green hair algae HELP!

blackta3

i started my tank about 7 months ago. about two months ago green algae started to grow about the time i got my strip light. it's one 10000k and one blue acintic. i have a regal tang, a domino damsel, a cleaner shrimp about twenty hermit crabs and two turbo snails i bought recently to help with the algae. also i'm still reading no nitrates at all in the tank, and i dont have a phosphate test. i got some water from the lfs to see if something might be wrong with my kit but it read nitrate in there water. i thought this might have something to do with the algae. any information on how to fix this problem? also i bought some snails a while back and they all died. maybe this can help determine the proble. thanks.

blackta3

also i forgot to mention i only run my lights 6 hours a day.

anemone

You need to check your phosphates

blackta3

hi i just added a phosphate absorber.do you think this will do the job? i dont have a phosphate test so i took a sample to the lfs and they couldn't test for phosphate. i found a test but it was 20 dollars. since i have the phosphate absorber do you still think i need a test? also what are the chances phosphate is my problem?

anemone

Hopefully the link below help you understand better

cheers




http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dyn.../lib3/phos.htm

blackta3

ok i tested my phosphate and it is zero. hair algae is still growing and i also have brown algae. my nitrate is undetectable. seems like i should have at least a little nitrate since the other tank i have has about 10ppm and i started them at the same time. should i get a protein skimmer? will that help. someone please help me.

usmc121581

One get a skimmer. As for the hair algea. You need to remove the rock and scrub the algea off. Dont do this in the tank. As it will spread and cause more problems. What tests are you using?

blackta3

for the phosphate i'm using an api test and for nitrate and everything else i'm using a doc well fish tesk kit. i will take the rock out and scrub it and see if that helps. does a protein skimmer remove phosphate?

blackta3

if anyone else is having this problem look at this site. http://www.amdareef.com/ho_algae.htm

blackta3

i still need an answer to why i still have no nitrates. i have taken my water to two different lfs and all of them read zero. why is this?