Help please - I am losing the battle (and my urchins) over algae

[lazarus]

I moved an 8 yr old 110 gal FOWLR tank into a smaller 29 gal environment and shortly after this, found algae growing on my urchins and much of the LR. Its growing quickly. I've never had this problem before, and not sure how it started (maybe because I no longer have a refugium). In any event, I need a solution as soon as possible. Please help! Is there a snail or other creature that will eat this? I prefer natural solutions to chemicals.

 

[lmforbis]

Sea hares will eat hair algae but once they eat it all will starve. I doubt it is hurting your urchin Mine pile all kinds of crap on top of them selves, macro algae shells pebbles etc. you have too many nutrients. To really get rid of algae you need to get a handle on the phosphate and nitrates and the algae will die off.

 

[pegasus]

I can tell you from experience, there is no quick solution to getting rid of hair algae. I've battled it for over a year, and while I have it under control, it is by no means eliminated. I've tried sea hares, and various fish that are supposed to eat hair algae, and none of them survived. The only thing that will get rid of hair algae is to starve it to death. If you had macro algae in your refugium, it was outcompeting the hair algae for nutrients. Now that you don't have it, the hair algae has no competition. I manually removed hair algae from my tank for months, only to watch it grow back in no time. It was an epidemic, and was about to take over my tank. The turning point came when I installed a dual GFO reactor. Once my Phosphate levels dropped to near zero, the algae started receding. I've been running GFO and carbon for 4 months, and still have a few small patches of hair algae. Considering how bad my tank looked 6 months ago, it looks pretty darn good now. If I were to kill the lights and not feed the tank for a week, I'm pretty sure it would all die. The only reason I haven't tried is because I have a lot of money tied up in corals that need strong lighting. And the saga continues...

 

[beth]

I agree that you have to starve out the hair algae, or you just have to battle to remove it and hopefully keep it under control. As Pegasus says, either macros that eat up the food source or turning off the lights for a week or so. Test your source water for phosphates. Are you using RO/DI water?

 

[novahobbies]

Pegasus has it on the nose. Run GFO, get some Mexican turbo snails, and reduce feeding for a while. You'll get it under control. Give it time.
Can you reinstall a fuge?

 

[lazarus]

Thanks everyone. I never heard of a GFO before but see them for sale online. I do use RO water and it makes sense that without the refugium I would eventually see problems in this little tank (we moved homes and as a result, the 110 g had to be let go).

I guess I'll have to get educated again on chemical parameters and algae control - was never an issue with the bigger tank.

 

[novahobbies]

GFO......granular ferric oxide. Run it in a Two Little Fishies 150 reactor with a MArineland 900 pump so it tumbles gently. I use one on my 110g and it absolutely helps keep the phosphates down. Plus I believe that SWF.com sells the reactor for a decent price.

 

[bang guy]

That resembles a Pencil Urchin, right?

Why not try one of the Urchins that eat algae instead of a predator?

I agree with the above comments. Hair algae is cause by excess nutrients. Did your live rock ever experience a really high ammonia level?

 

[lazarus]

I've had these pencil urchins for years.....they were in the 110g tank long before I downsized.

My last tank was super stable - never a problem and most of my livestock lived for 5+ years and still kicking in the smaller tank.

Looking into these GFO systems now. Aquamaxx has better reviews than Two Little Fishes. Anyone using this or can direct me to the best solution for a little 29g tank?

Thanks again!

 

[novahobbies]

Very interesting. I don't know if anyone yet has come out with a really reasonable ?nano? style tumble reactor. Well....CPR has one but it has to be either in your tank or in a sump...and it's pretty ugly to keep in your tank. I would still say the TLF for its HOB quality. Aquamaxx reactors are pretty pricey there.

I wonder......maybe just try reducing feeding, make sure you get 40% of your water changed per month, and run a skimmer? I run a GFR of course, but I'm one of those old school people who feels like the single best thing for keeping all nutrient levels low is water changes.

 

[lmforbis]

I use the BRS reactor. I know they have a small size but don't know it it I'll work without a sump.

 

[lazarus]

BTW - I do perform 40% water changes each month (20% every other week) and replenish with RO water that I mix myself with salt.

I know I should cut back on feeding - my fish are fat! I will also look into this GFO device. I hope to move back up to a 100+ g tank when we move again so will look at one with the capacity to serve that size tank and use on my 29g tank until then.

Sound good?

 

[lazarus]

I want to thank everyone that gave me advice here. I got the Two Fishes 150 installed with the Marineland 900 pump. The pump seems very powerful for this setup and 29g tank. So I have two questions:

1. I am cutting back on the power of the pump by over 50% to keep PhosBan from going wild. I have it tumbling VERY gently. Is this setting good for the pump? Any risk of it overheating? Wonder where the power is going if not into moving the water.

2. The algae problem has gotten worse and I cannot get it off. Will this die off naturally as a result of the GFO?

Thanks in advance!

 

[pegasus]

As long as the control valve is on the output side of the pump, it won't cause damage to the pump. I've shut my valve off completely (during dosing) and forgot to turn it back on for a day or two. The pump still works as usual, it's just not moving water. As long as it's submerged, overheating shouldn't be an issue.

As I posted earlier, there's no quick solution to getting rid of hair algae. It is a long, hard challenge... but it can be won. The problem is that once Phosphates become elevated in your tank, it is absorbed into the rocks and substrate. Even though you may eliminate the source of Phosphates, it will leech from the rocks and sand for a long, long time. You just have to be patient, and diligently remove as much of it as you can. It's only been a couple of weeks since you posted your original comment, so it's far too soon to notice any improvement. As I also stated earlier, it took several months before I noticed any improvement. Patience, grasshopper...

 

[lazarus]

yessir, thank you. its honestly looking better already!

 

[eric b 125]

I had a real bad green hair algae problem a few months ago. I was running GFO, skimming, and cut back on my lights. The only thing that helped was: I removed as much as I could manually with no water circulation so that I wasn't spreading it around. Then I dosed with AlgaeFix. I'm not one for chemical solutions, but this stuff worked so good. Within days the GHA was all gone but the rocks needed a good siphoning because of the die-off. I had SPS, inverts and a fish in my tank and no ill-effects to anything ornamental. I will continue to be a supporter of this product.

 

[lazarus]

I'll try that too!