green hair algae
- Thread starter twobitt
- Start date
wfd1008
Member
Originally Posted by chilwil84
no you want to run some phosphate remover and do some water changes. carbon with make the water clearer and may even help the hair algae by allowing more light to reach it
i agree, remove the phosphates and you could get a lawnmower blenny to eat what you've got growing. they really chow down on the stuff, but once it's all gone, you'll have to supplement them with something. they are really good fish though.
no you want to run some phosphate remover and do some water changes. carbon with make the water clearer and may even help the hair algae by allowing more light to reach it
i agree, remove the phosphates and you could get a lawnmower blenny to eat what you've got growing. they really chow down on the stuff, but once it's all gone, you'll have to supplement them with something. they are really good fish though.
twobitt
Member
Yeah I'm trying. I use ro/di water and I have cut feeding back to about half of what I was at before. I did use tap water in the very beginning only because the lfs people told me it was ok to use tap and just put some dechlorinator in it. At the time I didn't know any better but that was for just a couple months. The tank is a little over a year old. I'm also using salifert phosphate remover. I've changed one of my lights. The other is an acitinic and probably about 6 months old. I have that turned on only about 2 hours a day to see if that helps before replacing it. I actually went to the lfs today to get a lawnmower blenny but all they had was a rock blenny. Does anyone know if these are the same just known by 2 different names?
snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
hmm, hair algae once again!
Of course, it's all about excess nutrience. You can do a few things:
1. Buy a nice working protein skimmer. If you have one, make it work more efficiantly and clean it often.
2. If you don't already have a lawnmower blenny or a foxface fish or a sally light foot crab, (heed the crab) you might want to get one. They will eat the crap out of it.
3. Water changes to remove excess nutrience.
4. Take a bowl of freshwater and keep it with you while you are manually removing the hair algae. After every time you dump a load, clean your fingers in the freshwater to prevent the spores from scattering in your tank.
Have fun!
Of course, it's all about excess nutrience. You can do a few things:
1. Buy a nice working protein skimmer. If you have one, make it work more efficiantly and clean it often.
2. If you don't already have a lawnmower blenny or a foxface fish or a sally light foot crab, (heed the crab) you might want to get one. They will eat the crap out of it.
3. Water changes to remove excess nutrience.
4. Take a bowl of freshwater and keep it with you while you are manually removing the hair algae. After every time you dump a load, clean your fingers in the freshwater to prevent the spores from scattering in your tank.
Have fun!
twobitt
Member
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33
hmm, hair algae once again!
Of course, it's all about excess nutrience. You can do a few things:
1. Buy a nice working protein skimmer. If you have one, make it work more efficiantly and clean it often.
Got it but realized earlier today that their is a part of it I was forgetting to clean and was filthy and causing the it to work inefficiently.
2. If you don't already have a lawnmower blenny or a foxface fish or a sally light foot crab, (heed the crab) you might want to get one. They will eat the crap out of it.
Got a foxface but he won't touch it. Bought a lawnmower blenny today and hoping he does his job.
3. Water changes to remove excess nutrience.
on it
4. Take a bowl of freshwater and keep it with you while you are manually removing the hair algae. After every time you dump a load, clean your fingers in the freshwater to prevent the spores from scattering in your tank.
This is interesting. I have never heard mention of these spores. I have been taking a turkey baster and blasting the algae off the rocks to get it circulating and filtered out. Am I helping it spread like wildfire?
Have fun!
thanks
hmm, hair algae once again!
Of course, it's all about excess nutrience. You can do a few things:
1. Buy a nice working protein skimmer. If you have one, make it work more efficiantly and clean it often.
Got it but realized earlier today that their is a part of it I was forgetting to clean and was filthy and causing the it to work inefficiently.
2. If you don't already have a lawnmower blenny or a foxface fish or a sally light foot crab, (heed the crab) you might want to get one. They will eat the crap out of it.
Got a foxface but he won't touch it. Bought a lawnmower blenny today and hoping he does his job.
3. Water changes to remove excess nutrience.
on it
4. Take a bowl of freshwater and keep it with you while you are manually removing the hair algae. After every time you dump a load, clean your fingers in the freshwater to prevent the spores from scattering in your tank.
This is interesting. I have never heard mention of these spores. I have been taking a turkey baster and blasting the algae off the rocks to get it circulating and filtered out. Am I helping it spread like wildfire?
Have fun!
thanks
uberlink
Active Member
Another easy way to rid yourself of hair algae is to plant some other algae in your system, most typically chaetomorpha in your sump or in a small hang-on-tank refugium. It will consume the nutrients that would otherwise feed your hair algae. The hair algae will disappear in weeks.
snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
lol, yes, by blasting it with a turkey baster, you are essentially spreading it like wildfire.
give your blenny some time to adjust. He will eventually start eating it.
Nutrient export is one of the key things that you want to start doing. Water changes, skimmer collection etc. You'll get it done.
give your blenny some time to adjust. He will eventually start eating it.
Nutrient export is one of the key things that you want to start doing. Water changes, skimmer collection etc. You'll get it done.
twobitt
Member
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33
lol, yes, by blasting it with a turkey baster, you are essentially spreading it like wildfire.
give your blenny some time to adjust. He will eventually start eating it.
Nutrient export is one of the key things that you want to start doing. Water changes, skimmer collection etc. You'll get it done.
Lol thanks I wish I had known this a few weeks ago.
lol, yes, by blasting it with a turkey baster, you are essentially spreading it like wildfire.
give your blenny some time to adjust. He will eventually start eating it.
Nutrient export is one of the key things that you want to start doing. Water changes, skimmer collection etc. You'll get it done.
Lol thanks I wish I had known this a few weeks ago.