Kessil

Time to replace lights!

Euphyllia

Euphyllia

Guest
BARcard
As some of you know I'm breaking down my 14g tank due to dumb hair algae, selling all the corals (which I made a buy, sell, trade thread for), and setting it up again. I've had the tank for a year and I've heard that lights need to be replaced every year. I found what I'd replace the lights with but I want opinions, suggestions, and options before I chose. Here is what I found...

http://www.nanotuners.com/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=32
 
Not to derail your light purchase part too much, but maybe the old bulbs were part of the cause of your algae woes? What makes you think that starting over won't result in algae all over again in another year? I think it is best to learn from this tank to figure out what is the problem and how to solve it.

Things which could help correct your algae problem:
1) good bulbs
2) manual removal of all the algae you can...do it constantly while fixing other parts
3) lower your bioload (less feeding/fish)
4) fuge in 2nd chamber
5) nano-skimmer
6) more/larger water changes
7) balanced ca/mg/alk (when coral is happy, it helps)
etc
 
I had been thinking the same about the lights. I've tried everything I could think of but nothing worked to stop the algae. The first small sea hare I bought disappeared after two days and the next large one I bought died after two days. I've pretty much given up on stopping the algae and that is why I'm resetting up the aquarium. I'll try the things you suggested after I set it up again, but the one thing I really regret is leaving the rock in the that the hair algae started on and I didn't take it out for a month or two. That is what started the catastrophe. Now I know whenever I see hair algae to take the rock it is on out of the tank for good.
 
Reducing my lighting period, switching to higher kelvin lights, adding snails, running GFO, growing chaeto in my fuge, and doing more water changes worked for me. There still is some hair algae but the snails keep it at 1/8" and it's disappearing more and more every day.
 
Every snail and hermit crab I get is lazy. There is hair algae growing in the back compartments of my 14g. I'll do what you guys suggest for helping keep a better tank and keep algae down, but I still am going to reset it up so I have an opportunity to scrub the tank spotless and dry it out for a day or two and get the tank looking better. Once I've got everything going again, I'll make the mods you guys suggest on both of my tanks.
 
Gomer said:
Not to derail your light purchase part too much, but maybe the old bulbs were part of the cause of your algae woes? What makes you think that starting over won't result in algae all over again in another year? I think it is best to learn from this tank to figure out what is the problem and how to solve it.

Things which could help correct your algae problem:
1) good bulbs
2) manual removal of all the algae you can...do it constantly while fixing other parts
3) lower your bioload (less feeding/fish)
4) fuge in 2nd chamber
5) nano-skimmer
6) more/larger water changes
7) balanced ca/mg/alk (when coral is happy, it helps)
etc
Click to expand...
What he said..
I removed hair algae manually for several months. I don't think changing light will fix your problem.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top