help killing hair algee
- Thread starter jbpig
- Start date
I still have it. I have also tried everything. Opinions are to check phosphates and use RO water. I do neiher. Only thing that has worked 100% is to take rock out and wash and scrub it. I have lettuce Nudi's coming in. They might eat it. I will let you know :twisted:
I bought 75 lbs of VERY HAIRY LR from someone taking down a tank. He bought water from a LFS, had only a few hermits/snails and seemed to feed fairly heavily. I scrubbed the rock with a toothbrush when I got home. I put the LR in a 55g tank with a couple 15 watt freshwater type fluorescents, added 65 blue leg hermits and 50 Astrea turbo snails. These guys came from E-Tropicals-most of the snails died/were killed by hermits pretty soon. I use DI water and fed the tank nothing. The Hair Algae completely disappeared within 3 weeks.
Who knows whether it was the lack of light, lack of food, or DI water? Perhaps a combination of the three. Anyway, I got a bunch of great looking, corraline covered rock ready to go in a short time.
That's the deal with hair algae. You have to get the nutrients under control (phosphates, nitrates...). Check the skimmer for efficiency. Do water changes with RO (or RODI) water. Check the RO water to ensure no nutrients.
Then you have to remove the stuff that is already growing. Scrub it w/ a toothbrush, and siphon out the stray pieces. Replace the siphoned out water with RO water.
THen throw a few snails, or a sallylightfoot crag, or an urchin to keep any HA from coming back.
A refugium growing caulerpa will help by sucking up any PO4 or NO3 that are introduced in your feedings.
It's a long tough battle, but one you can win.
Then you have to remove the stuff that is already growing. Scrub it w/ a toothbrush, and siphon out the stray pieces. Replace the siphoned out water with RO water.
THen throw a few snails, or a sallylightfoot crag, or an urchin to keep any HA from coming back.
A refugium growing caulerpa will help by sucking up any PO4 or NO3 that are introduced in your feedings.
It's a long tough battle, but one you can win.
Its a killer - I've fought the battle, thought I had it won, but the hair algae grew back in my 120g reef. Heavily skimmed with a gemini 800 ETS skimmer - nitrate 5.0, phophate .025, ph 8.3, temp 78, amon 0; nitrite 0; alk 3.5; calcium 400. I do 18 gallon water changes weekly with R/O water - I have many astrea and turbo snails; red hermits; mitrex crabs in the tank and a long time resident purple tang and I'm runing UV 24/7. I also have a serpent star and brittle star to help with ditrus removal. I don't know what else to do, frankly.
(In the past, I have scrubbed all rock clean manually, replaced the deep sand substrate with a thin (less than 2" layer of pink somoa sand).
(In the past, I have scrubbed all rock clean manually, replaced the deep sand substrate with a thin (less than 2" layer of pink somoa sand).
I have had this problem before and I have done three things to keep it under control.
1. Keep nitrate and phosphate level low. Use filtered water rather than tap water. Feed less to avoid excess food remains in the aquarium.
2. Introduce cerith snails. These little guys are reef safe and can consume both algae and detritus.
3. Cultivate algae in the display tank or sump. If you have a sump, you can keep a lot of algae in it to absorb nitrate. It can also be used as a food supply to the display tank because many small animals (such as pods, tiny shrimps, etc.) live in it.
1. Keep nitrate and phosphate level low. Use filtered water rather than tap water. Feed less to avoid excess food remains in the aquarium.
2. Introduce cerith snails. These little guys are reef safe and can consume both algae and detritus.
3. Cultivate algae in the display tank or sump. If you have a sump, you can keep a lot of algae in it to absorb nitrate. It can also be used as a food supply to the display tank because many small animals (such as pods, tiny shrimps, etc.) live in it.
Use a turkey baster or a spare powerhead to blast away at the LR. This will cause the detruis that was sitting in all of the LR to enter the water collumn. You will probably be surprised at all of the stuff you get swirling around your tank. A good skimmer will handle it from there.
Blast at least once a week.
Also, cut back on the feedings. There is probably too much uneaten food sitting and decaying in your tank.
Blast at least once a week.
Also, cut back on the feedings. There is probably too much uneaten food sitting and decaying in your tank.
Do you have an undergravel filter?
Do you have a canister filter?
Do you have anything with filter floss or bio-balls in your aquarium?
If you answered no to the above three questions, good. Those three things will accumulate a fairly good amount of hair algae "food". If you feel bold enough, I would recommend a 100% water change after "blasting" your rocks. You might even stir up your substrate(if it is crushed coral) before the water change.
P.S. Don't forget to remove the animals to a hospital tank during the water change.
Do you have a canister filter?
Do you have anything with filter floss or bio-balls in your aquarium?
If you answered no to the above three questions, good. Those three things will accumulate a fairly good amount of hair algae "food". If you feel bold enough, I would recommend a 100% water change after "blasting" your rocks. You might even stir up your substrate(if it is crushed coral) before the water change.
P.S. Don't forget to remove the animals to a hospital tank during the water change.
i had a horridle hair algae problem in my 75g reef..
i tried a letttuce nudi too. he seemed to be ok for a few weeks, but i never saw him eating the algae and haven't seen him for a while..
anyway, i religiously did a weekly 5 gallon water change, but used a hose and some tubing to suck the algae out of my tank..
i use the great bear ro water, cause i'm too lazy to filter it.
after about 8 weeks, alll of it was gone..
i tried a letttuce nudi too. he seemed to be ok for a few weeks, but i never saw him eating the algae and haven't seen him for a while..
anyway, i religiously did a weekly 5 gallon water change, but used a hose and some tubing to suck the algae out of my tank..
i use the great bear ro water, cause i'm too lazy to filter it.
after about 8 weeks, alll of it was gone..
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