Big Green Hair Algae Problem!!!

[vitalis]

I have a 55gal with lots of rockwork, corals, and other inverts. I use all sorts of supplements in my tank such as: strontium, magnesium, iodine, Marine C, live bacteria, etc... My tank started out great for about the first 4 months, then i started to get Red Slime; i treated that and it went away for now. About another month later i noticed a little bit of green hair algae on my substrate. Now it has completely gotten out of control! My Alveopora and other corals are overgrown with the hair algae. Every little spot of rock that doesn't have a coral on it, is covered in the hair algae. Even on the back glass of the tank, it looks like a flat of grass is growing. I am getting mad because it looks disgusting and i do water changes almost weekly but i keeps coming back onto the substrate and rocks. I need help finding a supplement or some sort of technique to completely remove it. My corals are getting surrounded by it. I know it has something to do with Phosphates, but what do i do to remove the existing algae. Its covering the rocks so i don't know what to do. Are there any fish/crabs/inverts that eat it or eliminate it? Please help, my tank looks awful because of the green hair algae!

 

[tank a holic]

keep up with the water changes
get a hob filter and stuff it full of phos pads and run constantly
get a ro/di unit for better water
add a lawnmower blennie
sea hair's are wonderful for hair algae
tangs and foxfaces are good at eating it also
beef up your clean up crew
and if at all possible add a refugium with macro algae to eat up all the nutrients
now... take the rocks out and scrub the algae off and replace them, you cant do them all at once or you'll kill the nitrification bacteria
its a long slow process, get started, keep at it, and be patient
might wanna go to the store and get a spare bucket of elbow greese, you're gonna need it

 

[jstdv8]

I had a similar problem with GHA so thick it looked like a nice lawn on the back 3 sides of my tank. Almost none on my rocks for whatever reason.
I bought 4 turbo snails (all i had was about 15 margaritas before) and ordered a lawnmower blenny. its been a week, my blenny is supposed to be here today. The only problem (for the blenny) is that the turbos have eradicated all but a very small patch of green hair algae on my overflow. Its amazing how fast they wiped it out. I should have just gotten 8 turbos and would have been good to go without the lawnmower.
I'm also building an algae turf scrubber as postedon this site in hopes that over time that will help me control my phospahtes and nitrates better.
I have a sump with a nice ball of cheato, but thats not cutting it.
Only have 2 fish that i feed a very small amount once every 3 days. But to be honest have been slacking in the waterchange department. last water change was 10% 16 days ago.
Hope this helps

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by tank a holic
http:///forum/post/3231523
keep up with the water changes
get a hob filter and stuff it full of phos pads and run constantly
get a ro/di unit for better water
add a lawnmower blennie
sea hair's are wonderful for hair algae
tangs and foxfaces are good at eating it also
beef up your clean up crew
and if at all possible add a refugium with macro algae to eat up all the nutrients
now... take the rocks out and scrub the algae off and replace them, you cant do them all at once or you'll kill the nitrification bacteria
its a long slow process, get started, keep at it, and be patient
might wanna go to the store and get a spare bucket of elbow greese, you're gonna need it
+1 Also...scrub in saltwater or you kill your rock.

 

[meowzer]

And stop with all the supplements

 

[vitalis]

Thanks. I just ordered a Sea Hare and i hope it fixes the problem

 

[tim514]

I just bought a lawn mower blenny and a sea hare for the same problem. But i don't think he is compatible with my Purple dottyback. I'm watching them, I hope the lawnmower will be ok in the tank.