Bad Hair Algae

[likwid]

Well I did the 3 days without light technique and most of the cyano is gone. All of the hair algae remained however. I have decided to change from fill it yourself RO water from walmart, to pre bottled distilled water that says 0.01 ppm on the bottle. This will be more expensive, but I will try it out and see what happens. I have also changed the flow in my refugium so that the water flows under the baffle and up throw the liverock and chaeto, instead of just overtop of everything like before (mis-read the DIY instructions).

[Reefer Rob]

The lights out thing seems to totally annihilate cyano, I don't know for how long. I think it might help with your hair algae if you did it regularly, say once a month. Did the lack of light have any negative effect on your corals?

[likwid]

Nothing negative as far as I know. Yesterday was the first day with them back on, and I only put actinics on, so it is hard to gauge. My toadstool and xenia werent standing as tall as they usually do, but I think that is just temporary.

The hair algae still looks the same to me as far as I know. How does it look when they are dieing off?

[Reefer Rob]

I didn't wait for mine to die off. I only had a few patches, and I basted mine with boiling RO/DI water (my remedy for everything ) The next day there is nothing but bare rock.

[Canuckgod420]

I dont think you should use distilled water....I cant remember where I read it but distilled is not good....I use a RODI unit but in a pinch if I need water I use my Canadian Springs bottled water(demineralized using RO).
Never had a problem using this...and maybe someone else has also heard about the negative effects using distilled.

[likwid]

Originally Posted by Reefer Rob

I didn't wait for mine to die off. I only had a few patches, and I basted mine with boiling RO/DI water (my remedy for everything ) The next day there is nothing but bare rock.

Anything negative about basting with boiling water? Besides making sure the fish arent near it when you are basting? Will it harm the rock or my tank in any way?

[Reefer Rob]

If you have a small tank you need to be careful not to raise the temperature too much. In any case just do a small patch at a time. The rock will be bone white for a while after, but coralline will re-establish again. Protect your corals with a shield such as an oyster shell, but the water isn't really that warm except right where you're basting. I would start by pulling as much out as you can, without letting any get loose in the water. When it's nice and short baste what remains on the rock.

[likwid]

Ya I tried basting a patch with boiling water, and that did nothing at all to it. I also added some nitrate media in a bag and a phosphate sponge to my refugium. I'm beginning to think that this algae would survive a nuclear holocaust. I am getting very frustrated here!!