Hair Algae Eaters?
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wamp
Active Member
Go to the U-Build it section and get your self lots of crabs and snails. I battled with the stuff for a while until I added a large clean-up crew.
Also, water changes, watch your water parameters, and make sure your skimmer is operating at full capacity. These things can also help...
Almost forgot, make sure you hae new bulbs in your lighting. As it gets old, the spectrum produced shifts to a lower K rating which is waht algea thrives on.
Also, water changes, watch your water parameters, and make sure your skimmer is operating at full capacity. These things can also help...
Almost forgot, make sure you hae new bulbs in your lighting. As it gets old, the spectrum produced shifts to a lower K rating which is waht algea thrives on.
cogreywolf
Member
I too had a very bad hair algae problem. I solved this problem completely by reducing the time of my lights. I ran actinics only and reduced my feedings to once or even every other day. I scrubbed the rocks with a toothbrush and did water changes. Currently, no hair algae. I think that once you solve the hair algae problem, you could add a uv sterilizer to assist you with the algae problem. Although, using one comes with its own side-effects.
dreeves
Active Member
Find the causes of your hair algea (nutrients, etc) eliminate those, and get yourself some snails...
Nutrients to watch for are nitrate, phosphate and silicate...
Algea has a very efficient survival program...it grows...spreads, then dies creating more nutrients for its offspring (or whatever you want to call it)...before the dying and after the growing is when you should consider removing it from the tank while at the same time conducting a water change to lower the nutrients.
As mentioned above...the lighting unique to aquarium use is engineered in a fashion to remove most of the yellows, reds, etc...as these are colors in which algea thrives on...as your light ages...the phosphors age and, as mentioned, shifts towards the yellows, etc...
Everytime you clean the algea from your tank...unless you are removing piece by piece (rock, deco, etc) and cleaning outside the tank, you arecontributing to the survival of the algea by providing it a food source...
The plus side is...once you figure the problem out...you will be able to prevent it from occuring again.
Good luck
Nutrients to watch for are nitrate, phosphate and silicate...
Algea has a very efficient survival program...it grows...spreads, then dies creating more nutrients for its offspring (or whatever you want to call it)...before the dying and after the growing is when you should consider removing it from the tank while at the same time conducting a water change to lower the nutrients.
As mentioned above...the lighting unique to aquarium use is engineered in a fashion to remove most of the yellows, reds, etc...as these are colors in which algea thrives on...as your light ages...the phosphors age and, as mentioned, shifts towards the yellows, etc...
Everytime you clean the algea from your tank...unless you are removing piece by piece (rock, deco, etc) and cleaning outside the tank, you arecontributing to the survival of the algea by providing it a food source...
The plus side is...once you figure the problem out...you will be able to prevent it from occuring again.
Good luck