UV steriliser & hair algea

[njparton]

Would a suitably sized Vecton UV steriliser help to eliminate the hair algea in my tank?

 

[fraservet]

well it may "help" a bit, but it wont solve the problem.
try using a phosphate absorber such as ROWAPHOS.

 

[njparton]

well it may "help" a bit, but it wont solve the problem.
try using a phosphate absorber such as ROWAPHOS.

Yeah - I've thought of that. I bought an RO unit due to the levels of PO4 in my tapwater, but there's just too much of it in dried fishfood so the levels always rise.

I've tried GreenX in the past which didn't really help - is Rowaphos better?

 

[smithrc]

it wont help at all

the UV filters work by killing things that pass through it. the hair algae wont pass through the filter so wnt be killed.

it also spreads easily by floating round the tank and attaching to another plant. If its unlucky enough to go via the filter then it might be killed.

 

[fraservet]

I'm not sure how GreenX works, so I can't compare, but Rowaphos is a fantastic product.
It may take some time to get rid of the algae, as phosphate is stored in rocks etc. so you will probably have quite a backlog to get rid of.
You should also reduce the amount you feed, as you are probably overfeeding.
Higher plants will compete with the algae.

Are you using 100% RO water?
In a freshwater tank, I would recommend 50/50 with dechlorinated tap water.

 

[njparton]

I'm not sure how GreenX works, so I can't compare, but Rowaphos is a fantastic product.
It may take some time to get rid of the algae, as phosphate is stored in rocks etc. so you will probably have quite a backlog to get rid of.
You should also reduce the amount you feed, as you are probably overfeeding.
Higher plants will compete with the algae.

Are you using 100% RO water?
In a freshwater tank, I would recommend 50/50 with dechlorinated tap water.

I use 100% RO water as the tapwater has >4mg/l PO4. Why do you recommend a 50:50 mix - surely that defeats the object? I use sodium bicarbonate and Seachem Equilibrium to restore the minerals and KH - neither contain PO4.

There was an article in Practicalfishkeeping magazine a couple of months ago pointing out the high levels of PO4 in most dried fishfoods which is why I try feed my angels etc prawns, mussels or frozen garden worms a few times a week. I only feed once a day and every other weekend they don't get fed at all as I'm away.

 

[fraservet]

As long as you are adding minerals etc. back then it's fine.
Using 50:50 water in theory does much the same job, decreasing levels of unwanted chemicals without getting rid of all the good stuff as well.

 

[njparton]

As long as you are adding minerals etc. back then it's fine.
Using 50:50 water in theory does much the same job, decreasing levels of unwanted chemicals without getting rid of all the good stuff as well.

Yeah but NO3 and PO4 will be added back in too as well as minerals