please help me get rid of hair algae

I got a hair algae outbreak about a month ago and it has taken over my rocks and ill use a syphon to suck it off the rocks but it just shows up again. I have two 150w halides with 14k bulbs and they are on for 8 hours a day. I need any suggestions to help kill the hair algae and how to keep algae off my tank walls because for the 8 hours my tank lights are on I have to scrub the inside with my mag float every 4 hours or it looks cloudy. Normally the algae on the walls isnt an issue but I am going to college next year and need a way to maintain algae for a month until I can come home because I don't want my mom to have to do it everyday.

 

What are your phosphate and nitrate levels?
What size tank do you have and what is it stocked with?
How often do you feed?
What filtration equipment do you have?
How often do you do water changes?
Do you use rodi water?

Answer these questions and we will be able to help you much better.

You will most likely need to get granulated ferric oxide to help control your phosphates.

 

my nitrate is about 20ppm and I dont know my phosphate but I take a water sample to the LFS and they say all my levels are normal.
It's a 75 with a blue tang, powder brown tang, six line, 2 oscellaris, yellow tang, cleaner wrasse, and a seaweed blenny. Also, corals like a bubble, goniopora, open brain, candy cane, long tentacled anemone, mushrooms, purple hornets, and another asst. of zoos.
I usually feed a 1 square inch of rods food a day.
I have a fluval 305 and one of those ecoaqualizers...btw the ecoaqualizer hasn't really shown me much of an improvment in anything.
I usually do about 5 gallon wc's about every two weeks. There is about 50 gallons of water due to the displacement of the rock. Idk how many lbs of rock there is I forgot to keep track.
I do not use rodi water i just use the water from my tub's faucet but I use prime to neutralize the chemicals

 

if your using Tap water anything you do to battle the algae is going to fairly ineffective, chemical additives can only change whats in the water to non-toxic forms and they don't do anything about phosphates. I had the same issue and stubbornly refused to use RODI, in the end i spent a ton of money on media reactors and various filter medias and still had to give in and use RODI to beat the algae

 

I highly suggest a refugium with chateo and mangroves and then a complete CuC (clean up crew) from Reefcleaners.org

The chateo and mangroves will use up the phosphates and nitrates the hair algae needs to feed on and the CuC will clean the rocks better than you or I can.

 

My tap water had a ton of Phosphates and nitrates as well. I would assume most of your problems come from that. That is kind of a lot of fish for a 75 gallon, especially without a protein skimmer. If you could score a skimmer that would take out a lot of fish waste and stop some of the pollution. Until you stop it at its source the algae will keep thriving and the skimmer can help slow down the growth.

 

The right questions have been asked here. Phosphates and Nitrates are the main contributors. Usual culprits are overfeeding and tap water.

Keep in mind that when you test your tank water or have your lfs test it for you that it can test ‘ok’ because the excess nutrients are being consumed by the algae at the same rate of production. So the water can test ok on paper but does not pass the ever more important eye test.

I am a little concerned when you say “I use a siphon to suck it off the rocks” – hair algae is to rocks as a my brother is to a dollar….neither one is letting loose without a fight.

Just to make sure we are discussing the same thing, you can look here for an ID: trial page, algae ID or post a pic. I wish you luck with your tank and at college next year !