Chronic Hair Algae and Haze( newbie member)
- Thread starter gobie1313
- Start date
Aquaman_68
too many gadgets to fail
Sand can be a sponge for phosphates & organics..That is why I reccomended getting some replaced...Do you have a TDS meter to see what the tds of your product water is?
Aquaman_68
too many gadgets to fail
IO is all over the place with all it's values from one batch to another.. but mag should be close..
TDS...is the amount of metals in the water.. (or solids which is metals & compounds) Are you using city or well water... I suggest you get yourself a tds meter...You can buy a cheap one on ebay for about 20.00...
BTW...I beleive the club does test for phosphates at the meeting..
They have a photo meter.
I wouldn't get to crazy about phosphates yet...You should have a tds meter to test your product water being produced so you know whenj it's time to change filters...(It's not only about how they look) usually when they look like they ned changing they are way past that point already!!
TMI?? Your head ready to explode??? Welcome to the hobby!!!
PM me if you need to....
B
Aquaman_68
too many gadgets to fail
what color...Green ,white or tan?
alpha0r
Non-member
You have not mentioned much about your skimmer. A poorly functioning skimmer could be a major issue for you. So what skimmer do you have and how much stuff does it produce in a week and what color is the stuff. Is it mostly clear like dirty water or is it brown like tea or dark like coffee? Does the skimmer produce junk everyday or is it hit and miss?
Many of the wet-dry systems I have seen don't control the water level in the compartment that the skimmer sits. So as water evaporates the skimmer may stop working properly. You can fix this by adding in a baffle which should cost less than 10 dollars or using an auto top off which is closer to 100 bucks.
If the haze is bacteria the skimmer should pull a lot of it out. A skimmer will also reduce your nitrates and phosphates.
Once you get your skimmer working right, you may also consider vodka dosing. There is a good introdutory article this month on reefkeeping.com.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php
Many of the wet-dry systems I have seen don't control the water level in the compartment that the skimmer sits. So as water evaporates the skimmer may stop working properly. You can fix this by adding in a baffle which should cost less than 10 dollars or using an auto top off which is closer to 100 bucks.
If the haze is bacteria the skimmer should pull a lot of it out. A skimmer will also reduce your nitrates and phosphates.
Once you get your skimmer working right, you may also consider vodka dosing. There is a good introdutory article this month on reefkeeping.com.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php
swreef103
Non-member
i remember those days..my first set-up was a complete failure due to green water also known as pea-soup...u should definitely take the bio-balls out..and try not to use chemicals during the first 6-8 months...lots of carbon and a good skimmer...hair algae can be a pain but just make sure u have a good clean up crew...
OP
OP
gobie1313
Well-Known Member
great article on the vodka dosing. I cant help to think the article writer took a shot or two in between dosing, No wonder his tank looks better!LOL
I cant see the brand on the skimmer but it works by an outside water pump, pushing water against the baffles inside the unit. It produces about a half a cup a week. Dark iced tea color. The lesser the amount the darker the color.
I had it turned off for two weeks while I treated a minor case of ick. When i turned it back on the other day it filled about a quart of light colored tea for 3 days straight. I only 2 different mushrooms, and a few button polyp's.
I cant see the brand on the skimmer but it works by an outside water pump, pushing water against the baffles inside the unit. It produces about a half a cup a week. Dark iced tea color. The lesser the amount the darker the color.
I had it turned off for two weeks while I treated a minor case of ick. When i turned it back on the other day it filled about a quart of light colored tea for 3 days straight. I only 2 different mushrooms, and a few button polyp's.
alpha0r
Non-member
You should be getting much more than 1/2 cup a week on a 135. I really think this could be a major factor causing you problems. I know money is an issue and tuning your skimmer costs nothing while modifying it to get better performance can cost very little cash.
If you could provide more info I think we could help you tune the skimmer. So what is the exact model, pump, and does the water level stay constant where the skimmer sits?
If you could provide more info I think we could help you tune the skimmer. So what is the exact model, pump, and does the water level stay constant where the skimmer sits?
OP
OP
gobie1313
Well-Known Member
i cant see the brand, the unit is in the sump. No paper work from previous owner. The is a red handles valve on top, when i turn valve an increase the water flow. You can see water level creep up into the first chamber. I originally read up on this unit, the valve should be adjusted so the water level
is high enough that you cant see it through the first chamber. The bubbles then rise into the second chamber and out a tube into a bottle.
The water does vary in the sump, but it should not effect the flow, the intake tube is resting on the bottom of the sump and always covered by water.
is high enough that you cant see it through the first chamber. The bubbles then rise into the second chamber and out a tube into a bottle.
The water does vary in the sump, but it should not effect the flow, the intake tube is resting on the bottom of the sump and always covered by water.
alpha0r
Non-member
so the setup looks like this?
pump-->valve-->skimmer
This seem odd to me. I would think it would be like this.
pump-->skimmer-->valve
If you could please tell me what pump it uses that would be a huge help in identifying the skimmer.
The valve should be adjusted so that the skimmer produces consistent skimate not a predetermined level. The recommendation you listed is only a starting point.
You are correct that the water level outside the skimmer won't affect how much water the pump pushes into the skimmer but it will affect the water level inside the skimmer and give you inconsistent results.
If you could take a picture of the setup it would really help me identify the type of skimmer you have (needle wheel, becket, venturi, ect.) and help me help you adjust it.
I really believe poor skimmer performance is at the heart of your problem here.
pump-->valve-->skimmer
This seem odd to me. I would think it would be like this.
pump-->skimmer-->valve
If you could please tell me what pump it uses that would be a huge help in identifying the skimmer.
The valve should be adjusted so that the skimmer produces consistent skimate not a predetermined level. The recommendation you listed is only a starting point.
You are correct that the water level outside the skimmer won't affect how much water the pump pushes into the skimmer but it will affect the water level inside the skimmer and give you inconsistent results.
If you could take a picture of the setup it would really help me identify the type of skimmer you have (needle wheel, becket, venturi, ect.) and help me help you adjust it.
I really believe poor skimmer performance is at the heart of your problem here.
Greg Hiller
BRS Moderator
>About the algae, its soft and brownish and comes off easily when i siphon the water<
This is cyano bacteria. Snails or hermits generally don't eat is, but in some ways it is easier to deal with. I suggest for some length of time you siphon it out every few days.
Please DON'T try something like Vodka dosing for now.
>[skimmer] I had it turned off for two weeks while I treated a minor case of ick. <
What do you mean by this? What did you use to treat for ich?
This is cyano bacteria. Snails or hermits generally don't eat is, but in some ways it is easier to deal with. I suggest for some length of time you siphon it out every few days.
Please DON'T try something like Vodka dosing for now.
>[skimmer] I had it turned off for two weeks while I treated a minor case of ick. <
What do you mean by this? What did you use to treat for ich?
