Reward: $50 for Algae Solution

[Bifferwine]

There are two types of turbo snails commonly sold -- astraeas and Mexican turbos. Astraeas are great for the glass, but won't do much for your rocks. Get a Mexican turbo or two. They are algae eating machines and tend to stick to the rocks.

 

[tubz]

How is the hair algae battle going? I too was having the same problems, but am finally seeing all the rocks again.

 

[sen5241b]

Keep your reward. I will be shocked if phosphates are not your problem. People so very often underestimate the importance of keeping phosphates low. Tests revealing high phosphates DO indicate a problem and are not "misleading". Forget about the test tubes. Take your tank water to an LFS that uses an electronic phosphate tester that can test for low levels. Their are different ways to prevent and eliminate phosphates. Use little flake food, understock but especially use a phosphate reactor or a fuge with cheato. Cheato will not work unless you give it high flow and intense light. I've taken two tanks to zero phosphates and both times I used only a fuge.

 

[poksal]

OK.. this is a question as much as a comment...
..one of my LFSs has a tank with a lion fish in it.. (so most animals have no chance) and it has a LR with some coral I like.. but the tank was heavy with hair algae.. so I told him if he can get that tank cleaned up and I like the condition I may be interested in the corals.. He put (I think) a colorful cucumber in the tank and as I stop by I'm seeing a major change happening... does that help and does it make sense? .. or is it some other animal? I think he said it was a cucumber.

 

[sen5241b]

OK.. this is a question as much as a comment...
..one of my LFSs has a tank with a lion fish in it.. (so most animals have no chance) and it has a LR with some coral I like.. but the tank was heavy with hair algae.. so I told him if he can get that tank cleaned up and I like the condition I may be interested in the corals.. He put (I think) a colorful cucumber in the tank and as I stop by I'm seeing a major change happening... does that help and does it make sense? .. or is it some other animal? I think he said it was a cucumber.

Good idea but that is not a long term solution. The cucumber will eat the algae, maybe outpacing its growth, but that does not remove the phosphates from the tank! Removing phosphates from the tank is referred to as phosphate export and there are only 2 ways to do that --see my previous post.