How to get Green Hair Algae off of LR??
- Thread starter harris
- Start date
damsel in distress
Member
Hey Harris,
I know how you feel about the pesky green hair algae! There are lots of things you can do to prevent and get rid of green hair algae. I need to know your water parameters, how much you feed your fish and how often, how long do you leave your lights on, what kind of clean up crew you have, etc. The more information the better!!!
Ok the first thing you need to do is only leave your lights on for about 6-7 hours a day! The algae will feed on the light and make it grow extremely fast! The next step is to go easy on the feeding! I suggest only feeding once every 2-3 days. The algae also feeds off of the left over food. Now this will cut down on your algae but will NOT get rid of it! To get rid of it you need to do a 30-40 percent water change and take every piece of live rock out of the tank and brush off any visible algae with a toothbrush. Try not to leave any algae behind because it will regenerate quickly and you will have to do the water change and scrubbing of rocks again! Also, if you do not have a protein skimmer, then I would suggest investing in one! Works great! Lastly, I would make sure you have a sufficent clean up crew in the tank! The rule on snails is one per every two gallons. I would invest in a few emerald crabs, blue legs, and red legs to eat any last pieces of green hair algae! I hope this helps you out! Good luck! If you have any other questions..just ask!
Jessica
I know how you feel about the pesky green hair algae! There are lots of things you can do to prevent and get rid of green hair algae. I need to know your water parameters, how much you feed your fish and how often, how long do you leave your lights on, what kind of clean up crew you have, etc. The more information the better!!!
Ok the first thing you need to do is only leave your lights on for about 6-7 hours a day! The algae will feed on the light and make it grow extremely fast! The next step is to go easy on the feeding! I suggest only feeding once every 2-3 days. The algae also feeds off of the left over food. Now this will cut down on your algae but will NOT get rid of it! To get rid of it you need to do a 30-40 percent water change and take every piece of live rock out of the tank and brush off any visible algae with a toothbrush. Try not to leave any algae behind because it will regenerate quickly and you will have to do the water change and scrubbing of rocks again! Also, if you do not have a protein skimmer, then I would suggest investing in one! Works great! Lastly, I would make sure you have a sufficent clean up crew in the tank! The rule on snails is one per every two gallons. I would invest in a few emerald crabs, blue legs, and red legs to eat any last pieces of green hair algae! I hope this helps you out! Good luck! If you have any other questions..just ask!
Jessica
lettheirberock
Member
the green emeralds will mow it down like a bush hog.if you need a clean up crew, i would definitely recomend buying from this site. there crews are the best!
harris
Member
Thanks Jess and everyone else...
My crew is just not cutting it.
Yesterday I took out all of the rocks and scrubbed everyone down with a tooth brush, then I rinsed the rocks with fresh saltwater, and put them back in.
It looks much better. But I am afraid it will grow back.
I have one emerald, about 10 Red legs and 2 blue legs. I have 5 bumble bee's, 5 margarita's, 3 astrea's, 2 cerith's which i think kicked the bucket. And 2 other really weird tpyes of snails that I forgot their names.
I am cuttting the lights back to 1 hr a day to see if that helps.
I will also see about picking up another emerald, and some more margarita's
Thanks for your help. BTW- I just started using that water filter by aquarium pharm....that should help too.
Parameters are decent. Not prisitine but good. 1 clown, 1 firefish, cleaner shrimp. That's it.... in a 30 gal with about 30lb's of live rock.
My crew is just not cutting it.
Yesterday I took out all of the rocks and scrubbed everyone down with a tooth brush, then I rinsed the rocks with fresh saltwater, and put them back in.
It looks much better. But I am afraid it will grow back.
I have one emerald, about 10 Red legs and 2 blue legs. I have 5 bumble bee's, 5 margarita's, 3 astrea's, 2 cerith's which i think kicked the bucket. And 2 other really weird tpyes of snails that I forgot their names.
I am cuttting the lights back to 1 hr a day to see if that helps.
I will also see about picking up another emerald, and some more margarita's
Thanks for your help. BTW- I just started using that water filter by aquarium pharm....that should help too.
Parameters are decent. Not prisitine but good. 1 clown, 1 firefish, cleaner shrimp. That's it.... in a 30 gal with about 30lb's of live rock.
crazy bout salt
Member
Akright this is perhaps the best every way to get rid of green hair algea and keep it down and of course the most comical buy a algae blenny or more common known as a lawnmower he will eat and eat and eat even off of your tank walls its histerical because you cna see lips prints where he bit the tank it is a funny fish and its great to watch perhaps the most funny fish out there plus they change color too with the dark of lightness oof what they are around
Jay
Jay
pezlok
Member
One thing that has not been mentioned is keeping your ph at 8.3 & calcium at 35 and keep phosphates at 0. I recently started using Kalkwasser and it has keep my ph and calcium readings constant. Once your water readings stay constant for several weeks the algea will turn from green to a brown and it will come off with a power head. Be sure to scoop it all out with a net. As mentioned before, add emeralds, red legs, and a lawnmower.
