Any way to speed up protein export.

[tkhawaja]

I'm waiting for J&L to have Reef Custodians in stock to get my order shipped but I'm looking for other ways to speed up the protein export. I'm trimming the macro algae and all the hair algae I can get my hands on, on a weekly basis. The protein skimmer is going all the time. The refugium has macro algae growing in it as well with the lights on about 18hrs a day. I've got lots of snails of various kinds munching on the stuff. Even a few corals of unknown types starting to grow. But there is still a lot of protein in the water as the hair algae keeps on coming back. Less every week. . ...

Is there ANY way to speed up the protein export? Or is my water circulation likely not enough to keep it all syspended for assimilation?

Tank is 72"x18"x18". Velocity T2 from sump, 2 MaxiJet 900, 1 MaxiJet 1200.

[christyf5]

The "less every week" is the encouraging part. That stuff doesn't go away overnight ya know :wink: your skimmer is probly going as fast as it can. And I know they say things eat it but I have found manual removal is best. And having it float around in the water column isn't so good, it will just land somewhere and start up again. Get as much of the floaty bits out as you can.

Patience grasshoppah. Keep yanking the crap out, eventually it should go away.

Christy :)

[canadawest]

And check to see that your phosphates are ZERO as they are a major contributor to hair algae in my experience.

Best way to help remove/reduce phosphates is to:

1. Use RO or better yet RO/DI water for all make-up water and water changes

2. Drip Kalk if you are not already doing so. Kalk precipitates phosphates immediately on contact and has the added benefit of maintaining your calcium levels.

3. Keep a refugium with caulerpa (sounds like you're already doing so)

4. Keep up the manual pruning of the stuff.

It was a plague in my tank about a year ago and took over 6 months to tackle, but did eventually completely dissapear. Just another one of those "natural cycles" in a marine aquarium I think.

I've lived through both hair algae and Aiptasia, I can live through anything now! (Including the nasty red-slime algae that has decided to now pop-up the past month) And here my tank was so nuisance free for so long!!! Sigh. :confused:

[tkhawaja]

I am doing all that and the water I'm using is industrial strength pure and free thanks to the father-in-law. I guess I'll just go on with the routine and keep on saving for the Tunze Stream setup.

[sumpfinfishe]

If your using RO/DI water I would suggest stepping up the water changes to 15% weekly for the next few months. This may sound extreme but when it comes to nuisance algae everytime you remove or trim it back you cause small die-off which in turn will add pollutants back into the system. After a few months of weekly water changes and the other suggestions above, you should start to see a big improvement. Alkilinity should also be checked as if it's low, it too can also help contribute to algae problems.

Starving the system of nutrients by doing these weekly changes should eventually have a payoff, plus it will help replenish desired levels of Ca, Ph, and Alk.

Goodluck and patience is a major factor :biggrin:

[tkhawaja]

Thanks for all the suggestions. It's encouraging to hear that eventually it will all go away, with normal maintenance procedures.