Hair Algae.. gone wild

speg

speg

Active Member
At first I figured I could deal with the small population of hair algae but now it's gotten out of hand.
My current cleanup crew in my 12 gallon nano just won't do the job well enough to keep it under control..
Crew includes:
2 astra snails (somewhat helpful, but tends to eat the algae on glass most)
3 blue-legged hermit crabs (almost completely useless)
2 Onyx nassarus snails (mostly eats glass-algae.)
Have a protein skimmer..
I use RO water.
I believe the problem is due to the live sand I got... which was that agra alive stuff in a bag. Probably full of phosphates.
I got some chaeto to try and compete with the hair algae but they both seem to be growing well :p
I was thinking maybe a mexican turbo would help.. but I didn't want to go that route unless it'll help for sure..
and I don't want to go with any chemical/miracle cures.
What can I do?
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
larger more frequent water changes, get an emerald crab, get a sally light foot crab, some turbo snails
what do you feed?
lighting schedule?
flow?
 
speg

speg

Active Member
I've been doing about one gallon a week in the 12 gallon nano. You think more/more often?
Sally light foots scare me... emeralds make me somewhat nervous but I could go that route.
I feed frozen mysis and/or frozen "reef plankton" or flakes 1-2 times a day. Very small amounts, but honestly, it could be smaller as the clown is the only fish, but I do have lots of members of the cleanup crew that usually get the leftovers.. and a huge brittle star.
I have the stock pump that comes with the jbj 12 nano, plus another powerhead with a wavemaker attached. Not sure the exact per-gallon flow rate.
Lights come on around 9:30-10:30 and stay on until bed time.. so around 9-9:30.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
maybe decrease the light some, lessen the food, and IMO I have a sally and emeralds in all tanks...the yare great cleaners
AND YES....UP the water changes
 
speg

speg

Active Member
hmm.. up the changes as in how often or how much?
I kind of wonder if the salt has a phosphate problem.. I need to buy new test kits.. mine are far too old. I am using instant ocean.
I think so far I'll try to reduce the lights for about half of the current duration..
Feed only what my clown will eat and let coral just live off the symbiotic algae..
and possibly introduce an emerald and a turbo.
 
kacey

kacey

Member
I believe Lettuce Nudibranches (which aren't actually nudibranches but sea slugs) also eat hair algae, and they're really cool-looking.
 
socalnano24

socalnano24

Active Member
Originally Posted by Speg
http:///forum/post/3246141
I've been doing about one gallon a week in the 12 gallon nano. You think more/more often?
Sally light foots scare me... emeralds make me somewhat nervous but I could go that route.
I feed frozen mysis and/or frozen "reef plankton" or flakes 1-2 times a day. Very small amounts, but honestly, it could be smaller as the clown is the only fish, but I do have lots of members of the cleanup crew that usually get the leftovers.. and a huge brittle star.
I have the stock pump that comes with the jbj 12 nano, plus another powerhead with a wavemaker attached. Not sure the exact per-gallon flow rate.
Lights come on around 9:30-10:30 and stay on until bed time.. so around 9-9:30.
I have two clowns a flame shrimp and a six line in my 24 and feed once every three or four days. I give them a half cube of brine or mysis once every two weeks and thats mainly for my anemone. So you could use to cut back big time!
Consider switching from flakes to pellets, IMO formula 2 pellets are the best, and pollute the tank less than flakes because they do'nt brake up and are usually found and consumed before deteriorating.
Keep your tank on a fixed timer for no more than 8 hours a day until you have your hair algae under control.
Lets see, how long have you had your chaeto running? I export about half of my chaeto every two months to remove nitrates and phosphates.
 
socalnano24

socalnano24

Active Member
oh yeah and change 2 gallons a week if you can, until your problem is under control. A minimum of 10% is good when your tank is healthy, up to 25% is acceptable if your having algae issues
One more thing, if your lights are over 8 months old you could change those too, and trade out chemipure or use it. {I've had hair algae issues off and on and these are some of the things I've started doing} and they seem to work, along with removing any left over hair algae by hand during a big clean up
 
speg

speg

Active Member
It's a newer tank. New lights, and chaeto isn't old at all.
I'll do larger water changes..
Get a turbo/emerald..
feed less..
keep lights running about half of the time as they've currently been.
Thanks everybody.
 
kacey

kacey

Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3246247
Actually they eat bryopsis.....
Aren't bryopsis and hair algae the same thing?
It's been documented as eating bryopsis, derbesia, and the adults will also eat p. capitatus.
 
bmkj02

bmkj02

Member
I'd start doing at least 50% water change every week tell its under control. Anything less you will be going at it for a many weeks till you see an improvement. A 50% will cut your time down. You are even safe (by what many say) with a 100% water change but the most I have ever done was 60%.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by Kacey
http:///forum/post/3246436
So, bryopsis is less... hairy.
What's the scientific name for the nuisance called 'hair algae', then?
WOW...there are so many different types....google hair algae and you will see..
Bryopsis is more "fern like" IMO that's what it reminds me of (or feathery)
 
don1234

don1234

Member
This might be a little off topic, but I have a pretty nice size patch of hair algae that grows off and out of the overflow of my protein skimmer. Normally the mouth of the skimmer is a little out of the water, but when I do top offs the water level raises to the overflow of the skimmer thus the hair algae hangs in the water. The tangs immediately rush to the skimmer to eat it.
 
don1234

don1234

Member
Years ago my uncle had a 75 Gallon reef tank....the entire back glass was completely covered in hair algae from top to bottom and side to side. But it was incredible! Everything lived in it. Sea horses, crabs, bristle worms, snails, the tangs ate it. Crabs mainly would just hang off it and constantly crawl on it.
 
speg

speg

Active Member
The problem is slowly starting to go away and I think that the snails are able to maintain the new growth at this point.
I did a 4 gallon water change; I've been keeping the lights on from around 2:30/3:00 to 9:00/9:30 and I also pulled off as much as I could... and been feeding a small amount once a day. Only what my clown will consume while I'm watching it.
 
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