Where there is purple coralline algea the green hair algea will not grow. That is why it's important to keep calcium level up.
Hope this hepls.
Where there is purple coralline algea the green hair algea will not grow. That is why it's important to keep calcium level up.
Hope this hepls.
D
diatom
Guest
Urchins are really the best for getting rid of hair algae. Everything else is hit or miss
damsel in distress
Member
Hey Harris,
How is the algae doing? Have you seen any more since you brushed your rocks off? Did you do the water change? If not, you really should do one! Keep me posted!
Diatom,
Urchins are not the best for fighting green hair algae.
Jessica
How is the algae doing? Have you seen any more since you brushed your rocks off? Did you do the water change? If not, you really should do one! Keep me posted!
Diatom,
Urchins are not the best for fighting green hair algae.
Jessica
D
diatom
Guest
Jessica~
they aren't? What is?
Here's a quote from Doc Ron, "The best herbivores for these algae in our tanks are the ones that eat it nature and these are sea urchins, primarily long spined urchins, Diadema."...disagree if you will
[ November 24, 2001: Message edited by: Diatom ]
they aren't? What is?
Here's a quote from Doc Ron, "The best herbivores for these algae in our tanks are the ones that eat it nature and these are sea urchins, primarily long spined urchins, Diadema."...disagree if you will
[ November 24, 2001: Message edited by: Diatom ]
damsel in distress
Member
Well this is quoted off of swf.com from information for hobbyists on the first page:Urchins are not recommended for the reef tank. If you want algae cleaners it is best to choose the smaller crabs and snails that won't disrupt the tank like the urchin possibly could.
Diatom, urchins will eat some of the algae but are normally not safe in a reef tank because they will chomp down on some corals, etc. It is better off to get crabs and snails. Also, if the tank allows for this, then a lawnmower blenny would work really well. Urchins are not the best way to go to get rid of hair algae and keep it away.
Jessica
Diatom, urchins will eat some of the algae but are normally not safe in a reef tank because they will chomp down on some corals, etc. It is better off to get crabs and snails. Also, if the tank allows for this, then a lawnmower blenny would work really well. Urchins are not the best way to go to get rid of hair algae and keep it away.
Jessica
D
diatom
Guest
Jessica~
Guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.
IME Hermits are much more damaging to reef tanks then urchins. My OPINION is that the info on this site is in error.
Just one more quote, this time from animalnetwork,
"Echinoids are probably the echinoderm group that, as a whole, does best in a reef system. Many of them are rather omnivorous and will be good scavengers, as well as eating problem algae. The aquarist should take care not to purchase one of the exceedinglyvenomous species.p Also, many urchins rather blunder around a tank and can be significant ******** decorators. Pencil urchins are nocturnal and almost totally predatory and will eat everything from soft corals to shrimp (Lares and McClintock 1991)."
So obviously pencil urchins are to be avoided in a reef tank.
If you do decide to go with hermits then I agree, it's best to get some snails so they can have something to kill and eat.
Have a good one,
Brent
[ November 24, 2001: Message edited by: Diatom ]
Guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.
IME Hermits are much more damaging to reef tanks then urchins. My OPINION is that the info on this site is in error.
Just one more quote, this time from animalnetwork,
"Echinoids are probably the echinoderm group that, as a whole, does best in a reef system. Many of them are rather omnivorous and will be good scavengers, as well as eating problem algae. The aquarist should take care not to purchase one of the exceedinglyvenomous species.p Also, many urchins rather blunder around a tank and can be significant ******** decorators. Pencil urchins are nocturnal and almost totally predatory and will eat everything from soft corals to shrimp (Lares and McClintock 1991)."
So obviously pencil urchins are to be avoided in a reef tank.
If you do decide to go with hermits then I agree, it's best to get some snails so they can have something to kill and eat.
Have a good one,
Brent
[ November 24, 2001: Message edited by: Diatom ]
harris
Member
Damsel- It looks better.
It does not appear to be coming back right away. I have my lights off except for about 1 hour per day.
My emerald green is dancing weird and jumping on his back, I think he is either molting or dying. I am hoping for the former.
There are tufts floating around of hair algae, and I net them out if the filter does not grab them. I also scrubbed the hair off of my snails and hermits.
I did a 40% H20 change after the scrubbing.
Not sure about the crab but I hope tomorrow I see an exoskeleton...
More updates as things progress...I wish I took a dig pic of before and after.. although I would have been embarassed.
It does not appear to be coming back right away. I have my lights off except for about 1 hour per day.
My emerald green is dancing weird and jumping on his back, I think he is either molting or dying. I am hoping for the former.
There are tufts floating around of hair algae, and I net them out if the filter does not grab them. I also scrubbed the hair off of my snails and hermits.
I did a 40% H20 change after the scrubbing.
Not sure about the crab but I hope tomorrow I see an exoskeleton...
More updates as things progress...I wish I took a dig pic of before and after.. although I would have been embarassed.
