Very, very peculiar algae problem...

I've had a bad problem with hair and bubble algae in my 75 gallon tank for a long time now, but there's no good reason for it. A few months ago I was battling a nitrate issue (got up to about 20 ppm or so; not really sure why, I'm running a Reef Octopus 1000sss skimmer and doing weekly 5 gallon water changes) so I ended up getting a NextReef MR1 with Warner Marine bio pellets. The nitrates slowly went down but the algae stayed. Nitrates read dead zero (sailfert test), and phosphates read pretty much zero (API test). For lighting I'm running a white/blue 3W creed LED DIY system, and for flow I'm running two mp10s. The only herbivorous fish I have in the tank is a foxface, and besides some virtually useless snails and hermit crabs, I don't have much of a clean up crew.

It seems to be getting better, but not fast enough. >_>


Please, feed me some knowledge.

 

do you run GFO?

 

Nope.

 

GFO would definitely help

 

Def run gfo and if you can cut lighting a couple days or a week. Gfo from brs is what I use and pretty much love the stuff.. Hope that helps. Also are you using ro/di? Is the tds zero?

 

+1,you probably have enough phosphates to feed it,it's hard to tell with the API kit.It would also be good to remove as much as you can manually or when it does die off it will release it's contents or nitrates and phosphates back into the water.

 

Just for the record I have a low range phosphorus Hanna checker that would be the most accurate way to test PO4 levels in an aquarium, even with water measuring .12ppm the API has always shown zero. They are pretty much useless for testing PO4 in my experience.