Lighting and algae?

[Slyguy00]

I don't have a good nitrate or nitrite test right now just a crappy nutrafin. I use salifert for the big 3 though. Would you suggest getting a salifert nitrate kit or a hanah checker? I am actually curious to know an accurate nitrate reading coming out of ro. The water must be bad though because iv only ran about 100-150 gallons of water through my ro and already the sediment filter is turning brown.

[asylumdown]

I didn't know Hanna had a nitrate checker. I'm lazy so if I could choose between a handheld checker and a test kit that relied on me matching a colour wheel I'd probably pick the hanna device lol.

I use the Red Sea nitrate test kit because it uses the same reagents as the Hach machine that I use at school (which really shouldn't go down the drain but there's not much you can do about that), but I'm gonna try and find me the hanna one now!

[Slyguy00]

Im not posative hanah has a nitrate checker or not. I just thought i remembered seeing one.

[Cal_stir]

I battled the battle a few years ago, almost threw in the towel, found a thread on RC but can't find it now, think it was Bertoni, as I recall, this is what I did.

No water changes (somehow feeds it)
Reduce flow (spreads it around)
Slowly increase ph to 11dkh and temp to 80F (irritates it)
Run a filter sock and change daily (collects it)
Skim wet (removes it)
Lights out for 4 days, 15 min ambient light daily to lightly feed the fish (kills it)
After the lights out, blow off the rocks, vacuum the substrate, and do a 20% water change. (cleans it up)
Bring the lights back on with reduced photo period, about 1/2 time
If any sign of recurrence then lights out 4 more days.
Slowly bring tank back to normal
My SG was 1.026 and I was running carbon and GFO

I know it sounds a little unorthodox but it worked for me.
All inhabitants survived OK.
It has never come back (knocking on wood)
Good luck!