Hostile algea takeover, help

Alright guys and gals I need some serious help. I've been fighting this losing battle for the last 4 months or so. I have green hair algea all over my live rock and some red slime cyano. When it started my phosphates where high so I bought phosban or something like that. Within a month phosphates were gone but algea just kept multiplying. All other parameters were fine.i've been doing water changes every week close to 50% per LFS . Lights were changed after 6 konths. Plucking algea w tweasers and razor blades. Algeafix hasn't done ****. You get thepicture.

As if this wasn't enough over the last month no matter how much kalkawasser I add to the tank my calcium parameters have been down to the 320-360 range.

What is going on???

 

are you using tap water?

and about the calcium, the best thing to do is read... but its a very close correlation between a combo of elements in the tank
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

 

Do you have any kind of macro algae in a refugium or anything? And how old is the tank? I deffly agree with Dingo tho you can't just dose for calcium. You gotta watch the magnessium and alk also.

 

+1 on above
if you cant keep your calc up, then I would suspect your magnesium is low
in simple terms, think of magnesium as a binder and it takes 3 of them to hold 1 ion of calcium in suspension in your water

additionally many people run elevated magnesium levels as certain species of algae dont do well at these higher levels

but having said that, dont just add magnesium supplement to your tank - as like any other parameter, things need to be changed in gradual increments

get your mag level tested- check out the 3 reef calculator , and then using the advice contained applicable to the magnesium product of your choice, raise your mag level to 1400 - 1500 then your target calc and alk should not be an issue IME

also check out - the algae thread stickies at top of this forum for some great advice ojn dealing with algae issues

Steve

 

Just a thought....I changed to Oceanic Salt. It has high Cal and Mag. I never have to dose those. I defeated GHA through a number of things..mine took 3.5 mo. Just keep doing what you are doing...change the phosban and charcoal every month, and it will go away. Watch overfeeding.

 

How old is the tank?

I would test your water change water for Nitrates and Phosphates. It could be that the water change water contains high levels of both and the algae is using before the Phosban reactor can pull it out.

 

Post some pics. If they look like tiny palm fronds you might have the dreaded bryopsis.

 

:Wow thanks for all the quick replies this site is very helpful!!!

FYI I have a 12 gallon aquapod and I use DI water that I buy at grocery store and use instant ocean salt which seems to contain no calcium or mag, so switching might help. I don't have any macro because I'm not sure where to put it in the tank because of the cover, could i put it in fitration area? Isn't there a risk it could take over? which of the marco grows slowest? I don't have a phosphate reactor due to space limitations but I do have 2 bags of phosban placed in filter area and one carbon bag. Phosphate and nitrate levels are good. I attached a pic caus im not sure how to put in on the post. Tank is 9 months old

 

Ouch, get in touch with reefcleaners.org, john can ID that, looks bad real bad.

 

made an algea scrubber and hopefully that will take care of that problem. If it doesnt work then ill contact him thanks