didn't make sense :-) .
My question was for how long I should keep food in the glass? Should I replace it everyday?

 

[ErinCahir]

Yes.