hair algae

[canuckreef]

well figured i may as well put this one here....
i have a bad case of hair algae..
my water tests are good.. i use r/o water..cut my lights
(VHO icecaps 660) to 4 hours.. feed just enough for them to have some food.. do water 5 gal water change ever 10 days..(have a 55 gal tank) so i am not sure..why... i had some great macroalgaes growing..but i trimmed too much i think and let the hair algae take over.. so i am open to your help.. thanks...

[Mitchell]

Is the hair algae on just one or two rocks?
I had a bothersome rock and I removed it and useing a NEW toothbrush just scubed the hair algae off. I used water from a water change to rinse it. I then let it sit in my sump for a couple of weeks.
Seems to be fine now.
Give us some more details. How old is the tank? what are your params? What livestock do you have?

[canuckreef]

well my livestock is listed under...Do your fish have names..!!

my tank is about 10 months old..

i have to test everything again for exact params..but they all are within good readings..!!

i was told that maybe i dont have enough circulation.. and my skimmer may not be pulling enough out..!!

i have 4 inches of southdown (yes) playsand and reeflor as my dsb...

the algae seems to be on the rocks closest to the surface or lites..
but is on all rock more or less..

i will check my #'s and let you know.. thanks..

[canadawest]

Check your phosphate level as well, as the hair algae has to have some sort of nutrient source.

Have your RO water tested for phosphates and TDS. Could be that the membranes or pre-filter cartridges are overdue to be replaced. And if they are still fairly new then perhaps the input water is just high in phospates to begin with. In that case only an RO/DI unit will remove all of the phosphates.

Once you determine what the phosphate source is and remove it, you can use a product like Kent Phosphate Sponge to remove the remainder in your tank. Now without a nutrient source for the algae you will have a fighting chance at ridding yourself of it.

[seabass]

what kind of filter are you running and what inside of it?