What's a good clean up crew for HAIR ALGAE?

[reb]

I have an outbreak of hair alge and am going to order, what does everyone suggest for snails, crabs, and or fish?

 

[007]

If your tank is big enough, a tang will do well or a lawnmower blenny.
As for hermits and snails, a variety will do just fine. Scarlets have been the best IME, then Blue legs, and last Zebra hermits (although these guys are the most entertaining). Astrea, turbos, ceriths have been good in my tanks.

 

[nas19320]

I have found Mexican Turbo snails to be really good at mowing down hair algae although they are bulldozers to anything in their way.

 

[cprdnick]

All of the snails Mr. Bond listed are good ones as are the hermits, however do not attempt to mix the Blue Legs with any others, they are aggressive towards others as well as their own. They are also the best at hair algae removal from what I've read. Mexican turbo snails helped me out with my algae problems.
Of course if you have a hair algae problem you may want to check other sources that may attribute to the problematic algaes.
What are your parameters, what do your phosphate and silicate levels test out to? What kind of water do you use for top-offs? What did you use for initial filling of the tank?

 

[jeepboy]

I had a hair algea problem also. I bought a lawnmower blenny, 3 turbo snail and 4 emerald crabs. My tank is now clean....so clean that I increased the time the lights were on to get more algea to grow. The lawnmower blenny I got is about 4 inches long and eats alot of algea and is a funny guy.

 

[beaslbob]

hopefully you have a refug going with thriving macros. If so then turbo snales would be a good addition. You also could turn your display lights off for a few days. the plant life in the refug can catch up with the hair that way.
you also may need to add more plant life to the refug or system.

 

[javajoe]

Lawnmower blenny's do pretty good, but the best thing i have found is waterchanges with RO water, and a toothbrush to scrape it off the rocks.

 

[reb]

Thanks for the help.

 

[reb]

I am ordering a phosphate test kit and a silicate test kit. If either of these levels are high how do I go about lowering them? Right now I have a phosphate reducing pad in my tidepool wet/dry filter. Is there a way to lower silicate, and where do phosphates and silicates come from?

 

[midwest reefer]

Lawnmower blenny's do pretty good, but the best thing i have found is waterchanges with RO water, and a toothbrush to scrape it off the rocks.
second this. brushing it off might not be nessessary but it makes it look nice temporarily. lawnmower blennys Ive noticed wont eat it if its pretty long(most hair algae is) Mine didnt eat any. RO/DI water will eliminate contaminants in the water and try to lower your phosphates/nitrates/trites etc....
better water quality is really the only way to prevent it.