Hair Algae
- Thread starter jw1977
- Start date
ryancw01
Member
I was having an issue with hair algae so I got a starry blenny. Thing is awesome. Ate all the hair algae and will eat everything I feed the other fish so he is always fat. He does eat the sand though which is kind of weird and then poops it out right before feeding time. Not sure what that is about.
bdhough
Active Member
That you are getting the algae indicates a number of things. I had a battle with hair algae a number of years ago and here is what I found.
1) Check your levels. Make sure they are within normal parameters.
2) Check your temperatures. Make sure they aren't spiking above normal while the lights are on. This was my biggest issue...
3) How much are you feeding? Over feeding and little to no consumption of leftover food by critters creates excess nutrients which will get used by the algae.
4) Remove excess algae by hand where applicable. I had to remove all my rocks and scrub them at one point because it got so bad. Should you do this be gentle. Take a tooth brush and scrub ONLY where the algea is attached to the rock. Excess rubbing will kill off beneficial growths. Try to do this as a last resort.
5) Get some critters to help deal with the issue. Try not to over do this as stocking the tank with excess can lead to more issues. Make sure whatever you get can eat other foods other than the algae specifically.
6) Make sure your skimmer is functioning. It can build up excess scum over time which sits in the water column in some fashion if not cleaned regularly.
Hope this helps.
1) Check your levels. Make sure they are within normal parameters.
2) Check your temperatures. Make sure they aren't spiking above normal while the lights are on. This was my biggest issue...
3) How much are you feeding? Over feeding and little to no consumption of leftover food by critters creates excess nutrients which will get used by the algae.
4) Remove excess algae by hand where applicable. I had to remove all my rocks and scrub them at one point because it got so bad. Should you do this be gentle. Take a tooth brush and scrub ONLY where the algea is attached to the rock. Excess rubbing will kill off beneficial growths. Try to do this as a last resort.
5) Get some critters to help deal with the issue. Try not to over do this as stocking the tank with excess can lead to more issues. Make sure whatever you get can eat other foods other than the algae specifically.
6) Make sure your skimmer is functioning. It can build up excess scum over time which sits in the water column in some fashion if not cleaned regularly.
Hope this helps.