2 questions

[angelofdeath132]

1) getting this stringy stuff on my live rock, must be hair algae, am i right? if so what causes it and what will take care of it?
2) am i supposed to be cleaning the "scum" out of the inner tube of my skimmer collection cup?or am i supposed to leave it? looks like a thin layer of algae.

 

[turbo21]

to answer your second question- yes you should clean it out every time you empty the cup, the cleaner it is the more efficient it will work

 

[carrie1429]

Hair algae comes from high phosphates. You can clean it off with a toothbrush (a clean one obviously). Then just scoop up the floating peices with a net. Thats how I remove it if I ever get any.

 

[bdubbya]

I got an emerald crab to eat mine. Also are you using RO/DI water, if your just using tap that could be where your phosphates are coming from. Another possibility could be that your over feeding, so maybe cut back a little on that and see if that helps. HTH.

 

[shadow678]

There are a few methods for dealing with hair algaeand which method will be most desireable will depend on your setup. If you have a large tank with lots of rock, several different species of fish will solve your problem, including angels, tangs, lawnmower blennies, etc. If you have a small tank, and you don't have any fish that will eat crabs, the emerald crab as Bdubbya stated is a good choice. HTH